The “Extra Fine” is Coming!

Posted on by texasgabi

It was during one of the Covid lockdowns when our CNC Meister and I were bored and decided to tackle a question that had been on our minds for a while: How “fine sett” can we get?

Our pin supplier joined in and provided a variety of thinner steel wires, and the testing began.

The CNC router kept routing and drilling until it got to a point where we had to use a magnifying glass to see the holes.

Trying thinner pins convinced us very quickly that what we’re currently using for the Square fine sett looms is the closest to what can be woven comfortably, without having to add a supply of band aides for pricked fingers to each loom kit.

We decided to settle on a loom that is “fine” enough to weave “finer” sock and fingering yarns, like this Lion Brand Sock-Ease.

Several popular sock and fingering yarns list a gauge of 30 sts/4″, which weaves up a nice but light fabric on the fine sett looms. We wanted an “extra fine” option, where the fabric is dense enough for clothing and similar projects.

Above pictures show the yarn example Rico Design Superba Bamboo Uni, available through Universal Yarn, on the new XF loom (left); fabric comparison XF (left) and F ( right); hexie off the XF loom. The header picture also shows that yarn, woven on all three Original TURTLE looms.

Another example is Lang Jawoll, shown woven on the XF extra fine sett on the left, and the F fine sett on the right.

The Original TURTLE loom XF expands the use of thinner yarns without jeopardizing the comfort of weaving.

6/2 cotton yarns like the popular Bluegreass Mills, available through the Woolery, now enter the category of yarns that weave well on TURTLE looms at about 12 epi, and with that the doors open to create a new range of beautiful kitchen items like hand towels and accessories.

Weaving single stranded Size 10 crochet thread on this loom still generates a light fabric, but it now generates a nice, light density for curtains or lacy table toppers.

When will the Original TURTLE Loom XF be available?

The loom is now available in our Etsy store: “Original TURTLE Loom™ XF “extra fine sett”

Also at the handweavers studio in London,

Congratulations!

Congratulations to Meredith and Denise CP (check your emails, please)! They are the winners of our treasure hunt contest and will be the first to receive a new Original TURTLE Loom XF.

Treasure Hunt!

Posted on by texasgabi

The Handweavers Studio in London is now fully restocked … and there’s more! In support of the store’s tag line “A treasure trove for textile creatives” we decided to do a treasure hunt that is open to all TURTLE friends in the UK … and anywhere else.

Store owner Dawn and Alan and their team are now carrying the 1″, 2″, and 4″ Square looms, either to be used together with Elongons or on their own. They have also added the new, unique Jewel loom!

However, that’s not all … There is a new treasure hidden on the Handweavers Studio website, and if you find out what it is, you can enter to win that treasure! Entering for a chance to win is easy: Leave a comment on the blog when you find the treasure.

ETA: Denise CP was the first to find the treasure: It’s the Original TURTLE Loom XF – extra fine sett. I will tell the story of the loom in the next blog on Monday, but in a nutshell, this loom weaves finer sock yarns (knitting gauge 30sts/4″, weaving gauge about 12 epi) and will most likely be the finest sett loom that we will have in our product line.

YOU CAN CONTINUE TO ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN THAT LOOM … just enter a comment below. Ask any questions that you may have about the new loom, write what you’d do with such a loom, or just say that you want to win it!

How it works:

  • Leave a comment on this blog.
  • One entry per person please, multiple comments from the same ID will count as one entry.
  • You can enter now until Sunday, November 20, 2022, 6 pm CT.
  • We will raffle off one (1) of “the hidden treasure”; the winner will be determined by random drawing.
  • The winner will be announced some time on Monday, on our blog.
  • No purchase necessary. No substitutes, no cash.
  • This giveaway is conducted by Bluebonnet Crafters, LLC. It is open to pin-loom lovers internationally unless there are any legal restrictions in your country that prevent us from shipping to you. (Note: In case you win, we will pay for USPS International First Class shipping or contribute to the postage in the equivalent amount of that. You will have to pay for any extra shipping cost and any custom and/or tax incurred by your country.)
  • We will use the contact information only to determine the winners. We do not share that information.
  • In case you win, we will ask for your permission to post your first name, state or country.

Ready? Go hunt!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for September Host

Posted on by texasgabi

We may have difficulties getting TT22 away from Maryland, where he has been playing hide and seek with Deetzie either in the gardens or at the Black Sheep yarn store (… no wonder, with such a yarn selection!)

However, it’s time to determine the next host, for September.

If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section below.

No hexagon weaving experience necessary … if you have a friend who is new to (hexagon) pin loom weaving, please share this post and invite them to host TT22!

Signup is open now, and will end Wednesday, August 31st, at noon time US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile, TT22 wants to share a few impressions from his August diary on Ravelry …

  • The trip across the country went smoothly, and Crow and I had great chats along the way. Thank you, Beth, for sending Crow along!
  • Exploring my home for August … a brook in the backyard! Instant favorite. It’s the Charles Run that ultimately feeds into the Chesapeake Bay.
  • Had a great time with Deetzie’s grandson! We didn’t get much weaving done, but we enjoyed making noise together.
  • Look at those Black Eye’d Susans! I learned that they are the state flower of Maryland. From Texas I know that they make excellent natural dye …
  • I felt famous when we visited the biweekly Sit&Stitch at the Hereford Branch of the Baltimore County Public Library…no one had seen a hexagon loom before!
  • Then we visited the Perennial Farm in Glen Arm and I helped Deetzie to buy two Chelone (Turtlehead) plants.
  • This is one of the Turtlehead plants … not sure if it’s the pink or the white one … I like them both, and this way Deetzie can always remember that she bought the Turtleheads when the TURTLE was visiting!
  • But my favorite place was the Black Sheep yarn store … yarns and colors galore! Perfect place for hide and seek, and weave, and hide, and weave, and hide …

(Photo credits: All photos by Reeves Walker. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

Welcome Elongon and Square in 3″ R!

Posted on by texasgabi

The new Little Looms Fall 2022 magazine is stealing the show! It makes it difficult to squeeze in the announcement that “Hey, we have a couple of new looms!”

First, there is the new Elongon 3″ R … a larger elongated hexagon loom with regular pin spacing for worsted weight yarns.

With 3″ side length this loom is great to make quick progress on larger projects, like the Cathedral Window blanket, but it is still very comfortable to hold and to work with.

Next, there is the new Square 3″ R loom, to match the above Elongon and also with regular pin spacing for worsted weight yarns.

The squares work up quickly and can be used on their own or together with any other looms that work with or complement a side length of 3″.

I enjoyed making the Cathedral Blanket with these looms, using a wonderful wool, Berroco Lanas.

I hope to chat about working the “stained glass” effect a bit more in the near future, because I think pin loom weaving is naturally perfect for that.

Of course the usability of the new looms goes far beyond stained glass effects. You can use them for pretty much any other project on any other Elongon … the results are “just a little bit bigger”!

Side by side hexagons woven on the Elongon 1″ and Elongon 3″

Little Looms Fall 2022 Magazine – A Giveaway!

Posted on by texasgabi

Did you see it? We’re tickled pink and humbled to see that the Cathedral Window blanket made the cover!

To share the happiness, Charlene suggested to give away three printed issues of “Little Looms Fall 2022”, one each day of this (long) weekend.

THE GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED! Thank you for your participation!

All you need to do is leave a comment below and name your favorite projects in this issue (and there is no wrong answer, if you ask us).

We will randomly draw a name, once a day, this Saturday, Sunday, and Monday, at random times, out of all comments available at that time and post your name right here if you win.

How it works:

  • Leave a comment below. What are your favorite projects in this issue?
  • Leave only one comment. Multiple comments do not increase your chance to win.
  • You can enter now until Monday, July 4th, 2022 when at some point of our choosing we will draw the last winner.
  • The giveaway is for (3) Little Looms Fall 2022 magazine issues, one per day.
  • The winner will be determined randomly from comments left on this post.
  • The winners will be announced every day, here on the blog.
  • No substitutes, no cash.
  • This giveaway is open to fiber enthusiasts internationally, unless there are legal or other restrictions in your country that prevent us from shipping to you. (Note: In case you win we will pay for USPS International First Class shipping or contribute to the postage in the equivalent amount of that. You will have to pay for any extra shipping cost and any custom and/or tax incurred by your country.)
  • We will use the comments/contacts information only to determine the winner.
  • In case you win, you agree that we may post your name as stated in the comments here on this blog when we announce the winners.
Charlene wishes you good luck!

And the winners are:
Day 1: Linda Canton
Day 2: Tammy
Day 3: Jessie (please check your email for details)

Welcome Tempe Yarn & Fiber!

Posted on by texasgabi

There is a rumor that one enthusiastic TURTLE loom lover (Hi, Melinda!) significantly influenced this: Welcome to our new TURTLE retailer, Tempe Yarn & Fiber in Tempe, Arizona!

In Germany, toadstools are a symbol of good luck, so I decided to design a toadstool mug rug (or stuffed toadstool!) for the occasion, to wish the team at Tempe Yarn all the best.

Let’s celebrate all together! Read on for the toadstool instructions!

Use any worsted weight yarn. Tempe Yarn offers a broad variety of high quality commercial yarns, but they also feature a line of unique to the store “Dyelicious” yarns. I used their Desert Oasis, a worsted weight wool that works perfectly with regular sett TURTLE looms, for the toadstool mug rugs.

I used the new Original Jewel R loom that you can now buy at Tempe Yarn, or online in our Etsy store if you’re not within driving distance to Tempe. The “dots” are optional, but if you wish to add them, I used the BabyTURTLE™ loom for those.

How to make a toadstool mug rug:

Weave 3 jewels in the “cap” color.
Weave 1 jewel in the “stem” color.
(Optional) Weave 3 – 5 Baby hexagons for the “dots”.

Layout the three cap jewels as shown and sew them together, using the tail ends.

Sew the “stem” jewel into place as shown.

Weave in all ends.
Optionally, add the “dots” to the right side of the toadstool.
The finished toadstool mug rug measures about 9.5″ tall and 8.5″ wide.

Serve with a beverage and cookie of your choice.

You can also make a stuffed toadstool …

Make two toadstools.

Right sides facing, sew them together, leaving a small opening. Turn. Stuff. Close the remaining opening.

It doesn’t have to be a toadstool! Use different yarn colors to make different mushrooms, for example an all natural “Steinpilz” (porcini mushroom) with a brown cap and beige stem, or choose your favorite colors to create your own mushroom, dotted or not!

  • Toadstool with 4 random dots, in Desert Oasis Sangria and Whisper.
  • Mug rug or stuffed toadstool!
  • All natural “Steinpilz” (porcini mushroom), in Desert Oasis Grounded and Whisper.
  • “Create your own mushroom”, in Desert Oasis Amethyst, stem in Ships Gray, dots in Dusty Rose.
  • “Create your own mushroom” in Desert Oasis Dusty Rose, Stem in Ships Grey.
  • Party of Four!
  • Be inspired …

If you live in or near Tempe, stop by the store. If you travel through Arizona, consider adding a visit at Tempe Yarn to your itinerary! Either way … Happy weaving to all!

Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for May Host

Posted on by texasgabi

Did you see the awesome loom party that Debbie organized for TT22? Just wow!

Another WOW for the lovely Heart and Flowers Mat that Debbie and TT22 crafted this month.

Debbie in her own words: “Hearts and flowers are my theme”, and with that she makes the chart for her project available to all fellow pin loom weavers who would like to make this project.

Debbie used scrap yarns from her stash, but you can of course use any yarn and colors to your liking. Thank you, Debbie!

But now it’s time to determine where TT22 will spend the month of May … If you are interested and available to “entertain” TT22 for a month, please leave a comment in the comments section.

Signup is open now, and will end Thursday, April 28th, 6 pm US CDT. I will contact the new host and make the announcement shortly after I hear back from him/her.

If you would like to know more about how this challenge works, please see the plan.

Meanwhile …
Charlene seems to be a little bit pre-occupied (or should we say distracted) by Bonnie’s new Jewel gnome, but more about that later. For now she did do her duty and added Debbie’s adorable heart hexagon to the map.
Charlene thinks that the heart is from TT22 to her … JUST her …

(Photo credits: All Heart and Flowers Mat photos by Debbie Shelmidine. Used with permission. All rights reserved.)

The Spirit of Summer 2022

Posted on by texasgabi

Did you get the new Little Looms Summer 2022 magazine yet? If so, was it almost like it stops time and gets you in a slow, comfortable, relaxed, soothing, time-for-yourself kinda mood? It sure did for me.

The magazine includes 18 projects to make your vacation a better one, whether it’s staycation or going places.

Two of those projects are made using TURTLE hexagon pin looms …

There is the Summer Breeze shawl, a lightweight piece, woven on the Elongon 2″ F. It’s an easy weave that keeps interest with special fiber … or have you woven banana fiber before? The Uneek Cotton yarn and its non repetitive color development within a skein is used to “frame” the shawl.

Shopping resources:

A hexagon seahorse had been on my mind for a long time, and finally all things came together in the Horsing Around Toddler Towel: The yarn, the project, and the seahorse.

Shopping resources:

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