Little Looms Fall 2023 Magazine

Posted on by texasgabi

Wow! The new Little Looms Fall 2023 issue has taken off to new heights. Big congrats to editor Christina Garton and her team for curating another excellent collection of small loom adventures, from rigid heddle to inkle to pin looms.

As always, each of the projects has a story, and I’d like to share some of those here.

I designed the Forest Toques with the issue’s theme in mind: “It Takes Two”. I jokingly call this project the “Toque Two”.

It’s the same hat, but depending on how you turn the hexagons when you sew them together, you get a smaller or a larger hat size.

For the model I used the Original TURTLE Loom™ R and the gorgeously beautiful and soft Noro Miyabi yarn that I discovered at a local yarn store (Farm to Needle). The same hat could also be worked on the fine sett or even the extra fine sett loom.

The story of the Phoenix Rising Shawl is about dreams coming true. Since I was a teenager I’ve wanted to express the glow of a fire in a fiber project, but I never found the right yarn for it. At the same time, I’ve for many years adored the yarns of the Hedgehog Fibres company, but many of them were a bit thin for pin-loom weaving … until Merino Aran became available. The vibrant colors for “fire” and “ashes” caught my eyes, probably because I had just shared the story of Phoenix rising from the ashes with a friend who needed some encouragement.

Sampling the yarn on multiple pin looms revealed that the Original Jewel R loom created perfect radiance, combined with “ashes” hexagons from the Original TURTLE Loom R … and the Phoenix Rising Shawl was born. Thank you, Christina, for calling it a “showstopper shawl” in the editorial!

Greta Holmstrom is occasionally test-weaving new TURTLE looms, and I think it was about two years ago when I sent her some, including a diamond or tumbling block shape. How awesome to see Greta’s Star Shawl in this Little Looms issue, combining hexagons and tumbling blocks! You can weave the shawl using the Original Diamond 2″ F and the Original TURTLE Loom F, or – if you prefer to use worsted weight yarns, use the “R- regular sett” versions of both looms.

Debbie Shelmidine was our April Travel Turtle host last year, and we mentioned then that she is a veteran pin-loom designer who has published designs in Handwoven as far back as 2008 and also in the very first Little Looms issue in 2016 before she took a design break. How precious it is to see her comeback in Little Looms Fall 2023 with the perfectly-fall Autumn Leaves Runner! Debbie wove the leaves on the Elongon™ 2″ R loom in Peaches & Cream cotton and embroidered the leaf stems … brilliantly easy and beautiful!

There is much more to the issue, of course, and you can read more about it on the Little Looms website. And if you have questions about any of the projects that you can make with TURTLE looms, please contact us any time!

PS: If you saw our ad in Little Looms Fall 2023, you’ll know that there’s still more to come … the Polka Dot Cowl.

Soon … not yet …

Diamonds are for Weaving

Posted on by texasgabi

Let’s welcome the Original Diamond, F, pin loom to the TURTLE loom collection!

The Original Diamond pin loom, F, creates a diamond or rhombus shape with a wide angle (60°) that in crafting is often referred to as “tumbling block”. The loom sides measure slightly over 2″, designed to work perfectly together with any other “Original” TURTLE looms.

Did you know, that it takes three diamonds to make a hexagon?

While jewel shapes go very well with hexagons and certain triangles … occasionally the new diamonds will come in handy to fill some gaps.

And then, designer Greta Holmstrom, who had been one of our test weavers for that loom, surprised recently with the news that one of her project designs using diamonds had been accepted to the Little Looms Fall 2023 magazine!

Congratulations, Greta, on your beautiful Star Shawl!

If you are looking for more inspiration, I started a Pinterest board “Diamond and Tumbling Block Ideas” with some suggestions on how to use tumbling blocks.

The new Original Diamond, F is now available in our Etsy store.

Please contact us if you have any questions!

FAQ

Q: Is the Original Diamond, F the 2″ diamond loom that the instructions for Greta’s shawl asks for?
A: Yes, it is. All “Original” TURTLE looms have a side-length of just slightly over 2″. The new Original Diamond, F is designed to work perfectly with all other “Original” TURTLE looms.

Q: Can I use the Original Diamond looms for any other designs that ask for a 2″ tumbling block?
A: Yes. Both, the bias weaving method and the yarn that you will use, will impact the final size of your woven diamond, enough to adjust for a good fit within your 2″ project.

Q: Is there a diamond loom for the regular sett?
A: Yes, there is an Original Diamond, R. It will start shipping by July 1st.

TURTLEs in Canada!

Posted on by texasgabi

We welcome Kelowna Yarn & Needlecrafts in British Columbia, Canada, to join the group of retailers who carry TURTLE looms!

Store owner Cheryl Brown and her team offer TURTLE looms in their Kelowna store as well as online on the website.

See which looms are in stock! Look here for regular sett and fine sett looms. If the looms that you are looking for are not available, contact the store and ask if they can add your wish list to their next order.

Vineyards play a significant role in the beautiful Kelowna area, and Cheryl mentioned that it is sometimes called “Napa North”. This inspired me to celebrate Kelowna Yarn as a new TURTLE retailer with some grape-themed projects: Here are grape cluster coasters and a table runner project for you to make (and you don’t have to live in Canada to make them!

A grape cluster coaster, worked on the TinyTURTLE loom R-regular sett, makes a coaster size that is just right for a wine glass. If you follow the same pattern but use the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular sett, it will make a coaster for a bottle (center) .

I used Queensland Collection Costal Cotton yarn in 1034 Concord and 1042 Seaweed to make the samples. You just need one ball of those two colors to make one bottle and several glass coasters.

This grape table runner is a slightly larger project, but still easy-to-make on the Original TURTLE Loom R-regular sett.

I used The Fibre Co. Lore in shades Wise (grapes), Ambitious (leaves), and Spiritual (background) for the sample. I wet finished the table runner, but it could also be fulled.

Here are the Instructions for Both Projects

  • For a coaster, weave eight hexagons in grape color, and two hexagons for the leaves.
  • For the table runner, weave sixteen hexagons in grape color, four hexagons for the leaves, and nineteen hexagons for the background.

Use the following chart when you arrange the hexagons. Sew hexagons to hexagons together into rows first, then connect rows to rows. I used simple whipstitch and the tail ends for the sewing.

Weave in all ends. Block as desired.

These projects are beginner friendly and versatile … You can use a broad variety of yarns (cotton and wool are just examples). The same projects can be worked on the fine sett looms, and even a mix-and-match.

For more grape-spiration, check out the grape table topper in “Easy Weaving with Little Looms” 2018 and the Grape Pillow project in this blog post.

Earn Your Weaving Buddy Badge!

Posted on by texasgabi

To celebrate our 6th anniversary we decided that it is time to start honoring customers who are making pretty and practical projects with their TURTLE looms. TURTLE weavers who have turned at least 100 hexagons and/or jewels into finished projects can contact us and request their Weaving Buddy badge!

Read on to see how to be eligible:

  • You have woven at least 100 hexagons and/or jewels and turned them into a finished project. This could be a single project, for example a garment or a blanket, or multiple projects that add up to at least 100 hexagons/jewels.
  • Your count may include regular and elongated hexagons of any size as well as jewels.
  • Make any project(s) you want. Use any pattern or your imagination. Use any yarn you wish.
  • Contact us when you are ready and we will discuss the details. We will ask you to send us photos that we can add to the Weaving Buddy Wall here on this site and a little info about which looms and yarns you used.
  • We will ask for your permission to post your project picture(s) here on this website on the Weaving Buddy Wall (we will set that up when we receive the first submissions).
  • Upon acceptance, we will send you a Weaving Buddy pin that we have made just for this purpose and a certificate that confirms your accomplishment.
  • We have a little over 400 badges to grant. There is no time limit … we will grant the badges until we run out.
  • We also have a small number of “honorary” badges to give to people who are dedicated TURTLE fans and deserve recognition just for that. For example, my husband will probably never weave and assemble 100 hexagons, but he got the very first badge because he patiently endures me and all the looms! If you know of a person who you think deserves an honorary badge, please contact us with your suggestion!

The certificate will mention your name and the unique badge number.

The badge is an antique die struck pin, measuring about 1 1/4″ point-to-point, with a magnetic back (it will ship with two magnets to help it hold better).

We are probably as excited about this program as you are, but that doesn’t mean that it will be perfect from the beginning! If you have any questions, please leave a comment below or contact us.

Badge design and logo © 2023 Bluebonnet Crafters, LLC. All rights reserved.
The badge is not for sale.

Pin-Loom Garment Challenge 2023

Posted on by texasgabi

Announcement!

We’re kicking off a weaving challenge today … Weave a pin-loom garment by Thanksgiving this year for a chance to win a professional photoshoot by Gale Zucker!

This challenge is open to all pin looms, that’s why it will be moderated on the TexasGabi blog. Hop over and check out the Kickoff post for more information and cool tools like guides for Pattern Resources and a Project Planning.

Come weave with us!