I know many of you are waiting anxiously for Batch 2 of the Jewel loom … The looms in this box are ready to ship … Get your Original Jewel loom kit on Etsy.
A Box Full of Jewels!
Travel Turtle 2022 – Call for May Host
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
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:
- Elongon™ 2″ F hexagon pin loom for fingering/sock yarn.
- Urth Uneek Cotton and Bellatrista banana fiber (I found them both at the Woolery).
- Little Looms magazine Summer 2022. Get a print copy right here with your loom order and save separate shipping, or grab a digital copy or subscribe to the magazine at Long Thread Media.
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:
- TinyTURTLE™ R hexagon pin loom for worsted weight yarn
- Universal Yarn Clean Cotton and Clean Cotton Multi
- Little Looms magazine Summer 2022. Get a print copy right here with your loom order and save shipping, or grab a digital copy or subscribe to the magazine at Long Thread Media.
Want more? … Sign up to this blog and be the first to hear about more great pin loom ideas.
Happy 5th Anniversary, and Welcome Jewel!
WE ARE SORRY! Most of the first batch sold out in half a day …
there will be more! Sign up to be notified (click on “Let me know when it’s back”).
If you have special requests, please contact us.
When we launched the first TURTLE loom on this day in 2017, our business advisor said that “small businesses that make it to five years, are going to make it”. Well, here we are, and we sure hope that many more years will follow.
We’re by far not done with hexagons, but there was that jewel shape that kept itching us, so we decided to add that to the mix. Are you ready?
Meet the Original Jewel R! (shop)
“Original”, because it matches the size of the Original TURTLE Loom. Those looms can be used together to make even more projects.
“Jewel”, because of it’s special, five pointed diamond shape.
“R” means that the first Jewel loom is designed to work with worsted weight yarn. (Yes, Bonnie, there will be a fine sett Jewel later this year!)
Grab a cup of coffee or tea and watch this introduction that tells you a little bit more about the loom, how to use it, and what you can do with it (trust me, the latter is just the beginning).
Yes, weaving a Jewel is totally easy. If you are already familiar with weaving TURTLE hexagons, you may find this Quick Start useful, which focuses just on the differences between weaving a hexagon and a jewel shape:
If you are a complete beginner, here are some row-by-row instructions:
Jewel looms are now available in our Etsy store, and don’t worry if they sell out … they are here to stay, just like our small business!
Meet Jewel!
New loom time! At first, it looks like a hexagon with an extra triangle on the top … It makes a special pentagon shape that in the quilting world is often referred to as “jewel”.
Meet the Original Jewel, R, our first jewel shape pin loom!
Take a look at some examples of how quilters have been using jewel shapes: Ideas for Jewel Shape Pin Loom Projects (Pinterest)
Being able to weave jewel shapes, however, goes far beyond that. Let’s take a look at this list:
- Two jewels make a heart shape, and because of their geometry you can combine those hearts in all kinds of ways into all kinds of items…
- Six jewels make a full circle, or wheel. Now just think about how using colors will make those wheels look different: All in a different color, two iterating colors, three … hearts! Add to that some interesting effects that variegated yarns will add …
- Weave a jewel in two colors …
- Now go 3D … make a little basket … ta-da!!!! Surprised?
- Combine jewels with other shapes like hexagons and diamonds … for example, you can use the new Original Jewel together with the original TURTLE Loom!
How to weave it? It is true that just because you can build a shaped loom doesn’t mean that you can weave it. However, in case of the jewel, it actually turns out to be very easy (once you know how to do it):
You begin by weaving a hexagon, continuous strand in the round, until you have the hexagon shape with the triangle at the top and bottom and the warps in between.
Now you switch to the continuous strand method that is used on triangle looms, weaving in “U” swings.
The last row “locks” the weaving, and you can take the finished jewel off the loom without doing anything else.
The first, Original Jewel loom for worsted weight yarn (R-regular) will start selling in April (on our anniversary, April 19th). Don’t miss the announcement, right here on the blog.
In the meantime, enjoy some of the sample projects below …
Hearts — 3D stuffed heart, scrubbie cloth, and little wash cloth (yarns: Yarnspirations O’Go Big Donut in Spiced Ginger, Rico Design Creative Bubble in color 006, Hobby Lobby I Love This Cotton in Rose Bud). 
Going 3D — Wavy little basket (yarn: O’Go Caron Big Donut in Spiced Ginger). 
Combining shapes — A sunflower to remember the Ukraine … hexagon center with jewel petals and blue hearts border (yarn: Hobby Lobby I Love This Yarn). 
Full circle, or wheel — Each jewel is woven in a different color (yarn: Lion Brand Mandala Ombre in Happy).
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