Yarn Review

Ta-Da! The Original Jewel F – Fine Sett is Here!

Posted on November 28, 2023 by texasgabi

The first batch of Original Jewel F looms is ready, and we know that some of you have been really, really waiting for it.

Without further ado, here is the new Jewel F loom, “Original” size, which means it works well together with other “Original” TURTLEs like the hexagon and diamond shapes. “F – fine sett” for sock/fingering yarn … American weight 1 – 2 and British weight DK with a knitting stitch gauge of 24-26 work best. Slightly thicker/thinner yarns will make beautiful denser/lacier fabrics.

This wheel sampler shows just a few examples of yarns that work very well on the new Jewel F.

Here’s a closer look at the sampler yarns:

Inspirations Patons Kroy Socks yarn is a sturdy, squishy sock wool that comes in many solid and variegated colors.
Desert Garden by Dyelicious Yarn has some colors that are dyed with TURTLE looms in mind. I used Lupine for this sample.
Many of Berroco’s yarns are perfect for (pin-loom) weaving. I am in love with Lumi, which creates a solid fabric with a festive sheen.
Holst Garn Titicaca is a lace weight yarn. Two strands held together create an amazing, super-soft fabric. I found this yarn at the Yarn Barn of Kansas.
Another Berroco yarn, Vintage Sock, is a very pleasant to weave, sturdy and easy-care blend that comes in many colors.
Fine-sett TURTLEs can’t be without one of the best cotton yarns that I know of, Scheepjes Catona.

If you miss out on the first batch of Original Jewel F looms, don’t worry, there will be more. Batch 2 is in the making and will be ready before Christmas. You can signup on Etsy to be notified when we list more, or you can contact us to get onto our list. That way you will keep your space in line and we will let you when your loom is ready.

When you get your Jewel loom, a great first project is to make some tree ornaments!

The yarn I used here is Chaos Fiber Co Christmas Time, a variegated green/red fingering weight yarn that creates a plaid-like effect while weaving.

How To Make A Tree Ornament:

Weave two jewels on your new Original Jewel F loom (or use your Jewel R with thicker yarn).
Sew the shapes together along the edges, leaving an opening for stuffing.
To give the ornament more strength, insert a piece of cardboard or plastic canvas (you can find the cutting template here).
You could also bend into shape or weave a fairy light chain, which will ad a romantic lighting to your ornament. Or use any stuffing of your choice for a more 3D effect.
Add a hanger.
Embellish with anything you like: Bows, bells, garlands, or embroider a name or a date.

Ready to make, give, enjoy!

My 2022 No-Stress Patchwork Project

Posted on January 12, 2022 by texasgabi

I’m a little late in chatting about my 2022 no-stress patchwork project because I needed some lead time to be able to show the idea … all no-stress, of course!

This year’s project idea is a culmination of my love of yarn cakes … and getting stuck out of town a few weeks ago. I “had” to stop at JoAnns to find something to do, and I discovered Freelance yarn cakes by JoAnn’s Big Twist yarn line. These cakes feature pleasant color combinations in worsted weight acrylics. While the knitting gauge says 14 sts/4″, it certainly looked and felt “just right” for a regular sett TURTLE . Later sampling confirmed that indeed this yarn is pleasant to weave. It creates a dense but not stiff cloth.

The yarn comes in 10 color combinations. I got “one of each”.

Doing less than one cake per month should be doable, even if life gets hectic. The idea is to do some relaxing weaving just off the cake, then put the hexagons together to make a blanket.

The first cake resulted in 43 hexagons on the original TURTLE Loom™. The design will be in rows of 14, which will yield about three rows per cake, enough to get a good impression of the color run of that cake.

The “First Cake”

Yarn is Big Twist Freelance, color Purple Red Orange Multi.
One cake yielded 43 hexagons on the original TURTLE Loom R-regular.
I wove off the cake, but I cut the yarn to make solid colored hexagons, except for some white/purple sections where the colors just changed too frequently.
Leftover yarn ends that I cut out be fore color changes will make nice tassels.
The yarn is fun to work with, but it changes sometimes from thinner and shiny to slightly thicker/puffier and dull. Those changes do not affect the weaving, though.
Based on the yield of one cake (43 hexagons) I plan the blanket to have 3 rows for each color with 14 hexagons per row. The spare hexagon is saved in case another color is one short, or it will be used in another patchwork project.
I did block my work, because a reviewer of the yarn had shared the concern that the yarn bleeds. I do not detect any color bleeding in my piece.

The next color – randomly selected – will be “Blue Green Multi”, which is a nice combination of wintry pastel colors.

I’m excited to see how this will work out.

Will you join in this year? What are your plans for a no-stress patchwork project?

(S)Watch This!

Posted on June 2, 2021 by texasgabi

One useful application of pin loom weaving is that you can test a new yarn for weave-ability in just minutes. It will not replace proper sampling for a project, but it is a quick way to find out what a yarn looks and feels like when it is woven, and it provides an instant piece of cloth for blocking.

Take for example this collection of scrumptiousness, which was part of my haul from this year’s Yellow Rose Fiber Fiesta where I “discovered” Winterstrom Ranch, a full service mill, with an intriguing variety of yarns in different blends, weights, and colors.

For my sampling, I used the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular (about 7.25 epi) for the thicker weight yarns, and the Original TURTLE Loom™ F-fine-sett (about 10 epi) for the lighter yarns.

My conclusion is that all yarns weave up and block beautifully.
The yarns have only little stretch, perfect for weaving. The yarns are smooth and not stiff.
I wove a hexagon each and sewed them together into a flower shape prior to blocking, just for fun. I blocked in cold water with a little bit Eucalan, for about 20 minutes. All fibers gently fulled, minimal shrinking, all color fast.

But see for yourself!
Winterstrom Ranch is one of the vendors at the CHT 2021 Conference Marketplace this weekend …

Swatch … Always …

Beware of the Candy Monsters!

Posted on October 16, 2020October 17, 2020 by texasgabi

Here’s one more “spooky” project: Make two candy monsters for your little puppeteers! When I went to JoAnn Fabrics this summer I noticed a Red Heart “mini” yarn display. For pin loom weaving, I like to have a variety of coordinated colors, in small amounts, in one unit. I couldn’t resist to sample the yarn, and with Halloween coming, the “Monster” color run seemed to be a great choice.

I used the Original TURTLE Loom™ R for worsted weight yarn for my weaving. The yarn is very pleasant to weave, it is very smooth and has little stretch, which is perfect for weaving. Each color yields two hexagons and some leftovers, (you might get three by keeping the tails just a little bit shorter than suggested).

One “mini” is enough to make two child-size puppets, a Frankenstein monster and a ghost! Each puppet measures about 3.5″ wide and 7.5″ long Read on for instructions.

For the monster head, take a purple and an orange hexagon and sew them partly together, as shown.

Fold the orange hexagon in half, then sew the second purple hexagon to the other half of the orange and to the rest of the first purple hexagon, as indicated.

For the monster body, put the two green hexagons together and sew the two sides shown, this will shape a sleeve.

Fold the body as shown, then sew the body to the head.

Decorate the puppet as desired with eyes and some hair. Think of the age of the recipient to make safe choices.

Work the ghost the same way, use the photos to guide you with the color choices.

VARIATIONS:
– Red Heart offers many different color runs, you can make puppets for different seasons, occasions, and themes: Yes, there is a “Holiday” color run, so that you can make some mischievous elves. And you could also make some playful unicorns (“Rainbow”), or fairies (“Rose Bud” or “Spring Mix”) and princesses (“Princess”), or how about “Americana” for Elmo and the Cookie Monster?
– If you have a grownup puppeteer with larger hands, you can use the TexaTURTLE loom and two “Mini”s to make a larger puppet.
– On the topic of larger “puppets”… the TexaTURTLE sized project in wool would make a great oven mitt, just sayin’.

Have a happy and safe Halloween, all y’all!

Yarn Talk: A Selection of Hobby Lobby Yarns

Posted on September 24, 2020 by texasgabi

My favorite season is autumn. Because of the weather, yes, but mostly for the fact that this is the time when the new fall/winter yarns are released!

This year, I decided to do something new and share my sampling thoughts with you in a video, starting with a selection of Hobby Lobby yarns that I tried out recently.

Please let me know what you think about such a presentation! Are you enjoying it? Do you find it useful? Would you like to see something different? Leave a comment here on the blog …

But now, enjoy watching!