Accessorize!

Posted on by texasgabi

I released a knit-and-crochet pattern for a poncho that I call “The Best of Two Worlds”. It combines beginner-friendly approaches in either craft and encourages fiber crafters to use both methods, even if one (or both) of them is new.

Of course I could not design such a project without adding some pin-loom weaving: Let’s make it “The Best of Three Worlds” and use the leftover yarns from that poncho to add an easy-to-make pin-loom cowl!

For the poncho cowl I modified the Super-Easy Sock Yarn Cowl pattern, which also shows how easy it is to use different yarn weights and modify the width and height of a cowl.

The finished cowl measures about 26″ in the round and is 13″ tall.

Materials

Deluxe Stripes by Universal Yarn, 75% Superwash Wool, 25% Nylon, 218 yds/100g, color 311 Tie Dye, 1 ball (the cowl requires 192 yds).

Original TURTLE Loom™, R-regular sett for worsted weight yarn.

Make the Cowl

Weave 32 hexagons in plain weave. Because of the variegated character of the yarn, each hexagon will look unique.

To assemble the cowl, layout the hexagons in any way that you find pleasing into 4 rows with 8 hexagons each (see chart).

With whipstitch and using the yarn tails or a separate piece of yarn, sew the hexagons together. Join hexagons into rows first, then sew the rows together.

The piece will look like a wavy rectangle. Fold the rectangle along the short sides, wrong side out (the “wrong” side is where you did the sewing), and close the seam (join A to B according to the chart).

Weave in all ends, clip tails to about ¼”. Block as desired.

It is my hope that you will consider to ACCESSORIZE WITH PIN-LOOM WEAVING TO COMPLEMENT YOUR OUTFIT.

And as always, I will be here to cheer you on and assist you as needed!

Photo credits except for the yarn ball picture: Special thanks goes to Gale Zucker, www.gzucker.com, on Instagram @galezucker, for her amazing ability to bring out the best of hand-crafted items in photography, and to Tina Colon who perfectly modeled the poncho and cowl with her beautiful smile.

Little Looms Winter 2024

Posted on by texasgabi

The Winter 2024 issue of “Easy Weaving with Little Looms” is dedicated to the theme “Inspired by Art”, and after reading it, I nickname it the Louvre issue. The read is like a visit to an art museum: Educational, emotional, thought provoking, and encouraging to create.

I feel honored to have two designs featured in this issue, and I would like to share what inspired those projects because they are great examples for “you never know what inspires you”.

The first project is the Amaranth Stole. Last year (yes, it takes at least a year from having an idea until it’s printed in a publication) I found a set of mini skeins at a local yarn store, the Sated Sheep. I had no clue what to do with it, but I just could not leave it behind.

This was the summer when fellow pin-loom weaver and artist Sam Hammer conducted his first artist-in-residence weave-along for the Pin Loom Weaving Support group on Facebook. One day, he posted this photo of one of his amazing backyard plants, and I instantly knew that my new yarn treasure was meant to weave “something like that”. The Amaranth Stole was borne.

The stole is made using the Original TURTLE Loom™ F and the Original Jewel F.

Later that year I treated myself to participating in an Arne & Carlos Advent knit-along for a Christmas stocking. I enjoyed watching the daily episodes and listening to Arne and Carlos sharing stories from their daily happenings.

One day, Arne showed a piece of fabric that he had discovered for his new kitchen, and he talked about the famous strawberry thieves pattern it featured. His presentation instantly sparked the idea of “Can I weave this?”, and as they say, the rest is history … the Strawberry Thieves wall hanging was borne.

The project is woven using the PennyTURTLE™ F.

These are just two out of the 18 projects in this new issue, and then there is so much more in the features. From Hundertwasser to Matisse, rigid heddle looms to tapestry, weaving techniques and how-to instructions … this issue provides inspiration for hundreds of hours of crafting in years to come.

We offer the printed edition of this issue in our online store. However, if you are ready to start building the best little looms weaving library that one can wish for, I highly recommend a subscription to this magazine at the Long Thread Media website.

Be inspired, weave on!

Credits: Amaranth photo by Sam Hammer, used with permission.

Let’s Face It! (Part 2)

Posted on by texasgabi

This time, integrating patches into pin-loom weaving is about “creating scenes“. The small fabric pieces that we weave make perfect puzzle pieces to put scenes together, and adding patches (with faces) will bring them to life!

I thought of two popular autumn themes to demonstrate … we don’t always allow enough time to craft for this beautiful season:

  • Autumn nature. The heat of the summer is replaced with cooler temperatures, harvests, and colorful leaf changes. Time to slow down and relax.
  • It’s the spooky season! Some people claim that the month of October is far too short to get all the spooky stories told!

FOR THE NATURE LOVER I designed the “Autumn Meadow” table runner on which the animals of the forest gather during a golden sun set.

I used the “Harvest” yarn pack from Herrschners to make the table runner. I like that Herrschners offers budget-friendly yarns in great color combinations for multiple holiday occasions.

The project is woven on the Original TURTLE Loom™, the Original Jewel, and the Original Diamond looms, all in R-regular sett for worsted weight yarns.

I hand-selected a set of “Forest Animals” patches for this project, including bunnies, squirrels, and foxes (two of each), now available in our Etsy store.

You can get the photo-guided step-by-step pattern HERE. The pattern will be 50% off until the end of this month. No code necessary.

FOR A SPOOK-SURPRISE, I designed the beginner-friendly table topper “The Cats’ Eye”. Enjoy a group of black cats gathering during the day, and then, when you turn off the light at night, their “eye” will be watching you! The finished table topper measures about 22″ x 17.5″.

The seasonal orange hexagons are woven in Lion Brand’s Truboo rayon yarn (color 837-133 Tangerine, 1 ball) on the Original TURTLE Loom, F-fine sett. The yarn is listed as a light DK yarn, but it is so smooth that it weaves up beautifully on our fine sett looms.

I used Lion Brand’s DIY Glow -Natural yarn (1 ball), woven on the Original TURTLE Loom, R-regular sett, for the special glow-in-the-dark effect. The yarn (which is polyester but looks and feels like cotton) weaves up beautifully on our R-regular sett looms, and the uses go far beyond “spooky”. In my opinion the glow effect works very well. If you want to try out the yarn, we offer a limited supply for your order convenience in our Etsy store.

I found a fun patches set of black cats that are ready for a social gathering on a table topper … get the “Black Cats” patches in our Etsy store.

Ready to make The Cats’ Eye?

Instructions:

  • Weave 14 orange hexagons on the fine sett and 9 white hexagons on the regular sett hexagon loom.
  • Working whip stitch and using the chart for guidance, sew the hexagons into rows first, then join the rows.
  • Weave in all ends and block.
  • With a sharp needle and sewing thread OR using fabric glue, add the cat patches to the right side of the table topper onto hexagons marked with an “x”.

I hope that you will take this opportunity to “craft for fall” this year … enjoy!

Let’s Face It! (Part 1)

Posted on by texasgabi

Adding faces to stuffed animals and dolls is an art by itself. I’m not an expert, and I know that I’m not alone. To simplify the task, I looked for “pre-made face patches”. I did not find exactly what I had in mind, but I found a lot of related patches that inspire.

My “patch research” resulted in some projects that I’d like to share with you over the coming weeks. The goal is to encourage you to try out adding patches to your pin-loom weaving projects.

Let’s start very simple: Make a hexie or square puff and sew on a patch. These make perfect pocket pals.

I used little pig-face patches, made three puffs in different colors, and now I have excellent companions when reading the story of the “Three Little Pigs” to little humans!

Do you want to try it?

What You Will Need

Start with a copy of the book. Any copy will be fine. I used this edition: “The Three Little Pigs”.

Choose a loom. My hexagon puffs are made on the Original TURTLE Loom™ R-regular sett. The square puffs are made on the Square 4″ R loom, and you can also use a Schacht Zoom loom or equivalent.

Choose yarn. Use any yarn that will work with your loom. The samples as shown use about 12 yds in each color for the hexagon puffs and 16 yds in each color for the square puffs. I used Paintbox Simply Aran from LoveCrafts in colors 239 Sailor Blue, 213 Rose Red, and 222 Buttercup Yellow. If the pigs in your edition of the book are dressed differently, simply adjust your yarn colors to match.

Additional material: You will also need a tapestry needle, a small amount of stuffing, sewing thread, a sharp sewing needle, and scissors.

If you like the pig patches that are used in this project, you can find them in our Etsy store.

Make the Puffs

Weave two pieces in each of the three colors on the loom of your choice.

To assemble the puffs, match two pieces of the same color and use a tapestry needle and the tail ends to sew the side seams together, leaving a small opening for stuffing.

Stuff the puff to medium density or to your liking.

Close the remaining seam. Weave in all ends.

Position a pig patch in the center of the puff. Using sewing thread and a sharp needle, sew the patch onto the puff.

Repeat for the other puffs.

Notes:

  • The patches that I used have an iron-on backing, but I highly recommend that you sew them on. Most importantly, sewing will make the toy safer for little hands. Technically, iron-on patches work best on smooth fabric, which pin-loom weaving in general does not provide. There is also the issue that many yarns will take harm from the heat.
  • If you prefer to sew-on the patches using a sewing machine, sew them on to a single weavie before assembling the puff.

Do you think adding patches to your pin-loom weaving is fun? Stay tuned for more ideas!

… or try your own … add fun patches to puffs and gift them as pocket pals to friends, colleagues, and family.

“Giraffe”, “Pawsitive”, and “Sheep” patches, available in our Etsy store. Yarn: Yarnspirations Caron Colorama Halo in color “Magenta & Mandarin”

Happy Summer … Winter … Fall!

Posted on by texasgabi

Depending on where on this planet you live, this is the first day of summer or winter. Going by crafting seasons, however, it is the first day of fall! Today we welcome the Easy Weaving with Little Looms Fall 2024 issue!

It may sound like a broken record, but editor Christina Garton continues to outperform herself with every issue.

The Fall ’24 issue features seven awesome pin-loom projects from decoration to accessory.
Special mention deserves Greta Holmstrom’s Jaunty Angora Tam, an artfully tailored and embroidery-decorated tam that was woven on the newly patented Original Jewel R, the Original Diamond F, the Elongon 2″ R, and the Original EquiTri F (you can mix-and-match regular and fine sett as needed, but these are the looms that Greta used with her handspun for best fit).

I feel grateful for the opportunity to contribute the Lotus Flower Basketts to this issue. It is an easy to weave project using the now patented Original Jewel F and the Original TURTLE F looms.

The yarn, Asaginu from Noro, is an interesting blend of paper and linen, which gives the fabric just enough stiffness to let the basket stand up on its own. Exploring such a yarn – weaving or not – should be on everybody’s list!

Unfortunately, since I designed the Lotus basket over a year ago, the Noro Asaginu yarn has been discontinued. The yarn is still available in stores, and here are a few resourced that may help you to secure what you are looking for. I’m listing companies that I have personally ordered from with good experience. The list is not complete by any means! You may also check with your Noro-carrying Local Yarn Store who might carry Asaginu. I have used Little Knits, Wool&Co., and Hill Country Weavers, who as of this writing still had Asaginu in stock. I’m also including the “shop finder” of the distributor Knitting Fever. I suggest that you contact the retailers for availability.

Don’t miss out … enjoy exploring the new Little Looms Fall ’24 issue, projects, and features, and all!