I think I mentioned before that I’ve developed an interest in these mini looms that have been around forever, and are developing a new following amongst the crafty fiber crowd. I hesitated at first in buying the vintage Weave-Its after a few less than satisfactory experiences buying used equipment online. So I bought a few of these Hazel Rose looms, thinking I was getting a modern version of the same thing.
They are very similar, but designed to create fabric pieces with a bias weave…
And the weaving process is a little different too. I’ve played with them a bit, and intend to eventually use up the leftovers from my diamond sweater to make a blanket or wrap or something on these looms.
In the mean time, my curiosity go the better of me and I found a couple of the vintage Weave-It looms on e-bay and have been playing with them over the last week or so.
I’ve got quite a bit of yarn left from my hat and mittens, so I’m going to see about making a scarf to match.
The really cool thing about these Weave-It looms is that you can make lots of different texture and color patterns with them, and since they’ve been around so long there are lots of old books floating around, many of them scanned-in and free on the Internet.
I like this tweedy one, but it took a bit longer to make than a plain one, and I’d rather get a project started and finished and keep it simple this first time around.
On a vaguely related note, Sophie has a new friend. She calls it Baby Cockroach.
In the gift-exchange game we play on Christmas Eve with my cousin and his family, there are a couple of boobie prizes that float around and show up every year. One of them is this plastic cockroach, and it ended up at our house for the year this time around. The girls were a little squeamish about it at first, but then Sophie found it in my desk drawer recently, and thinks it’s hilarious to open the box and “scare” me with it. Then I bump the hand in which she’s holding the box and make the roach jump on her, with more hilarity ensuing.
Well, Sophie is also into pretending that all of her stuffed animals are babies lately, and taking care of them. So when we were hanging out in my office room the other day, and I was playing around with squares on my loom, Sophie wanted a square for her own, which she proceeded to use as a blanket for Baby Cockroach.
You wouldn’t believe the mileage we’ve gotten out of this silly thing.
I bought Amanda the Klutz weaving loom – you know, that plastic thing with the plastic loops to weave. Every once in a while she’ll still pull it out and amuse herself for a few hours. I still have the potholders that she made.
I was a Schact heddle loom (I think it was a Schact …) back in the fall that I walked away from but haven’t stopped thinking about.
My son has been asking for a loom (and a spinning wheel!) so he can make himself a red cloak–do you know that story (can’t remember the name)? I’ve told him I’d look for a kids loom. This might do the trick.
I’m cracking up with the “blanket for her baby cockroach”. It’s so cute…and yet not exactly the phrase you hear everyday. I have a niece who likes bugs and the like and her mom likes pink and green. I found a bedroom set that was pink and green AND had ladybugs on it. I considered it a melting of the minds.
The cockroach “gift’ reminded me of the gag doggie doo doo that made the rounds in our family for many years. My mom made me a poncho out of the loom squares over 40 years ago. Thanks for bringing back memories. Blogless Mary Lou
OMG, you aren’t going to start a Weave-It Blanket thingy now are you??? You better hope The Yarn Harlot does not “hit” you again with a call in cyberspace for all the leftover bits of yarn to send you for your Weave-Its!!!
Sue in Eau Claire
Love the loom! We should all have one to make warm things for our pet cockroaches.