for L. A.

One reason I don’t want to write a non-fiction book is because it’s like asking for a gob of mistakes to be printed and preserved practically for eternity. As I peruse Florencia Campos Correa’s book, 100 Pin Loom Squares (a book about which I have VERY mixed feelings) I can’t help thinking (again), “This could have been, should have been, a wonderful book. What makes me think I could do a better job?”

100 Pin Loom Squares book cover

100 Pin Loom Squares book cover

In the meantime, while I wrestle with my personal publishing commit-a-phobia, I shall devote some of my efforts to correcting extant mistakes. Today’s target: the two-layer warping (2LW) section of Florencia’s book (beginning p 38).

This is a sample page of my copy of the book. It prompted me to make one of my early blog post duos: to weave the houndstooth check patten on the Weave-it and Loomette, respectively.

This is a sample page of my copy of her book. The frustration I felt due to the lack of proper instructions prompted me to write one of my early blog post duos: how to weave the houndstooth check pattern–on the Weave-it and Loomette, respectively.

  • I start by suggesting that instead of wrapping the pins 8 times (as she suggests on p 39), wrap the pins at least 8 1/2 times. It’s better to be safe than sorry.
  • Next, I suggest you read my blog post on Two-Layer Warping because Florencia NEVER tells you what to do with the 31st strand. As a brand new weaver (over a year ago) that omission drove me bonkers.
  • My first mistake correction is merely a typo. I know enough about pin loom weaving by now to recognize a mistake in repetition once a pattern gets underway. The trouble, though, is proving it. Wouldn’t you know, in this pattern, the mistake is in the first iteration of a row that only shows up twice in the whole square. If you have the book, go to p 43, “Multiple Diamonds Stitch.” At the end of Row 8, draw a line through “U1, O1” and write “U2.” (If you wish to compare, look at Row 20, which is Row 8’s repeat.)
Three samples of two-layer warp patterns.

Top left square is “Multiple Diamonds Stitch”

  • I suggest (this is not a correction to the book) that in 2LW, you employ the sideways tug technique in addition to the upward tug technique. The side tug is just an extra-firm tug as you finish weaving a row. It actually affects the penultimate row more than the row just woven. 2LW squares on the pin loom have a tendency to be loose, so tighten them up by warping more tightly than you would for three-layer warping and pull each completed woven row quite snug.
  • I also suggest that you not pack the rows very tightly at the bottom of the weaving. There’s lots of leftover room at the top, so you want your square to fill up that space better.

Now, the raison d’etre for this post . . .

This page has fewer notes than the one pictured above, but I know when to rein in. The pattern still needs to be rewritten.

This page has fewer notes than the one pictured above, but I know when to rein in. The pattern still needs to be rewritten.

P 41 “Diamond Stitch”

"Diamond Stitch" with the two mistakes I couldn't see till I took the square off the loom.

“Diamond Stitch” with the two mistakes I couldn’t see till I took the square off the loom.

Corrections:

  • R3 end: cross out “O3;” write in “O-2, U-1” (you can leave out the hyphens if you prefer it that way)
  • R4 beginning: cross out “U1, O1;” write in “O-2
  • R22 beginning: cross out “O2;” write in “U-1, O-1
  • R30 end: cross out “O1, U1;” write in “O-2

This will give you a square that looks like this:

All the little mistakes corrected, but the big one still exists: the square is not centered.

All the little mistakes corrected, but the big one still exists: the square is not centered.

The pattern still needs re-writing if you want the square centered top to bottom. The center row should be R16, instead it’s R18. For now, though, it will do.

Lack of top-to-bottom centering is more evident in this photo, I think. (Compare the top and bottom points of the outermost full diamond.)

Lack of top-to-bottom centering is more evident in this photo, I think. (Compare the top and bottom points of the outermost full diamond.)

Yarn used in samples:
Purple Square —  L1&2: Caron Simply Soft “Plum Perfect;” Weft: Red Heart Soft “Plummy”
Red Square — L1&2: unidentified mill end comparable to Caron Simply Soft yarn weight; Weft: Caron Simply Soft “Pink Camo”

(See also Adventures in Pin Loom Weaving Topical Guide—scroll down to Two-Layer Warping section—for links to videos and posts I’ve made about this subject.)

Related post: Houndstooth Check on the Weave-It style loom (recently updated)

4 Thoughts on “Adventures in Pin Loom Weaving — Books, Schmooks

  1. Karen Bochinski on 25 May 2016 at 2:52 PM said:

    I really appreciate your opinion on the book. The only criticism I heard is there is not 100 different pin loom squares. I went though the book, not in detail, and thought the pictures were well done. All 3 of my friends got together to do hounds tooth from the book. We got confused, did a google search, and lo and behold we hit your blog on hounds tooth and could figure it out. I just followed what my friend told me so I can not give my opinion on anything.

    • Ha ha ha! Good old houndstooth. I’m always glad to hear that’s still helping people. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from buying the book because it has value. It’s what got me trying lots of different color combinations.

  2. Lucina on 26 May 2016 at 3:46 AM said:

    Thank you very much for this. Luckily I have not tried anything from this book yet. I will get a pencil straight away and put in the corrections 🙂

    • I didn’t find any problems with the three-layer warp patterns that I tried. I haven’t done them all. There could be mistakes that I didn’t recognize because I was a brand new weaver when I got the book. It’s just the two-layer warp section you have to watch out for.

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