Adventures in Pin Loom Weaving–the Neglected Loomette and Bulky Yarns, Part II

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Last year I discovered the Loomette around the same time as the Weave-it, so I bought one. Then I bought another one . . . two . . .  Somehow along the way I acquired four of them. Early on I realized the Loomette was superior to the Weave-it when it comes to two-layer warps (which I think are tricky). Loom prep is more straightforward. While two-layer warps are not my specialty they’re the obvious choice if you want total freedom when it comes to warp thread manipulation.

Example of two-layer warp, woven from the top down.

Example of a two-layer warp, woven from the top down. This is a square I warped up a long time ago–before I felt super comfortable with pin loom weaving. Now I would warp it differently.

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My first video!

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It’s not as if anyone was hounding me to make a video of this particular technique, but I wanted to because it will save me time describing it. I really hope it will be helpful.

Technique is shown on a Loomette loom.

The pattern is HORIZONTAL Xs, Variation 1

Row 1: Plain (P)

Even rows: P-2; U-3, P3 (4x); U-3, P-2

Odd rows: P-5; O-3, P-3 (3x); O-3, P-5

Row 16: P

The finished square

The finished square

Adventures in Pin Loom Weaving—Bulky Yarns

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On the Facebook group I belong to, someone asked a question about using bulky yarns on the pin loom. I happened to be the first person to see the post, so I answered as best I could. Up till then I had little experience using different types of twisted matter on the Weave-it.

Weaving with ribbon was sufficiently difficult that I never tried it again. While the sample on the right is technically made with size 4 yarns, the off-white cotton was bulkier, in size if not weight, than the others.

Though the square is lovely, Weave-it-ing with ribbon yarn was sufficiently difficult that I never tried it again. The sample on the right is made with four different worsted weight yarns, but the off-white cotton was bulkier than the others.

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Houndstooth Check—Pin Loom Pattern—Part II (for Loomette)

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Last night I figured out the houndstooth check pattern on the Loomette. The Loomette’s pins are not separated into groups of three with wide spaces between, they’re evenly distributed.

The Loomette's pins are arranged more "conventionally" than the Weave-it's, but you can do all pin loom patterns on either loom. The Zoom Loom also works, but I don't have one of those. I prefer looms with numbers printed on their frame's sides. You can find Weave-its and Loomettes on eBay for half the price of a Zoom Loom. Loomette is a great loom for two-layer warp patterns--probably the best; certainly my favorite.

The Loomette’s pins are arranged more “conventionally” than the Weave-It’s, but you can do all pin loom patterns on either loom. The Zoom Loom also works, but I don’t have one of those. I prefer looms with numbers printed on their frame’s sides. You can find Weave-Its and Loomettes on eBay. Loomette is a great loom for two-layer warp patterns–probably the best; certainly my favorite.

I explained the instructions for the Weave-it or Zoom loom, in the Part I tutorial. If you missed it, you can find it here: http://windsweptmind.com/2015/05/27/houndstooth-check-pin-loom-pattern/

***REMEMBER: If you can’t see a picture clearly, click on the photo and it’ll show up larger. Click the Back arrow to return to these instructions.

What is houndstooth check? By alternating two strands of one color with two strands of a second color you get this cool pattern. Weaving magic!

Four different color combinations of the houndstooth check pattern.

Four different color combinations of the houndstooth check pattern.

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