A couple of years ago, when I was working on the designs for The Lily Speed O Weave design book LINK,
I figured out how to weave a hexagon on the loom, using continuous weaving methods.
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The method is slightly tricky (it took me a LOT of experimenting to figure it out!) and has one disadvantage….
You have to use quite bulky yarn or else the hexagon is really loopy and open meshy (aka ‘sleazy’).
I decided that this made it not worthwhile to share the technique, as the knotting technique that was traditional for the Lily Speed O Weave loom allowed you to use absolutely any weight of yarn or thread.
Besides, I had figured out a way of speeding up and streamlining the knotting process, so I decided to just go with that.
But, a few days ago, a lady on Ravelry asked if anyone knew how to weave continuously on the hex loom and wasn’t into the knotting technique.
So, I figured…. okay…. I’ll make a video showing how to do this….
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The secret to weaving continuously on the Lily Speed O weave looms?
Mashing up triangle loom weaving techniques with the continuous weaving technique of the potholder loom.
AND>>>> There’s a VERY important switcheroo that you have to make, mid-stream, as it were.
Once you have mastered the technique, it’s REALLY quick and easy to weave up hexagons on the Lily Speed O Weave loom!
The other evening, I figured out a much easier way to weave hearts on the little heart loom that I designed, and Gary McFarland of Dewberry Ridge Looms makes.
Here’s the new video, showing how to weave hearts this easy peasy way:
And, if you click ‘Heart Loom’ in the categories, you’ll find lots of links for yummy things to make with the heart looms
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To order a heart loom, click this link to Dewberry Ridge Looms: Heart Looms
I have been having so much fun weaving tiny hearts!
I have been designing all manner of fun projects with the Dewberry Ridge Heart Loom-
What have I been using the hearts for? Well… things like a prayer flag:
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and amulet bags:
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and I fixed a placemat that had a frayed corner:
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I also made darling butterflies from the hearts. See this post: Link for a video tutorialon how to make them.
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You can use the hearts on stuffed toys, bags, hats, scarves, shawls, stoles, mittens, socks, sweaters, vests, placemats, curtains, towels, stitch a pin on the back and wear it as a pin, weave them with handspun wool and felt them and wear them as earrings – there is just no limit to the things you can do with the sweet little hearts!
I’ve made a video of how to weave heart using the Dewberry Ridge Heart Loom:
A couple of weeks ago, I designed a tiny pinboard loom to weave little hearts- Here’s the link to that post HEARTS
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I just loved the little hearts that I wove on the pinboard loom, but didn’t really like holding the foam in my hands while I wove.
I asked Donna and Gary at Dewberry Ridge Looms if they would make some heart looms, using my design, so other people could weave wee perfect hearts, too. (Gary’s work is FABULOUS! I love their looms)
They said sure, so Gary set to work and they now have lovely little heart looms!
I am just enchanted with the little heart loom- it’s beautifully made and is a treat to hold in my hand, and a pleasure to weave on.
I am thinking of all the wonderful ways of using the woven hearts… ooooooooh yes!!!!
I won’t be selling them, so you’ll have to go to their website to buy one. Here’s their link: HEART LOOM
I have some fun projects in mind, and will post pics as soon as I get them done.
I think that I will probably make a video tutorial specifically about weaving with this little loom. (One more thing for the ‘to-do’ list!)
Last week, a friend asked me what I was working on these days.
In response, I rattled off a list of projects and tasks that is the length of my arm.
The next day, as I was leaving the dentist, he drove up to the stop sign, he said: ‘Oh yah, you say you’re working on all these things, but here you are, just walking down the street!’
Um… if I could master the transporter, I would! Zap! into the dentist chair! Zap! Home again! Sparkle sparkle zing.
I would like that….
Anyhow, here are some of the things that are happening in my studio right now….
(Not ~ all ~ the things that are happening, as I can’t show projects that I am designing for magazines etc- the editors would be smacking me on the side of the head if I did….)
(and I am working on some stuff that I need to not talk about until it ripens. You know how it is.)
Okay… first things first…
We have adopted an adorable little rescue…. he’s 4 1/2 years old and is just wonderful.
(except for being a cat botherer… that is NOT good ) This is him (in his fetching blue harness) with his adopted big brother. (Our dear old chihuahua/daschund cross).
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Ah, well, other than being oh so barkie about the cats, he is completely adorable. As you can see, he has settled in beautifully.
Although, every adoption takes time and patience and attention….
Alright…. a brief zip around the studio:
Okay, in the southeast corner, there’s a big project happening on my tri loom (configured to the 3 foot size).
I’ll be posting more about this as the project moves closer to the finish line:
Hearts are one of my most favorite design motifs ever.
I decided that I should design a tiny little woven heart motif as a project for the ‘Stitch Red’ heart health campaign, and also work as an embellishment on a special ‘I love you’ scarf for my daughter.
Here’s the link to the previous post about using tambour crochet to embellish the scarf: Link
The yarn used in the heart motif is from Koigu, made specially for the Stitch Red campaign. Link
Here is the pattern to make the pin board loom to weave the heart:(Note: Print it out so the pattern is 2 inches by 2 inches)
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Materials and equipment: a square of foam (I upcycled some packing material) that’s about 4 inches square by an inch or so thick.
34 pins or 1 inch fine finishing nails. (You may need a nail file to file rough edges off the tops)
A 3 or 4 inch square of clear plastic from a clamshell package or other recycled thingie.
Knife to cut the foam, scissors.
2.5 mm crochet hook
small tapestry needle
Instructions
1: Copy the pattern, and trim to fit the size of piece of foam.
2: Place the piece of clear plastic over the pattern. Push the pins into the dots.
Warping: The right hand arch of the heart is held vertical and the left hand arch is horizontal.
3: Tie 2 strands of yarn together (Note, you need to be working with fine yarn, like a sock weight) and place over the pin at the point of the heart.
4: Skip 8 pins, go around the next pin and down to the lower edge, and around the pin to the left of the pin at the point.
5: Go up and down across the 5 pins at the top and their mathcing pins on the lower edge.
6: Take the yarn up to th emifpoint pin (there are 3 empty pins above it) and down.
7: Go up and down across the next 5 sets of pins. There will be 3 vertical pins/nails left empty. Make an ’8′ around the last set of nails to bring the yarn back down to the lower set of nails.
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8: Weaving
Row 1: Weave hook from right to left: Over 4/Under 4 between the 1st and 2nd pins.
Make a loop of yarn and place it on the hook, then draw it through the warp strands. Place the loop on the 2nd nail on the right hand side.
Adjust yarn.
Rows 2 & 4: Weave Under 4/Over 4 across, pick up the loop of yarn, ease through, place loop on nail/pin.
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Row 3: WEave Over 4/Under 4 across, pick up loop, ease through, place on nail on right hand side of loom.
Rows 5 & 7: Weave )ver 4/Under 4/Over 4/Under 4/Over 4… make loop, ease through, place on pin on right hand side.
Note: on Row 7, the yarn passes by 5 pins before it’s woven in.
Rows 6 & 8: U4/O4/U4/O4/U4 make loop, ease through, place on pin on right hand side.
Row 9: Working with top 3 pins only: U4/O4/U 4 make loop, ease through, place on pin on right hand side. (It already has loops on it, but not to worry).
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Finishing:
Wrap the yarn around the circumference of the heart 2 1/2 ties and snip.
Working in a counter clockwise direction: Thread the yarn ends into a darning needle and lift the stitches off, one by one, stitching through them.
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Some nails have 2 sets of threads on them, so lift the sets of yarn off one at a time.
Stitch over the long floating threads to capture them.
Stitch twice at the tip of the heart.
Untie the beginning knot and weave in the ends.
Adjust the circumference stitching to shape the heart, and stitch through the outside edge again if desired.
Weave in ends and trim.
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The hearts can be used to embellish or trim scarves, hats, mittens, gloves, cowls, hair ornaments, bags, stuffies, dolls, toys, blankets, shawls, stoles, vests, coats, wall hangings, cellphone and tablet covers. The sky’s the limit!
Here’s the video tutorial on how to weave the heart motif:
I think that people might like to have a heart loom in wood, so I asked Donna and Gary McFarland of Dewberry Ridge looms Link if they would make them, and they said yes, so if you want one, drop them a note.
PLEASE NOTE: All content of this blog, including video, audio, written and photographed is the sole work and property of Noreen Crone-Findlay, and MAY NOT be used without my permission. Thanks so much!
) This is him (in his fetching blue harness) with his adopted big brother. (Our dear old chihuahua/daschund cross).
