Monthly Archives: January 2012

January 31, 2012 · 4:04 pm

Can Edward and Anastasia Bear be knitted with thicker yarn and larger needles?

Yes! They can!

Edward and Anastasia Bear are 2 little bears that I have designed for ‘Your Knitting Life’ magazine (formerly known as ‘Knitting Today’), and they’ve been in each issue of the magazine since it started.

They are small… they’re 6 inches tall, and are knitted on 2.75 mm needles using Regia sock yarn.

Recently, on Ravelry, someone asked if Edward and Anastasia could be made larger, and the answer is, ‘You betcha’!

The humungous Edward Bear in the photo is 18 inches tall. If you knit with 8 or 9 mm needles and super bulky yarn or 2 strands of medium weight yarn held together, you will get one very large Edward Bear! Stitch through the hips to make them bendable.

I am so sorry, but the Edward and Anastasia patterns are no longer being made available by the publisher, and since I don’t own the copyright on them, I can’t give the pattern out. 😦

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Filed under knitting, tutorial & how to

Tagged as Edward and Anastasia bears, Edward Bear, free pattern, knitted teddy bear, knitted toys, knitting pattern, Knitting Today, Noreen Crone-Findlay, Your Knitting Life

January 26, 2012 · 4:32 pm

Can you weave tapestry on potholder loom? why, yes!

One of my Ravelry buddies just shared photos of a lovely little tapestry loom that he’s built.

He then commented that Noreen would probably say that you can weave tapestries on her beloved potholder looms.

And, of course, I chirrupped up: “Funny you should mention that, but Y E S you can! ”

Last year, after the devastation of the earthquakes and tsunami in Japan, I was very upset, and sat down with my sketchbook.

I did a little drawing that made me sit up and say: “I could weave that!”

So, I whipped out my Harrisville potholder loom (Link to Harrisville) and cut a square of cardboard to fit inside it.

I made a cartoon of the basic elements of the drawing: A circle inside a square, and taped it to the cardboard.

I decided to use all Harrisville yarns and fibers in this piece, so I warped up with warp yarn from Harrisville.

I used a table fork to beat the weft strands:

When I was finished, I wove an inkle border on my Schacht Inkle loom

I saw how the circle could become a face, so I warped up, again, and wove this:

And, this face made me think of the sun, so of course, I had to weave a companion,

‘Song to the Moon’: woven with yarn from my stash

Normally, I dislike fringes, but this piece demanded them, so I faithfully added them.

I was intrigued by weaving the expressive little faces (remember, the potholder loom yields a woven piece that is 6 inches square)

so…. with handspun yarn and stash yarn, I wove this little tapestry:

I have been meaning to block these little tapestries, but have been busy with so many other things that I haven’t gotten around to it.

But, when Misha joked about me weaving tapestries on the potholder loom, I thought…

“Well, they’re not blocked, but so what! I’ll post a note about them anyhow!”

So, when my ‘to do’ list calms down a little, I ~~will~~, um…. I might get them blocked!

Until then, keep on weaving! I am…. 😀

And, don’t forget to check out my other potholder loom weaving on my website: LINK

Please remember that this post is copyright protected, so please don’t copy the images etc! Thanks so much~!

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, potholder loom, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as how to weave a tapestry on the potholder loom, how to weave small tapestries, how to weave tapestry, Noreen Crone-Findlay, potholder loom weaving, small loom, tapestry

January 19, 2012 · 3:34 pm

etsy love

I love etsy.

Oh the goodies you can find there! Oh my!

Look what just arrived in my mailbox:

Isn’t this a gorgeous shawl pin? I bought it in Kate Heck’s etsy shop. LINK

Kate and I found out about each other’s work when we were chatting about looms and weaving, courtesy of one of the online weaving groups we both belong to.

Ah, the wonders of the internet! We looked at each other’s links, and ahem, pretty quickly, some shopping ensued! LOL!

She made it from Cocobolo wood, which I love.

It’s beautifully made and the craftsmanship is just superb.

Here it is on my pink stole that I made for my Lily Speed-O-Weave loom book: LINK Poifeck!

By the way, I have an etsy shop, too…. Link

etsy is amazing and wonderful…. and sooooooooo much fun, especially when you find gorgeous handmade treasures that you just would not find anywhere else!

Minoan Goddess of the Bees Knitted pattern is now a pdf

Poor little Minoan Goddess of the Bees! She wasn’t being at all well served!

This morning, I received an email, and a pm, from someone who was right ticked off with a terrible photo that was up on my website.

It was a tiny photo of my knitted Minoan Goddess of the Bees.

OOPS!

So, I spent the day, not only re-doing the photo, but building a beautiful new pdf of the knitting pattern for the Minoan Goddess of the Bees.

She looks lovely now!

Many years ago, I was reading a book about ancient Greece.

There were a couple of tiny drawings of little figures that were engraved on pottery and furniture from Crete about 1700 BCE.

I fell in love with the tiny images and have been working with them ever since.

They were called, ‘Minoan Dewdrop or Bee Goddesses’ sacred to the goddess, Persephone.

They are known as ‘Melisae’.

The pattern for the knitted Minoan Goddess of the Bees is available at: http://www.crone-findlay.com/knitteddollpatterns.html

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, knitting

Tagged as Crete, goddesses, greek goddess, knit doll, knitted doll pattern, knitted dolls, knitted goddess doll, knitting, knitting goddess, Knossos, Minoan Goddess of the Bees, Persephone

January 16, 2012 · 7:56 pm

Free pattern for a woven elephant

The pattern has gone live for the
Woven Elephant that I designed for Lion Brand on the Martha Stewart loom
HERE’S THE LINK TO IT

She’s a cutie!

I love elephants…..

happy weaving! 😀

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as free pattern, hand woven toy elephant, how to weave an elephant, Lion Brand, Martha Stewart loom, woven toy

January 14, 2012 · 12:24 pm

More little looms from recycled stuff part 2

If you are teaching a child to weave, or just want an impromptu, no cost small loom for sampling yarns and colorways, this little loom is very handy.

The project on the foam food tray loom is a bookmark, but you can weave amulet bags, rug mugs, small dolls and toys, doll house rugs or squares that you stitch together to make larger projects.

It’s great for traveling, as it’s light, and if you use a plastic darning needle for weaving, it’s fine to take through airport security.

Yesterday, I posted part one of the recycled and upcycled looms: Here’s the link: PART ONE

I think that one of the most accessible looms for beginning weavers is the weaving stick loom.

I am doing a lot of designing for it – here’s my post about the mermaid to weave on the stick weaving loom: LINK

Happy Weaving!!!!

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Filed under eco crafts & green projects, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as children weaving, easy weaving, free patterns, how to make a loom from recycled materials, how to teach a child to weave, how to teach weaving, kids crafts, kids weaving, no cost weaving, recycling, small looms, teaching kids to weave, weaving with children

January 13, 2012 · 10:13 pm

Little looms from recycled things for teaching weaving or sampling etc part 1

Yesterday, I posted about teaching children to weave Link

One of the pleasures of weaving is that it can be done with tremendously complex machines, but, can also be done with small bits of this and that from around the house.

Today and tomorrow, I am going to be posting little how to’s on making recycled and upcycled looms that are great for teaching kids how to weave, or just for noodling about with sampling yarns and weaving little bags, or hacky sacks or bookmarks….

So, here’s today’s installment:

If you make each grid square 1/4 inch, then the loom is business card size, which is a charming size to work with, and to pop into a pocket or bag.

If you weave 2 tiny rectangles on the loom, and stitch them together, then add a beaded fringe, it makes a very pleasing little amulet bag.

I think that one of the most accessible looms for beginning weavers is the weaving stick loom.

I am doing a lot of designing for it – here’s my post about the mermaid to weave on the stick weaving loom: LINK

Happy weaving!

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Filed under eco crafts & green projects, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as how to make a penny pouch, how to make an amulet bag, how to weave, loom pattern, recycled project, recycling, teaching children how to weave, upcycling

January 12, 2012 · 5:21 pm

When should a child start learning how to weave?

It’s never too early, (or too late!) for a child to start learning how to weave.

I bought my daughter her first loom when she was 6 weeks old. It was a little Spears loom #2 from England.

And, when my daughter and son were little, I had several looms set up for them to weave on, whenever they felt inspired to weave.

And, now, my grandson weaves with me:

He’s been sitting in my lap at the loom since he was born, and he really gets what weaving is all about.

He’s helping me weave his Grampa’s Saori shirt:

He’s two now, and he KNOWS about the shuttle!

He demanded the shuttle, and put it into the shed, and helped it across with his beautiful little chubby hands….

He LOVES the bobbin winder:

His grampa will certainly feel the love that has been woven into this shirt!

What do I recommend about teaching children to weave?

You don’t need a loom to start teaching a child to weave- cardboard looms and foam meat trays are great.

(I’ll post some patterns and instructions for them)

Child friendly looms are great- the Cricket is wonderful, as are a whole slew of small looms- ESPECIALLY,

the wonderful potholder loom!

BUT- I DO NOT recommend trying to teach a child to weave with loopers on the potholder loom.

Loops are actually rather challenging to work with.

Yarn is much more user friendly, and I have all kinds of YouTube videos to help you get children weaving.

When you click on my Potholder loom weaving page on my webiste: LINKIE

and scan down to the bottom of the page, you will find all kinds of YouTube links for my video tutorials.

I recommend the book: 1,2,3 Easy as Can Be Critters to weave on the potholder loom

and Weavagarumi for beginning weavers.

So, go ahead, and get those kidlets weaving!

It’ll be the gift that keeps on giving, as they will be embarking on a magnificent voyage of discovery that will last their lifetime!

Happy Weaving! 😀

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, potholder loom, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as beginning weaver, children and weaving, children weaving, hand weaving, hand woven, how to teach a child to weave, how to teach kids weaving, how to weave, kids weaving

January 6, 2012 · 2:41 pm

4 panel blanket woven on the triangle loom

I love geometry, and am intrigued by sacred geometry. I think that’s why I like working with looms that are different geometric shapes.

Last autumn, my nephew and his bride asked me to weave them a blanket as a wedding present.

Hmm- there were so many options on how to weave the blanket.

I settled on using my triangle loom that had recently arrived from Dewberry Ridge looms. Link

I set it up to the 5 foot configuration and started weaving:

I decided that 4 triangles on the 5 foot configuration of the loom, stitched together with the hypotenuse of the triangles forming the outside edge of the blanket, would work best.

I wanted to try giving it a bit more texture and interest than just plain weave, so I went with Over 2/Under 2, and loved it.

The yarn is gorgeous Kertzer wool that has been discontinued. It took 12 balls of

Kertzer Rejuvenation, 100% wool, 100 gm/3.5 oz, 200 m/220 yds, color # 8006 to make the blanket.

I used 2 strands of yarn held together to weave the triangles for the blanket.

To stitch the 4 triangles together, I laid them on the dining room table and stitched 2 triangles together (remembering to have the hypotenuse on the outside, and not stitched), then stitched the other 2 triangles together.

Then, I stitched the long center seam together.

I used the ‘V’ or ‘Baseball’ stitch to do the stitching.

This video shows how to do it:

After I stitched the 4 triangles together, I spool knitted about 21 feet of spool knitted cord for the outside edges.

I stitched it onto the blanket edges….

Here’s a video that shows how to do that:

I thought that loops at the corner would be pretty, so I added them

It was a crazy amount of work to make the blanket.

The weaving took 12 or 13 days of full days at the loom, and the spool knitting, fulling, stitching etc added several more days.

So, this is NOT a quick and easy project.

I hope that my nephew and his bride like it, and if they don’t, I gave them my permission to give it away, so that someone else can enjoy it.

No point in having it fill up a cupboard and not be used, so hopefully, it is keeping someone warm and cozy!

23 Comments

Filed under knitting, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, spool knitter & spoolknitter & spool knitting & spool knitting, Triangle loom weaving, tutorial & how to, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as blanket woven on triangle loom, Dewberry Ridge Looms, hand weaving, how to, Noreen Crone-Findlay, spool knitting, tri loom weaving, video tutorials, weave, weaves, weaving, weaving techniques, woven blanket, yarn

January 5, 2012 · 4:36 pm

Alternate uses for triangle loom and easel

I love my triangle loom-( I have the Dewberry Ridge adjustable one that is a wonder of engineering and fine craftsmanship. LINKIE

I know this, because I do some woodworking myself, so I know how hard it is to create such precise joins! And the math and geometry is amazing.)

Anyhow… back to my starting point here…. so, I love my triangle loom and the easel it hangs on.

(Although, I have to admit that I have royally bopped myself by smacking into the loom and having it fall on me- yow! And, ahem… I’ve done this MORE times than I care to admit, and each time, I reel away, muttering- “Man! that thing’s heavy!” And it HURTS when you, pardon the pun, ~nail yourself~ with it. I even got myself on the head with it one time. oi vey.)

ANYHOW>>> back to my starting point! I keep wandering astray here!

Okay, so I loves me my loomie…. right… and sometimes I bop myself with it, right, which has NOTHING to do, whatsoever, with what I want to show you….

Which is- that I love that I can multi-task with it!

I mean… after all, if you are going to be living with a big loom, that no matter how much you love it, it still jumps out and thumps you, you better be able to use it in more ways than just weaving with it, right?

So, here’s the deal….

My brilliant daughters are both gifted craftswomen and artists, and they are doing another craft show together this weekend.

So, Daughter #2 (technically, she’s my daughter-in-law, but I love her like she’s my very own, so she’s Daughter #2, not just ‘DIL’) is a fabulous spinner and maker of gorgeous yarns and rovings.

She has knitted up some lovely lace shawls for the show, and mentioned that she needed to do the dreaded blocking. (ugh)

This one is a combination of shetland and camel that she spun.

Looks pretty gnarly before blocking!

I had a flash of inspiration-

I asked her what size she wanted to block them to, and she said 4 feet on the hypotenuse for one of them and 5 feet on the other….

AHA!!!! my triangle loom will work PERFECTLY for blocking the lace shawls!

So I whipped out the different sections to change it to 4 feet (as I had been weaving cowls using the 3 foot configuration -here’s the link to the cowls LINKIE)

And, in 2 shakes of a lamb’s tail, we had her shawl on the loom and blocking!