Category Archives: Loom & looms & small loom weaving

December 11, 2017 · 10:11 pm

Cutting garments into fabric strips to weave and knit

Recently, I made a video about cutting up garments to upcycle them by weaving or knitting with the fabric strips.

In early October of 2017, my son in law’s step-dad passed away.

This was, of course, very hard on our grandson.

I talked with him about what it meant to him to have his ‘other’ grampa (not my husband) pass away.

I asked him if he needed something of his grampa’s to hold onto, and he said yes.

So, I asked for a couple of Bill’s shirts so I could make comfort critters with them.

I cut them up and wove them into kittys, as that was what my grandson asked for, so he has one, and other family members have them too. (I didn’t photograph all of them).

I also knitted a teddy bear for one of our relatives, as he is definitely a teddy bear guy 🙂

The bear and kittys have been well received and they do carry the love that went into every stitch of making them.

I’ve done this before, and have found that ‘compassion critters’ made from upcycled clothing of a dear one is very comforting for people in grief.

Every little thing helps….

Here’s the video:

The woven kitties and knitted bear are made from the following patterns:

https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/88710…

and https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/27430…

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Filed under blessing bear, charity knitting, crafting for charity, eco crafts & green projects, Findlay Bear and Flora Panda, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, knitting, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, personal stuff, potholder loom, teddy bear, tutorial & how to, video tutorial, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as blessing bear, compassion bear, compassion critters, grief, how to make fabric strips for weaving and knitting, knitted teddy bear, Memory Bear, upcycling, woven kitty

September 6, 2017 · 2:58 pm

Projects in Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks- Part 3- Baskets

Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks are great for weaving baskets.

Because I had already designed a collection of weaving stick baskets for my etsy shop (https://www.etsy.com/ca/listing/111292892/pdf-pattern-for-all-kinds-of-baskets?ref=shop_home_active_4)

I wanted to do something completely different for the book.

I was really happy about figuring out how to weave squares on the peg loom and weaving sticks, so it was natural to weave baskets using squares.

I also thought that it made sense to make round baskets for the book, as well, so I came up with a very simple little round basket that I call the Blessing Bowls.

The size of the baskets is determined by the thickness of yarn, cord, t shirt yarn, string or what ever you decide to use, as well as the thickness of the weaving sticks or peg looms.

Baskets are such a useful thing, and they are so much fun to weave. I hope that you will enjoy weaving them on peg looms and weaving sticks!

The book can be ordered from your local bookstore, or from any of the usual online sellers or from the National Book Depository, (new to me!).
Here’s the link for it:
https://www.bookdepository.com/Peg-Looms-and-Weaving-Sticks/9780811716123

Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks -An error on page 29

Oh my word.

My editors and I poured over every word of the manuscript of ‘Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks’, over and over and over, and yet a typo slipped by us!

For the Cowl on Page 29, #2- It should say ‘Weave 30 inches” NOT 36 inches.

Apologies!!!!!

I really hope that this is the only typo to have sneaked past us!

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Filed under Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as errata for Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks; Peg Looms & Weaving Sticks by Noreen Crone-Findlay; weaving; weaving sticks; peg loom weaving; weaves; hand woven; hand weaving; woven cowl; Noreen Crone-F

August 25, 2017 · 8:45 pm

Projects in Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks Book- Part 2- Wearables

I was very surprised the other day, when a friend in England sent me a photo of herself, holding ‘Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks’!

I haven’t received my copy yet, so I was amazed to see that it has made it’s way to England before it’s official release date.

It was neat to see what the final version of the front cover looks like.

I still don’t know what the back cover looks like 🙂

So, this video, which I had planned to be a ‘Sneak Peek’ at the book, isn’t really a sneak peek since some people already have it (even if I don’t!)

In this video, I am focusing on the wearables in the book.

The book can be ordered from the Book Depository- I’d never heard of them until my editor told me about them, but I think it’s great that they ship worldwide, free. LINK

Happy weaving!

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Filed under book review/book/books, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as hand woven jewelry, Noreen Crone-Findlay, peg loom book, peg loom projects, peg loom weaving, Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks by Noreen Crone-Findlay, weave a hat on peg looms, weaving garments on peg looms, weaving sticks book, woven hat, woven jewelry, woven vest

August 17, 2017 · 4:54 pm

Projects in Peg Looms and Weaving Sticks book- Part 1

I’ve just made a video that shows some of the projects in my book, Peg Looms & Weaving Sticks

(release date: Sept. 1, 2017).

I’ll be making more videos, showing more of the projects in the book.

The book is available online from the National Book Depository: LINK and from local bookstores.

Happy Weaving!

(I am seriously Happy, happy dancing!)

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Filed under book review/book/books, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, Peg and Stick Loom weaving, peg looms and weaving sticks, weaving & handwoven

Tagged as Noreen Crone-Findlay, peg loom book video, peg loom projects, peg looms & weaving sticks book by Noreen Crone-Findlay, peg looms and weaving sticks

July 5, 2017 · 1:22 pm

6th Sense One of a Kind Art Dolls

For many months, I have been working really hard on new mixed media fiber art sculptures.

The 6th Sense is intuition/inspiration/imagination.

These one of a kind art dolls are based on dreams, memories, meditations and contemplations and are an invitation to embrace creativity, healing and wholeness.

They are a combination of tapestry weaving, narrow band weaving, lucet cords, tatting, knitting, wood work wire work and leather work.

Here’s a slide show video of my 6th Sense One of a Kind Art dolls.

Most of the 6th Sense One of a Kind Art Dolls in the video are for sale, but some of them have already sold and gone to live in their new homes.

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Filed under band loom, doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, knitting, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, tapestry, weaving & handwoven, Woven Women tapestries and woven works

Tagged as 'Woven Women' by Noreen Crone-Findlay, 6th Sense Woven art dolls by Noreen Crone-Findlay, doll, doll making, dollmaking, dolls, hand weaving, hand woven, handwoven, narrow band weaving, Noreen Crone-Findlay, small loom weaving, tapestry weaving

January 3, 2017 · 4:06 pm

How to Carve a Weaving Hook from a Chopstick

I use weaving hooks in all kinds of weaving- everything from potholder looms and frame looms to triangle looms, and a fair few looms in between.

Crochet hooks are okay for some weaving, but they can be too short and too round for some weaving.

I have found that making weaving hooks from chopsticks is quick, easy and very satisfying. It’s a great way to upcycle.

Chopstick weaving hooks are longer than crochet hooks (afghan hooks can be hard to find) and are flatter, and work beautifully.

You can customize your weaving hook to be the absolute bees knees by fine tuning it with a little sanding or whittling as you work with it.

Here is a step by step ‘how to’ video tutorial that shows you how you can easily carve or whittle your own perfect weaving hook with just a few simple tools:

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Tagged as how to make a weaving hook, make a hook from a chopstick, Noreen Crone-Findlay, simple carving, turn a chopstick into a weaving hook, upcycle a chopstick, weavies, weaving, weaving hack, weaving hacks, weaving hook, whittle a hook, whittling, woodworking, woodworking hack

December 23, 2016 · 1:48 pm

Wooden and Woven Dolls for Christmas

Recently, I had a lovely conversation with my darlin’ grandson.

He said to me: ‘Nanma, I LOVE your dolls. Will you make me one for Christmas?’

I was thrilled that he is pleased with my work and that he wanted me to make him a doll for Christmas.

What an awesome 7 year old he is!

I asked him if he wanted a wooden one or a woven one, and I was convinced that he said, ‘Wooden’….

So, I stayed up very, very late one night, and got up early, to carve him a wooden doll:

I used a birch branch from our son’s neighbour’s tree. It’s been drying for a year and a half and is lovely to carve.

Tottie Tomato cheered me on as I carved.

She comforted the new doll, because she knows that the knives, chisels and sandpaper are very uncomfortable, and that paint brushes tickle….

After he was done, and I had knitted his sweater and jeans, Tottie Tomato and New Boy went to hang a few ornaments on the tree in the village.

Something was feeling not quite right….

I thought: I have to check and see if Grandson actually said that he wanted a wooden doll…..

So, I asked him which dolls he loved?

Wooden or the woven art dolls?

We were out at a concert of his Grampa’s music, so I sketched the shape of the 6th Sense art dolls in the air.

YES! he said, firmly!

THOSE are the ones I love!

Oh oh….

I asked him to draw in the air and show me what shape he had in mind.

Yup….. Woven Women 6th Sense art dolls, and NOT 6 inch tall wooden dolls….

oops.

He specified that he wanted it soft to cuddle and that it had to wear black shoes.

I asked him to draw exactly what he wanted…..

He held his hands up in the air and showed me the size.

So…………………………

I have been weaving up a storm……………. well, a doll, along with a few other things……

I used the tapestry weaving technique to weave the body front, and plain weave for the back.

I did a clasped warp technique for the arms and legs to make the color changes work for the arms and legs.

I hope that he approves of how I interpreted his design!

I hadn’t thought of making him a doll for Christmas, so I am incredibly grateful that he asked.

And, because I didn’t get the brief right first time around, our little sweetheart gets TWO dolls, not one!

For now, they are chilling out by the Village Christmas tree, enjoying themselves in knitted armchairs that I designed for Findlay and Flora Bear.

The pattern for the chairs is in my etsy shop:

LINK

I can’t bear to wrap them until the last moment, so I will have a chance to enjoy them, too!

Merry Christmas, Happy Channukah, Happy Solstice, Happy Yule, Happy EVERYTHING to you and yours!

Love and blessings all round.

May 2017 bring Peace, Wisdom and Compassion!

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Filed under doll & dolls & dollmaking & doll making, Findlay Bear and Flora Panda, gifts & easy to make gifts & presents, knitting, Loom & looms & small loom weaving, wooden dolls

Tagged as Christmas dolls, Christmas gifts, dollmaking, dolls, hand made dolls, handwoven, holiday gifts, Noreen Crone-Findlay, small loom weaving, spool knitting, tapestry weaving, weaves, weaving, weaving techniques, wooden dolls, woven

December 13, 2016 · 1:06 pm

6th Sense One of a Kind Art Doll- Tree Mother

Last month, when there was a spectacular Super Moon, we stepped outside to admire it.

The gigantic moon looked like it was suspended in the huge trees that line our street.

The image of the Great Tree Mother, rocking the Moon in her arms, rose up in my mind….

and I knew that I had to build one of my 6th Sense one of a kind art dolls.

Here she is:

Great Tree Mother Rocked The Moon in Her Arms:

While I was contemplating how to build the Great Tree Mother piece, my husband and our daughter took the dogs for a walk one morning.

Chloe came home with a wonderfully gnarly branch that had been pruned from someone’s tree and tossed into the alley.

She just knew I needed it…. even though, at that point, I hadn’t told her what I was mulling about 🙂

We have a very deep connection!

It is perfect.

So’s our daughter….

Anyhow…

The faces….

Years ago, my dear friend found a moose antler that had been shed and she asked me if I could use it.

I cut 3 faces from it, and carved them and painted them.

Two of them became part of this piece:

Tree Mother’s face.

She also has a ‘Hidden Face’ that is hidden inside the piece and will never be revealed.

Too bad I didn’t photograph it! Oops…

Here is Moon’s face:

I carved the hand from wood.

I wove the bands on 2 different looms and knitted the grey hand spun cloth of her robe.

All of the 6th Sense Woven Women have 6 pennies incorporated into them, as a metaphor for coming to our senses, and embracing intuition, intelligence and inspiration.