maandag 12 oktober 2020

Loom knitting - an introduction

Hi everyone, it's been a long time since I last posted. All is well and healthy with me and my family; I've just been very busy with work and personal life. Crafting is a great way to chill out and relax, but cardmaking (most of what my previous blog posts were about) often requires a flat, steady surface, and  space. However, I'm also a big fan of yarn crafts like knitting and crochet. It's really an ideal craft type for busy people like me because you can pretty much do it anywhere. By the way, I will also be posting only in English from now on since it is my native language and I can post faster this way. Feel free to use the translator gadget in the side bar if you need it, or you can always comment with questions in Dutch if you need help understanding something. Thanks you for your patience and understanding!


So today I want to talk specifically about loom knitting. Loom knitting is a large form of spool knitting, or punniken. It's very easy to learn and you do not need to have knitting or crochet skills! What comes out has a look of something knitted. Loom knitting also works a little faster than regular knitting. I guess you can say that this is the alternative to regular/normal knitting (breien)!

Round knitting looms
This round knitting loom set from Action comes in 4 sizes, a needle (not pictured) and a hook. 

I'm not really here to teach you how to loom knit though, because there are so many resources on the web, one of which I will share below. Instead, this post is more for those that have been curious about this hobby as well as give some tips and answer some questions that popped into my head when I first started loom knitting. Take this as a journey with me to this interesting hobby!

Close up of knits
Close-up of the stitching on the hat. Looks good, right?

This hat was made using a 36 pin round loom and uses the most basic e-wrap stitch. I also use two strands of yarn. It took a total of 4-5 hours for me, including making the pom-pom and a little stiching. Below is a video by Denise from LoomaHat.com to essentially the same hat design, except my brim is shorter. She also explains which size loom is recommended for each size head (or age group).


So, now for some tips and answers to questions I had as I learned more about looming.

Where can I get a set of looms? Is there a difference between brands?
At Action you can buy the round 7 looms at a low price. Depending on store and season, you can also find the rectangular loom. You can also buy them online from other brands. The difference in the price between brands is generally the type of plastic, the roundness of each pin head, the smoothness of the pins, and whether the pins can be removed. I personally used the ones from Action to make the hat and I had no trouble, even though the plastic and pins were not smooth.

What's the difference between a round loom and a rectangular (long) loom?
A round loom is generally used for circular or tubular items like hats, round cowls, bags, leg or arm warmers. But you can also knit flat pieces on round looms by not going around in a circle but back and forth. I personally have not tried the rectangular loom, but from what I have seen, the knits are thick and are used for making thick scarves, squares, cowls, and even afghans (blankets) if it's long enough!

What kind of yarn do I use on a loom?
If you're using the regular mass-produced looms like the one from Action, then I suggest using a thick (bulky) yarn. But you can also use thinner or the most common regular yarn (usually aran or worsted) by using 2 strands at the same time!

The two yarns I used. One is Alison&Mae from Action, and the other was from Kruidvat.

There is so much more to say, but I just want to give you a quick look into this hobby. For more information, YouTube has many great videos to watch and google turns up many helpful pages. My personal favorite resource is LoomaHat.com, which is both a website and YouTube channel. Here you can find almost all the information you need to get started or if you're a beginner loomer looking to learn more advanced techniques.

Thanks for taking this journey with me and I hope you've been inspired to try this new hobby! 


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ZD Trading - Round loom set, 36 pins
Yarn needle (came with round loom set)
Loom hook (came with round loom set)
Yarn

6 opmerkingen:

  1. Hello Emma
    I like the hat!
    Thank you for share this!
    Greetings Martha

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  2. Hi Emma, nice to have you back again, love you hat, perfect for the coming winter. :)

    XoXo Carina

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  3. Hallo Emma, very nice hat you made. I didn’t know loom-knitting. Thanks for sharing. Ini

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    Reacties
    1. Hi Ini! Thank you for your nice comment! glad I could share something new (and fun) with you. Cheers!

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