Pin loom winner for September

A big congratulations to Jenny T., of Panama City, FL, the September winner of the 4" vintage Loomette loom with original box, instructions and new needle. 

Jenny writes:
I have had my hands in fiber ever since I could hold a needle.  Weaving was one of the few things I had never tried.  The idea of warping a loom was, quite frankly, overwhelming.  When I discovered little looms I was immediately intrigued.  To be able to weave and have the project remain portable is right up my alley!

John Mullarkey; weaver, teacher, artist, Zoom Loom creator

Pin looms are, in many ways, defined by their size. The fact that they are small supports their capacity to offer convenience, portability and ease of use. However the fact that we are always producing small patches of fabric leads to the number one burning topic among pin loom weavers, how to join them together.

Which leads to my introduction of John Mullarkey. You have likely heard his name. John is the weaver who worked with the Schacht Spindle Co. to design the Zoom Loom.  This is a link to an excellent article on John's involvement in Zoom Loom's genesis.


But that's not all... remember how I said that joining techniques are so important to pin loomers? John was the Best of Show winner in the 2010 "Not Just for Socks" Contest for the Spanish Moss Shawl, using a single crochet join to create this light, airy shawl.


Schact Spindle is now offering a variety of projects for weaving including the Spanish Moss Shawl as well as purses, pillows and a variety of projects that are all made with the Zoom Loom.

Click here for complete directions for this incredible weaving including a close-up of John's joining technique.

Come join the conversation

...Lola Colleen Watson has built a meeting place for all of us.  

A number of weavers have mentioned that they wish they had somewhere to talk and share about pin loom weaving.  Lola Colleen Watson heard the call and has established the Pin Loom Weaving Support Group on Facebook.

      I was an avid knitter before I had a baby and found out about the zoom
      loom brand of pin loom from a knitting designer I follow on instagram. It's
      easier for me to sit and do one of these at a time rather than a whole
      knitting project. After my baby was born I also got really into woven wraps
      and am fascinated by this new world of fiber arts. I think pin looms are a
      great low cost way to get a taste for weaving.

If you have thoughts or questions that you would really like to share with another pin loomer, this is the place to go.  Tell Lola I said "hi" and thank her from me for taking the time to give us all a place to talk. 

Check out the Facebook Pin Loom Weaving Support Group 

6" Pin Loom Correction

A reader/weaver/loom maker wrote to ask me about the pattern for the 6" pin loom that is available in the book Pin Loom Weaving. She was having problems making the pattern of pins work. I went back to the book and checked the pattern and found that it was wrong, I had managed to insert too many pins on two of the sides. Just enough to make it goof up, not enough apparently for me to notice that I had gotten it wrong.

I want to apologize to anyone who has struggled to make the loom with the incorrect pattern. I feel terrible to have sent out something that wasn't right. There is now a corrected pattern on the page titled: New 6" Pin Loom Template. This will allow you to download a PDF of the correct 6"x6" template.

Please note:  In order to make certain that the pattern prints to the correct size, you need to click the download button and print it through Adobe. If you print it directly from the shared file, it may come out an inaccurate size. When you print it, make sure that you hit the radio button that says: Print at actual size. Otherwise it will print too small and you'll have reason to get upset all over again-- at least that's what I did.

Again, my apologies for this error. Please feel free to download the updated 6" loom pattern.
Meg Stump

Creating pin loom prairie points

Caroline Fylpaa is an inventive weaver who had a problem. She was weaving the gorgeous blanket shown on the right and she wanted to  finish it with Prairie Points. (I had to look up Prairie Points and now understand that it is usually a quilting technique that makes a right angled triangle used to edge a blanket.)

She noted, "My pin loom weaving started with a trip to Goodwill. I found a loom for 49 cents and it had directions! I hated traditional table top weaving due to the amount of waste and non-portability. I am a spinner in love with drop spindles, I do have and use a wheel, but sometime less is best!" 

In this case the challenge was, make a Prairie Point to match the 4" x 4" square with just a 4" loom to work with.

She noted that she tried to fold the 4" square in half on the diagonal, but that makes too big a triangle.

She realized that she had to make a 2" x 4" loom, which she did.




Caroline says, " This is my adjustable bar made from an oak strip and a metal dog comb. I had to pull out some of the teeth to get the pattern right.

I carved the oak strip to hold the dog comb stable on the weave it loom. I hand carved it all with a wood carving knife and had blisters on top of blisters! I used cocktail toothpicks as shims to ensure a snug fit."

Here is it in place on the loom with an adjustable snug fit. I am really impressed with the fact that not only can Caroline make a 2" x 4" rectangle, she can also weave a 1" x 4" or a 3" x 4" as needed.


Below is her Prairie Point, corners of the 2" x 4" folded in and stitched closed.  She noted that she is making a very pastel Blankquilt, almost finished. The yarn is a 70/30 Targhee wool and nylon sock yarn from Montana, described as beautiful and lofty.

"All it needs is a few more points, weaving in the ends and fulled."

 I am really hoping that she will consent to send a picture of her finished blanket as well.

  Thank you, Caroline.