Monday, November 18, 2019

We have to start our holiday projects right now... or maybe last week.

All of my best ideas for the holidays usually arrive about two weeks before Christmas when it is waaaay too late to carry them out. I can only hope that hasn't happened to you.

So this is the year to turn it around.

Here are a few ideas for the holidays.

Pin Loom Advent Bags

I love this idea because almost every time I work on a project, there are always a few squares that don't get used, usually because I've changed my mind about some aspect of the project halfway through. Since there is no way that I am going to throw away a perfect good woven square, I've got one Advent bag halfway made!

The little bag to the right started out as part of another project, it is made with one layer of sparkly silver rik rak and dark blue single ply worsted weight yarn.

Lay two 4" x 4" squares together and single crochet around the edge in a matching or contrasting yarn. Use the same yarn in an eight inch crochet chain to complete a light handle for each little bag. Add the numbers or images in contrasting yarn. String them across a fireplace or wall. The traditional Advent calendar calls for 25 bags numbered one to twenty-five. But you might prefer to weave fewer bags and use some traditional images instead.

Pin Loom Gnomes

Who doesn't need one or a dozen pin loom gnomes at Christmas?  Grab the full instructions with this Gnome Link.

Pin Loom Christmas Trees


Gather up a couple foam cones, your favorite stray bits of yarn and Christmassy pin loom squares to make some fabulous table decorations for the holidays. I would suggest using lots of glue to get the squares in place, then secure with glass headed pins for a festive, ornamental look.

The cones would make a really special decoration if you added pictures of the family for a Family Album Tree.

Teacup Pincushions


They're fun, they're small, they're really cute and they have some utilitarian value to the recipient. What more could you ask?  See the whole post with this Teacup Link.

Pin Loom Scarves


You can never go wrong with a scarf and pin loom weaving can offer an unlimited number of ways to make one.

This is a creation by Laura Waskiewicz Sapko. You can read more about her creation at this Scarf Link.

Or think about Endless Scarves, great for any time of the year. See a bunch of ideas at this Endless Scarf Link. 


Hopefully you are way ahead of me and have been working on pin loom items for the holidays for weeks now. But if not, here is a place to start.  Happy Weaving!














Sunday, November 17, 2019

Weave a pin loom caddy tray... or it may be a cat bed.

While I love making blankets, dragons and other animals, sometimes pin loom weaving is the perfect answer to a mundane question, such as, "what the heck am I going to do with all these remotes?" They litter the living room and I can never put my hand on the one that I actually need at the moment. I also wanted a container that wasn't loud.



Of course, this isn't ALL the remotes we have, I think the total number is around six or seven, but I decided to make an easy to grab caddy for the ones that I use constantly.

It was made using a rough textured brown worsted weight yarn with an insert of light blue worsted weight. I used a 4" x 8" pin loom to make the longer pieces, it could be made just as easily just using 4" x 4" pieces joined together.

The dimensions are about 8" x 4" x 2". The edge pieces were folded in half to create the 2" sides. I had some fleece left over from another project, so I used a couple layers of fleece inside the squares to provide some padding. You could also use quilt padding. The bottom two pieces were sandwiched together with two layers of fleece inside and joined using single crochet around the edge. The sides were folded in half, insert the fleece, then single crocheted around the three open sides. All the pieces were joined together using a whip stitch.
While this worked wonderfully to provide me with the exact size remote caddy that I needed, keep in mind that you can change the dimensions so that it will work just as well for whatever you might need to corral in your living room or bedroom-- using the colors that appeal to you.  Happy weaving!