Pin loom info


The main point of pin looms 

is that they have a series of pins all the way around the frame. Yarn is wound around the pins to accomplish two goals-- you only have to weave through half as many times as on a normally warped loom, so its quick, and you produce a piece of cloth with a finished selvage all the way around.


The Pin Loom Resurgence is being led by the Zoom Loom from Schact. Check out their site and check out their very clear video on how to wind and weave on the pin loom. The Zoom Loom is a step up from past pin looms, offering changes in style that look great and improve functionality.

Pin looms have been around since the early 1930's and appear to have been quite popular up until the mid-60's when so many aspects of American life and culture lost their shine. Check Eloomanation.com for a more complete history of pin looms. And while you're there, check out the whole site, it is the absolute compendium of vintage pin loom information. You might notice the booklet in the picture below, "Weave-It Weaves", illustrates twelve weaving patterns for the pin loom. Weave-It Weaves, as well as lots of other instructions books, is available at Eloomanation.com.

Among my favorite pin looms 

are the plastic Weave-Its with rounded, stainless steel pins.  Weave-its have been manufactured in catelite, a bakelite-like substance with steel pins, wood with steel pins and at least two different plastic moldings. The set shown above is my ideal. Despite the fact that these looms are around 60 years old, they look almost new, they work as well as ever. The pins are stainless so they don't rust and they were carefully rounded on top so that they don't snag the yarn or poke your fingers when you are weaving.  The Weave-Its were packaged in a number of different boxes through the years but I think this plastic box with the Deco look is particularly snazzy.

Now, having waxed poetic about this particular little loom, let me point out that new or vintage, home made or manufactured, if it is made to the same gauge, all pin looms work the same-- all produce the same cloth. The Weave-It, and the loom shown below, the Loomette, are commonly available on Ebay.


The Loomette 

was manufactured about the same time as the early Weave-It and, despite the seeming difference in pin pattern, produced the same style of cloth as other pin looms. I have experimented using the Loomette to produce a bias weave cloth and found that it works pretty well. I understand that you can also weave on the bias on a regular Weave-It or Zoom Loom.  I hope to give more information on how to weave on the bias with a regular pin loom in the future-- as soon as I either figure out how to do it with way more consistency or get permission to share material from someone who knows how. 


Weavette™ Looms - 6" square, 4"x6" rectangle, 2"x4" rectangle.

 These are part of the Weavette™ line by Buxton Brook Looms

They offered the first new pin looms since the 60's, when the Weave-It stopped being manufactured. In addition to making 4" and 2" square looms, Weavettes™ offered rectangles, bookmark sized (2"x 6") and a 6" square.  At this point they no longer seem to be on the market, but I hate to count them out, they are lovely looms.

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3 comments:

  1. We would like to be listed here with the other looms makers.I notice that our link on this page is not working. We have a new web site at www.hazelroselooms.com. Thank you.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Thanks for the note, Hazel. I just checked the new link. Your heart shaped looms are lovely!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Hi Margaret, Dewberry Ridge is the maker of an entire line of pin looms called Li'L Weavers. We would appreciate having our link included on your "Links" .I can't wait for your new book to arrive. Www.dewberryridge.con/collections/lil-weaver-looms
    Thanks. Donna McFarland

    ReplyDelete

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