Weaving on a Knitting Loom

"All Hands" Blanket Throw with traditional 4" pin loom and fine gauge knitting loom. From Pin Loom Weaving To Go
Pin loom weaving is almost as easy to accomplish on a knitting loom as it is on a more traditional pin loom. In fact, the knitting loom offers a few advantages; since the spaces between the pins are larger, you can more easily weave with bulkier yarns, you can use sturdier, less bendable needles and because the knitting loom has an adjustable length, you can weave different lengths of cloth. The downside to the process is that there is less certainty, you do not have the same consistent pattern of weaving as you do with the traditional pin loom.

But with a little patience and practice, it is possible to turn out an incredible variety of cloth pieces with this very simple loom.

 Pin Loom Weaving To Go is the "go to" book for information, techniques and a variety of projects woven on a knitting loom. 

Use a Kb Fine Gauge Sock Loom or a Kb All-In-One Fine Gauge Knitting Loom to weave this Zippered Bag Project.


Directions:

1)  Make a slip knot and loop around the bottom left pin. Wind the yarn from bottom to top around four pins at the top and four at the bottom so that there are eight lengths of yarn between top and bottom. You will notice that you have only used four of the five pins. The idea is to distribute the yarn across the width of the loom as evenly as possible. Don’t worry about any gaps, they will disappear in the weaving. Do not stretch the yarn or add any tension when you are winding it on the loom.



2)  Circle the yarn around the bottom right pin and proceed to loop around every other side pin. Keep in mind that you do not want to add any tension to the yarn when you are winding it, just lay it down from pin to pin.



3)  Circle up around the top left hand pin and wind another eight lengths of yarn from top to bottom. You will be looping this yarn around the same pins as you used before so that there will be two loops of yarn on several of the pins at the top and bottom.



4)  Measure off the yarn needed for weaving by winding the yarn around the outside of the loom three and a half times. Cut the yarn and thread the yarn end on to the weaving needle.

5)  Start weaving on the top left side between the first and second side pins. This is the most difficult part of the weaving process because you will need to weave under each of the bottom yarns and over each of the top yarns.  In several places the loops of yarn are on the same pin which means that you will need to use your weaving needle to separate the two layers and weave them separately. Take your time, you may need to weave this line bit by bit, pulling the yarn through several loops before using your needle to separate and weave further. It is likely that there will be places where you have to physically switch the placement of the top and bottom yarns so that they will in the proper “under/over” order.





Once you have taken your time to weave through all of the loops, you will find that you have put them in proper weaving order so that you can continue to weave with some ease.


6) Keep in mind that you are now going to weave a line between each of the floating weft lines that you have already put on the loom. Use a fork or your needle to push the floating line down in order to make a nice open space to weave through. I would suggest that you use the fork to push down the woven area before you weave each line. This makes the process of weaving much easier because you can more easily see what you are doing. Use the fork as a beater lets you even out the weave as you go along so that the rectangle looks more evenly woven when you take it off the loom.

7)  With this loom you will begin weaving each line on the opposite side from where the yarn loops around a side pin. You will also treat that loop around the side pin as another line of yarn, going under or over it to complete weaving the line. By doing this you will be going around the empty pins that were left when you were winding the yarn on those side pin.


8)  Complete the last line of weaving between the two bottom pins. This is the second most difficult line to weave because you will again have to carefully through each of the loops. You may need to weave through little by little, pulling the yarn through in one section before tackling the next few loops.


There have been times where I have found it impossible to properly weave through this last line. If that happens, you can simply take a whip stitch around the threads to lock them in place. This will serve the same purpose as weaving the line and will not be noticeable when you take the cloth off the loom.

9)  After completing the last line of weaving, weave the yarn back into the finished cloth.

10)  Depending on the yarn you are using, it can feel like a bit of a challenge to pull the cloth off of each pin. Take your time, this may be a place where the knitting tool is helpful.

11)  After taking the cloth off the loom, pull out the starting slip knot and use a small crochet hook or your tapestry needle to weave the starting thread back into the finished cloth. Clip the ends of these threads so that they are lost within the cloth.


Congratulations! You have woven a piece of cloth on the knitting loom. If the first piece looks a little wonky, don't worry, this is a skill that quickly grows. And pretty soon you'll have a bag, or a scarf, or a blanket!

3 comments:

  1. I find that weaving on the knitting loom’s very relaxing and fun, and most of all….we can create so many beautiful items🥰

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  3. The beginning of any project is the chain stitch. The chain stitch row becomes your foundation of the pattern. Now, tie a knot about one inch from the end of your yarn. Leave a loop that is big enough to pull the point of your crochet hook through easily. single crochet back loop only

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