Make Like a (Pin Loom) Turtle

 I have had a LOT of adventures since last posting to this website, and have feel pretty guilty about not sharing with everyone. This is a turtle designed by myself and my daughter, Taylor, as a present to a young lady in order to gift her with a pet turtle that didn't come with a lot of housekeeping duties or salmonella. 

You might notice that this turtle has felted hearts all over its shell-- another upside of a woven animal. 

My favorite aspect of this particular woven turtle is that it can actually pull its head and legs into the shell (with some help from pokey fingers).  

The top turtle shell was woven from two 4" x 6" rectangles that were overlapped to create a dome. The corners of the rectangles were turned under. The head was made with two 2" x 4" rectangles, stuffed. The feet and legs were each made with one 2" x 4" rectangle with the sides turned under to make an approximate 1" x 4" limb. The feet had a little bit of stuffing added to them. I added a darker color yarn on the edge of the feet to look like claws. 

I made room for the retractable head and legs by weaving a 4" x 4" and using it to capture all the stuffing for the shell. That left an open section below where the head and legs are fastened. They can either stick out or be pulled in. I was really surprised at how well it worked. 

Here is one more shot of our intrepid turtle... not actually in her natural environment... since her natural environment is really my yarn room. 

And like this turtle I am going to try to spend more time out of my shell, exploring the world and sharing with others. 

Talk to you soon. Meg Stump

This Valentine's Day send a Valentine Elephant

This elephant started out intended as a "Good Luck" Elephant. As I was finishing it I realized that we are only about two weeks from February 14 and, while you might choose to change the pattern on his sides to something that features hearts or flowers, this lovely little elephant would make a really special Valentine's gift.  

Of course, you could make it even more special by threading a diamond ring on his trunk-- that would really be unforgettable. No, I take that back. That might just come off as pretentious and overbearing. Just go with the elephant, it is heart warming and sincere. And have a wonderful (possibly socially distanced) Valentine's Day. 

This pin loom elephant pattern is featured in the book Adorable Beasts along with 29 of his best pin loom friends. 

Once you have woven your pin loom elephant (or other preferred valentine object) you can decorate it with any design.  The designs on the left are a few that might work for you. 

 

Pin Loom Panda, a new beast for a New Year

It's a new year and like a lot of people, I want to do everything I can to make it better than the last one. So this seems like a great time to introduce a new "adorable beast". The panda is not in the Adorable Beasts book although the bear is-- you can see the difference between them in the picture at the bottom of this post. 

This means that with a few alterations from the original bear pattern found in Adorable Beasts, and with a change of colors of course, you can delight your world with a special panda mascot, or a whole panda family. 

To make a panda you will need the original bear pattern found in the Adorable Beasts book.  (Just look slightly to the right of this post and you will see all the particulars on the book.)  The difference between the Adorable Beasts' bear and the panda is the size of the head and neck. In order to look like a respectable panda, the head must be a larger size than you will see in the original pin loom bear.                 

Follow the directions for the Adorable Beast's bear making these changes--

1. Instead of using 4" x 6" rectangles for the body, make the body using two black 2" x 4" pieces for the front of the body and two white 4" x 4" pieces for the back of the body. 

2. Make the legs just as directed in the book using black yarn. 

3. Make the neck 7" around. 

4. Make the face by using a 3" x 3" square, or use a 4" square--tucking the extra cloth to the inside. 

5. Make the ears in black and add extra large black spots for the eyes. I also made the black nose bigger and more pronounced on the panda.  

These changes in the bear's dimensions seem relatively minor, but they are enough to produce a pretty darn good panda. Enjoy! 

If you have any questions about this process, feel free to get in touch. My email is located in the right hand column at the bottom. You just need to take the spaces out. I would love to hear from you. 

Margaret (Meg) Stump

Home is where your pin loom honey bear is

I have been spending a lot of time at home and that circumstance, along with a certain amount of simmering anxiety over what is happening in the world has turned my mind toward the comfort of making pin loom bears. I talked to my daughter about what I might name them and she reminded me of the motto, "Home is where your honey is." Since this is a time when there is a great need to be at home and to be comforted, these are Honey Bears.

The first bear was the girl. If you look closely you will see that her shrug is woven with the same Windowpane lace pattern (and the same cotton yarn) as the cell phone holder.

Making the bears gave me the opportunity to try out a couple new looms. I now have a 1" loom and a 3" loom from Wunderwag Industries. I admit to originally assuming that a 1" loom would have no real purpose, but it turns out that all pin looms are really fun and functional to use.

Once I completed one bear I realized an immediate need for a second bear (that happens a lot to me). Making the bears is particularly easy if you have some very basic crochet skills because then you can use single crochet to "sew" the pieces together, which takes less time and makes a very strong join.

After making the first two, I was reminded (by the dominant news items of each day) of the ongoing challenges being faced by our medical people and it just seemed right to make a Honey Med-Bear, too. 

If you are looking for some comfort in your life you are welcome to try a Honey Bear. There are complete patterns for the Honey Bears at the Pin Loom Weaving Shop.

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You do not have to have every possible loom in order to make this pattern but you will need at least a 2" and a 4" pin. loom. If you have any questions or comments you can leave them below-- in the comment section or you can get in touch with me. My email is at the bottom of the right hand column, you just have to eliminate the spaces to make it a regular email address. 

Be well. Be safe. Happy Weaving!

Free Pin Loom Rabbit Pattern

It is getting close to Easter, which may feel pretty subdued this year. What better time to make up a few small companions for your Easter basket? This is a free pattern available in the Pin Loom Pattern Shop.

This pattern uses one square to make rabbit ears, head and body. This rabbit is made with one 4 x 4" square for the body plus several 2 x 2" squares for the front and back feet. The rabbit pattern includes a fun, easy pattern for a little carrot to go with the little rabbit. Click HERE or click on the Pin Loom Pattern Shop page to download the free PDF instruction sheet for rabbit and carrot.

Pin Loom Flat Rat the ultimate weaving companion

Do you ever feel that your house is just too clean and tidy? ...or that you need company when you're reading? Here is the ultimate pin loom companion, the Flat Rat. Whether as flattened friend or bookmark, the Flat Rat lends an air of dissipated companionship to any environment.

 A friend pointed out a knitting pattern for a Flat Rat and it struck me that it would be even better in pin loom squares.

Think of all the uses! Not only do you have an exceptional bookmark, it makes a great coaster, giving a certain fuzzy touch to your morning coffee. Add a second Flat Rat as a tiny cup cozy and you have instant companionship- with your little friend peering up at you each time you take a sip.

And if you have kids at home, what better than a unique accessory for the play house, a Flat Rat rug.

The Pin Loom Flat Rat is super easy to make. 

1)  Weave one 4"x 4" and one 2" x 2" square in your choice of rat color.

2)  Turn the 2" x 2" in a cone, first turning in the corner so that the nose isn't TOO sharp and stitch along the edge. The triangle shape of extra cloth is laid on top of the 4"x 4" square and stitched in place. Add stuffing to the head and stitch the underside of the cone in place along the edge of the 4" x 4".

3)  Pinch in the corners of the 4" x 4" for about 1/2 inch and stitch closed to produce the little squashed feet. Add three pieces of 3/8" length of black yarn sticking out of each foot for rat claws.

4)  Crochet the ear, I used a 4.0mm hook, ch4, hdc1, skip, hdc1. Do this twice, once for each ear. This will give you little round ears with two pieces of yarn coming off of the bottom. Run the yarn into the head to place the ears. You can just ties these two yarn ends together to keep the ear in place.

5)  I used small glass beads for the eyes or you could take a few small stitches in black yarn to make the eyes.

6)  Add pink yarn for the nose. I used about three or four satin stitches up over the front of the nose.

7)  Crochet the tail, which should be the same length as the head and body, about 5". Make a chain with two pieces of yarn, the rat color and pink, stitch the tail to the back of the rat. The pink and rat color make a nice color mix for the tail.

8)  Add black whiskers by running light black yarn or light cotton yarn through the rat muzzle.

9)  As you can see in the picture below, I added rat bellies to a couple of the rats. This isn't absolutely necessary but can be a fun touch. Use a 2" x 2" in a light color, turn in the corners to make the belly somewhat oval and stitch to the underside of the rat using the body color for stitching. Don't forget to add a bellybutton by taking a couple tiny stitches in the rat body color.

So that's it. A fun project that includes assistance in keeping your place in your book while offering you beady-eyed companionship during these physically distancing times.  
Be well and happy weaving. 

Happy Christmas Elephant To All

This can be a crazy busy season with lots of demands from family and work. If you're feeling overwhelmed, consider turning away from all those ridiculous demands for a bit and inviting in your very own Christmas Elephant.

The elephant and the rabbit patterns can be found in Adorable Beasts; 30 pin loom animals and 4 playscapes, I added a Santa hat for the season.

I hope everyone is having a fun, exciting season... or at least taking a little time for themselves in order to cope.

A prodigal weaver returns

I have been out of the loop for months and I am really embarrassed by my ghosting behavior. I have been crazy busy writing a new book detailing the pin loom woven animals. I can never remember when I start these projects that, for me at least, writing about weaving is like 900% harder than actually doing the weaving.

By the way, please don't be concerned about the lack of specifics on the book at this point, you will hear lots more, more than you likely would ever want to know, about the pin loom animals book in the near future.

I also recently returned from Convergence, held in Reno this year. Convergence is the Handweaver's Guild of America (HGA) biannual get-together and if you haven't attended one yet, it is a definite bucket list item for anyone interested in any kind of fiber work. I was able to introduce the pin loom animals to a wider audience at their Leader's Gallery Show and taught two pin loom weaving classes, Introduction to Pin Loom Weaving and Weaving a Spirit Horse, which were both amazing fun.

Some of the pin loom animals by Margaret Stump on display at HGA Convergence at Reno, 2018.

Speaking of classes, I taught the class, Weaving a Spirit Horse, in by far the fanciest suite that I have ever set foot in.

You see the picture to the right? That was just the downstairs reception area...complete with tables, bar and incredible view! The class was held upstairs in another lovely room with bar (I didn't actually get to use the bar), restrooms and multiple bedrooms, (didn't use those, either). Unfortunately, I was so excited about setting up the classroom for the day long Spirit Horse class that I didn't stop and take pictures. ...As you may have guessed, I am a little, or maybe a lot, I'm not telling, older than the selfie-aware generation.

Spirit Horse Workshop, Margaret Stump

So, you will be hearing about more pin loom weaving info as well as getting updates about enthusiastic pin loom weavers, like Suzanne Eakin, very soon.

Weave a Sheep Pin

Looking for a simple woven gift or badge? This is a great little sheep pin that is made using two 2" x 2" squares sewn together with a little batting and a pin back.  I can't wait to make a bunch of them!

If I need a small gift its going to be perfect. If I have a big gift to decorate, this little pin will make a great embellishment. And if I need a pin loom related item for multiple goody bags, this little Lamb Pin hits all the marks.

Choose your favorite fleecy looking yarn, add head and feet in satin stitch.

What better way to introduce pin loom weaving--it's ease, it's usefulness, than by sharing an easy to make and unique gift.

This is a simple 2" pin for scarf or embellishment. Its made with two  2" x 2" squares, a couple of very small squares (about 1 1/2" x 1 1/2") of quilt batting or other soft cloth like fleece to add some body, plus a pin back.

The sample shown here uses a 1 1/2" pin back. The body of the pin back is buried between the two layers and sewn to the back layer. All that shows is the pin and clasp.

New Pin Loom Weaving book is on the way

When I finished writing Pin Loom Weaving; 40 Projects for Tiny Hand Looms, I turned to my husband and friends and said, "That's it, never again." After all, I had just written down pretty much everything I knew about pin looms and I found out that writing a book is more difficult and way less fun than weaving.

Two things happened shortly after I made that statement,
1) I had a bunch of ideas about how to make pin loom animals and
2) I began to think about a cool new ways to weave. So for the past year I have been working on two plans. Regarding the animal patterns, you should soon be seeing more pin loom animal patterns online- starting with the free rabbit pattern.  And I have been writing a book with lots of new pin loom patterns using a variety of approaches to pin loom weaving. FYI, it turns out that writing a book the second time is just as difficult and frustrating as the first time.

You can be sure that I will proudly let everyone know when the new pin loom weaving book date gets closer. Right now it looks like it will be available in March, 2017. In the meantime I wanted to give you a look at some of the ideas that have gone into the book.

Pin Loom Weaving on a Potholder Loom

I have always wondered if it wouldn't be possible to pin loom weave on a potholder loom, considering that the potholder loom also has pins all the way around. But I was never happy with having to use loops and finish it off with a crochet type edge. So there are a series of patterns in the new book that are woven, with a finished selvage, on a potholder loom.

The effect is more open and loose than using a 4" loom like the Zoom Loom. The potholder loom works very nicely for scarves and shawls. It also makes it possible to weave large pin loom squares with much heavier yarns. The scarf below is woven from Isaac Mizrahi super bulky yarn, which makes it a colorful choice for Minnesota winter wear.

So keep an eye out for more animal patterns, its taking a while but they will be available soon, and I will be posting more information on the new pin loom weaving book as the publication date gets closer.

Classes at Convergence

This is the year of Convergence, happening this summer from July 30 to August 6, 2016, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I am going to be teaching three courses on pin loom weaving! Yes, I am very excited.

I am doing an introductory course for people who have not woven on pin looms at all. I am doing two courses for pin loom fans that will be all about weaving and constructing objects that can be completed during the class: sheep, owls, and cats.  Check out all the details on the Pin Loom Classes page. 

Click this link for the main Convergence page to go to the official website for registration. Because Convergence only happens every two years, class openings can go fast, so check it out. 

We will be weaving an Owl and Pussycat with plans for a Pea-Green Boat.

You can weave a pasture full of sheep. You can weave a sample sheep for each sample fleece!

Minnesota Pin Loom Workshop

This is a quick shout out to weavers in the Minnesota area. I am going to be doing a day long workshop in Mankato, MN (my home town) moving through the whole pin loom process, from beginning pin loom weaving through making a woven, stuffed dog and weaving and joining a 4"x 4" Pooch Pouch.

I have several people signed up who are already experienced pin loom weavers. If you have some experience that will give you more time to experiment and complete projects. There is already a request in for making both dogs and cats, which we can do. This would be a great opportunity to share your pin loom passion with a friend or family member.

For more information about this workshop, see the Pooch and Pouch information at Mary Lou's Yarn and Ewe website.    If you have any questions, feel free to contact me at pinloomweaving at gmail.com.

There will be more news coming soon on regional workshops for pin loom weaving as well as information on workshops now scheduled at Convergence, Milwaukee, July 31 through August 6. 

Greetings of the Season

From our house to yours- 

Merry Christmas, Season's Greetings, have a very Happy New Year!

It looks like 2016 is shaping up to be a year of teaching and sharing pin loom patterns and techniques... as well as having fun with new giveaways. I will be posting a number of locations where  I will be teaching-- including teaching at Convergence!!! More news on that soon. In the meantime, have a wonderful Christmas and a very happy New Year.

Merry Christ-moose and Happy Llama-ka

Please forgive my lame puns which are simply intended to send greetings of peace and joy of the season to everyone.

Moose and Llama are my two most recent animals. Although it is a little early for resolutions, I am making a resolution for 2016 to write out the directions for each of the 40+ animals that I've made and begin to put them in sets so that they can  be available online. Actually, the patterns and directions for the domestic animals are already available in my book, Pin Loom Weaving. This is a promise to make the rest of the animals available.

In order that (some of) the other animals don't feel left out, here is our greetings for the holiday: