Pin Loom Containers

Here is a not very well guarded secret-- I haunt thrift shops. Well, I don't actually haunt them, I just spend an inordinate amount of time in them, keeping track of when each one is having a sale day, what days they are most likely to put out new stuff and etcetera. I like thrift shops because they display the best, or at least the most popular, items of the past four or five decades, not just of our own time.

So here is where the pin loom container comes in. Every thrift shop worth its salt will have a supply of Tupperware and other hardy plastic ware. If you have an older 4" pin loom, keep an eye out for a sandwich size box that can hold a 4" and a 2" loom.  If you have a variety of looms, keep looking, it is amazing what is available over time. I am particularly partial to the old style Tupperware. They make a pin loom truly portable while keeping it safe and snug. The red topped box to the right is a 6" by 6" Rubbermaid container.

 The box on the left is a really cool bread slice shaped container with attached lid-- no identification except a sticker on the back that says "MADE IN CHINA".

The wooden Loomette is in a FREEZETTE container, popular in the 70's. I think my parents' freezer was full of them.

Not all sturdy plastic containers have to be hunted down in thrift stores. The collection of looms on the right are nested in a Sterlite container, 10.5" x 6" x 2.5" with locking handles. This box came from Target, I've seen similar styles at all the big box stores and craft stores. The cost in the Minnesota region is $2.50 to 4.00.


 I like having room to stick in needles and scissors although if I am going to be on the road for a while, I usually take a separate bag of needles, scissors and other tools. 

I have been crowing about old Tupperware and these two are my favorites. The red box to the left is a 11" x 6.5" x 2", big enough for a bevy of pin looms plus all the necessary equipment. It is extremely sturdy and it cost just a quarter.

Going to thrift stores is all about the thrill of the hunt and I was delighted to find a secure container for my Zoom Loom. The loom comes in a really nice cardboard box but I like to keep my looms in something non-crushable. This loom is now housed in a gorgeous 7" x 7" Tupperware container that cost about a dollar.

Am I happy with these containers? Yes. Do they help to preserve and protect my pin looms? I believe so. Does it make a difference that I got them for a really good price? I am a bit embarrassed to say, "Yes, it thrills me no end!"


What are you using for pin loom containers? Please share your discoveries.  Thanks, Meg

Pin Loom Earplug Holder

This is exactly how the ear plugs
looked when they came out of the
bottom of my bag.

 I go to a fitness center where everyone wears earplugs. I also wear earplugs when I'm there because I am trying to fit in and because I can listen to the TV while I put in my one-quarter to one-half mile trudge on the treadmill.

Unlike many people, however, I do not wear my earplugs all the time. And that's a problem because when I go to get the earplugs, they look like this -------------------------------------------------->


Considering that a major focus in my life is looking for things to make with weavies, this immediately became a weaving challenge. Obviously I needed, in my husband's words, an ear plug cozy.

So this is what I made:

 
The Pin Loom Ear Plug Holder is made using a 2" x 6" weavie. If you don't have a 2" x 6" loom, you can make 3) 2" x 2" weavies and join them together in a circle to create the holder.

Place the earplugs on each side of the weavie "donut" and secure them by wrapping the wires around the outside, tucking the plug inside to keep it all in place. Not a lot of technology here, but it really works.

My plan is to make several ear plug holders for son, daughter, niece and nephew stocking stuffers on the assumption they have to take off their ear plugs eventually... don't they? 

This is the kind of tiny project that invites the use of small bits of particularly glorious yarn.

I used some variegated tweed that makes a good match with the ear plug wires.

I used a very simple looping stitch to join the two ends of the weavie.

Pin Loom Advent Calendar, part I

I didn't fill in all the numbers
but you get the idea.

Christmas brings forth my best intentions and designs, such as plans for a Pin Loom Advent Calendar that has been in the works for a number of years. I am getting closer. The green 4" x 4"squares for the banner and the 2" x 2" multicolored squares for little pockets for treats are all woven and waiting to be assembled. My original plan called for a simple grid, which is a perfectly acceptable way to put together the calendar, but seemed boooring.

Here is the newer plan, still in the formative stage. Proof that I'm basically a "nothing succeeds like excess" kind of gal.

This Advent Calendar calls for 25 green squares as well as 24 background squares in a variety of neutral colors. It measures approximately 20" wide by 30" high. In the real hanging the green squares will be a little more random. My plan for the numbers is to use short lengths of brightly colored nylon cord, attaching them with hot glue and then binding them in place with micro-filament thread.  The skinny yellow stars will be yarn embellishments. I am not sure how I am going to make the top star on the tree, I might change it out for a pin loom angel. 

Although it will be too late to use the Advent Calendar this year, I will continue to work on it. I hope to share pics of the actual weaving in  Pin Loom Advent Calendar, Part II.

From the little bit of experimenting that I have done so far on the real squares, it looks like I will need to make a number of changes to this plan including adding more ornaments to the tree and throughout the hanging. One idea that I hope to initiate with this project is making small ornaments out of felted weavies. After all, what better medium for felting than small woven squares? 

Wish me luck. Meg