Pin Loom Mouse Sachets, also known as a Catnip Mouse

Here we are in the midst of summer. The one thing we can count on this year is that gardens will grow and flowers will bloom.  So I am reprinting this mouse sachet pattern, thinking that this might be the perfect time to plan out a Lavender mouse or two as fun embellishments or little gifts. 

Introducing the perfect house freshener/ fun cat toy/ unforgettable bookmark or unique sachet to tuck away in a drawer or closet. Make your very own rose petal mouse, lavender mouse, catnip mouse or an "insert-your-favorite-flower-or-scent-here" mouse.

This is one of my earliest patterns. I have been making catnip mice, mouse sachets, and weird little mouse toys for many years because people love them and it is a fun and easy pattern, using one 4"x 4" square and two 2"x 2" squares. They are easy enough to make multiples for craft fairs or church fund raisers.

Consider adding extra value with embellishment such as black beads for eyes or embroidered flowers to give your mice a whole new look. I chose to leave off the stitching for the nose, I think it gives them a cleaner, more modern look.

Enjoy this old pattern and may your home be blessed with pin loom mice!

Mini Sweater Pin Loom Day 2019

Here it is, the finished collection of Pin Loom Mini Sweaters, from people across the globe. If you didn't have time to take part this year, plan ahead, there will be a Mini Sweater Pin Loom Day on December 19, 2020, too. I can't wait to see more fun and glorious mini sweaters!

You can see all the directions for making your own mini sweater below.

Florencia Campos Correa had a WONDERFUL idea which she was willing to share with me and I want to share with everyone I know... since pretty much everyone I know has at least one pin loom. So we are declaring December 19, 2019 to be MINI SWEATER Pin Loom Day, a day to celebrate all the possible pin loom mini sweaters that we can weave up. 

All of the directions for making and sharing your mini sweaters are below, courtesy of Florencia. You'll be sending a picture of each sweater to florencia.campos@ullvuna.cl to be added to the massive picture of all the mini sweaters to be published on December 19th. 

Florencia's sample sweaters are so neat that now I want to have a bunch of mini sweaters for my Christmas tree. I know that I am only going to get a few done this year, but if I keep it up, in the next few years my tree decorations may all be mini sweaters. 

Join in! Send in your ideas for a great pin loom mini sweater and we will all celebrate a very happy Mini Sweater Pin Loom Day this December 19th!

Pin Loom Mini Sweater Day deadline is December 17!

Have you sent your pin loom mini sweater picture to Florencia Campos Correa yet?

December 19, 2019 is MINI SWEATER Pin Loom Day, a day to celebrate all the possible pin loom mini sweaters that we can weave up.

Send a picture of your mini sweater to Florencia at florencia.campos@ullvuna.cl by December 17 to include it in the giant pin loom mini sweater picture.

See all the directions for making a mini sweater in the post just below this one. 

After I wove a mini sweater I decided that I had to create someone who could wear it. Introducing - Shama Llama!

Shama Llama is my new pin loom llama. She seems to have a life of her own and immediately upon being created told me that she intends to be a fashion model. I think she has a real flair for it. :)

Introducing Suzanne Eakin, pin loom weaver, crocheter, creator

The entire title of this post is "Introducing Suzanne Eakin, pin loom weaver, crocheter, creator with a special shout out to Noreen Crone-Findlay, the ultimate weaver and artist" but I didn't have room for it.

Suzanne has been making some incredibly creative little characters that could light up the day for many. I so appreciate that she agreed to share some of her creations with me.

These incredible little teddies are made with 2" and 4" squares using Noreen Crone-Findlay's teddy bear pattern that she demonstrates using a woven potholder square. Suzanne noted that she did add a line of single crochet to the ears to give them greater definition. You can see Noreen's original pattern here. Not only are the bears really cute, but I love the clothes (can you believe it... lederhosen!?) she has designed for them. 

Suzanne shared her take on my pin loom rabbit pattern. You can get a free copy of rabbit pattern, complete with carrot, here. Suzanne made a wonderful touch by adding black beads for the eyes, and I love her little crocheted leaf bed as well. 

Here's another use of black beads on a woven frog. Suzanne explained that she used much the same technique as with the rabbit, changing the shape a little and adding crocheted frog legs. But that's just the beginning.

Suzanne suggested more great items to get ready for Christmas. 

Confetti yarn!  Weave your own decorated tiny Christmas tree. Weaving with gold lame thread - just the touch for an angel's wings. (I once made angel's wings by weaving in microfilament, i.e., fishing line, and I do mean just once. It was the hardest thing I have ever woven and Suzanne's idea of using gold thread is way better. )

Angels and Christmas trees and the beginning of some exquisite presents. 

I think this one is my personal favorite. Crochet and pin loom weaving go together like peanut butter and jelly... or at least like peanut butter and bananas.  A round of applause for Suzanne! Thank you so much for sharing. 

A summer project for a winter blanket

I was cleaning out a storage area-- something I do every decade whether it needs it or not-- and found a number of old projects.

Some of these have been featured before, some not. They are all made with pin looms, two of them using square and triangle style looms. You'll notice that a couple of the blankets spotlight a house medallion. I have always liked old fashioned brownstones and was delighted to discover that I could recreate the look of brick by using three layers of mahogany yarn woven with one layer of tan.

This second blanket never quite took off. It was a little too small and after beginning a verse around the outside, I decided that I didn't like it enough to finish it, but didn't want to mess it up by removing the letters I had inserted. This is probably one of the better and more finished of my unfinished projects.

Anyhow, the point of this post is that if you have plans for a blanket for this winter, you need to consider starting NOW. 

Pin loom blankets are different than knit or crochet. They start as a bunch of small squares and rectangles, each woven independently.


This is the perfect time to start thinking about your own winter blanket. What about drafting out a simplified picture of your own favorite house as the focal point and adding a couple borders of your favorite colors?

Even if you don't want to sweat over house details in the middle of summer, you can weave up the border blocks while sitting in the back yard.

Or start by picking out some soft yarn that is going to keep you cozy this winter and weave a few squares while you're at the pool.

Wherever you start, you're going to end up with a great blanket this winter in seemingly no time because so much of it was accomplished over lazy summer days. 

  Hope you have a great 4th of July! 

Happy All Hallow's Eve & Día de Muertos

This is the time of year when many cultures celebrate our link with those who have gone before.

These pin loom dolls are intended to represent Day of the Dead figures. I posted them among the marigolds because this autumnal flower is closely associated with the celebration.

From what I have learned, the skeletal figures aren't supposed to be scary so much as to represent the spirit of a person.  The idea is that
the skeleton is what is left after the body has decayed. So the skeleton is used to represent the person's spirit or soul, in other words, that which remains after death.

Day of the Dead or Día de Muertos decorations often feature this representation of spirit celebrating all the different aspects of life. Check out this site for a variety of craft ideas for a Day of the Dead celebration.

If you have the book, Pin Loom Weaving, you may recognize the doll figures here updated with suit coats and skirts as well as skeletal heads. The (slightly fuzzy) bony hands and feet were accomplished by adding short pieces of chenille sticks to the ends of arms and legs. Don't these guys look like they're posing for an album cover?

The very best to everyone for Halloween, All Saint's Day, All Soul's Day and Dia de Muertos. 

Come join the conversation

...Lola Colleen Watson has built a meeting place for all of us.  

A number of weavers have mentioned that they wish they had somewhere to talk and share about pin loom weaving.  Lola Colleen Watson heard the call and has established the Pin Loom Weaving Support Group on Facebook.

      I was an avid knitter before I had a baby and found out about the zoom
      loom brand of pin loom from a knitting designer I follow on instagram. It's
      easier for me to sit and do one of these at a time rather than a whole
      knitting project. After my baby was born I also got really into woven wraps
      and am fascinated by this new world of fiber arts. I think pin looms are a
      great low cost way to get a taste for weaving.

If you have thoughts or questions that you would really like to share with another pin loomer, this is the place to go.  Tell Lola I said "hi" and thank her from me for taking the time to give us all a place to talk. 

Check out the Facebook Pin Loom Weaving Support Group 

Pin loom weaving in the round (with a dash of knitting)

One of the side effects of getting to correspond with other weavers due to the Woolery blog post is that I get to learn about some of the new forms or weaving appearing in the pin loom universe. Christine Thresh is a weaver, quilter, spinner, knitter and all around creative person who introduced me to her open ended pin loom approach.

Here is Christine's pin loom surface, pins secured to a backing in order to make the exact size and shape she is looking for. And the Mochi Rainbow yarn is incredible.

The next step is what blows me away. Christine simply takes up the looped selvage and transfers it to her circular knitting needles. Now she can finish the item, in this case a beret, and the weaving becomes immediately wearable.

Below is another example of finishing techniques with a woven knitted beret, dampening the weaving and stretching/blocking with a dinner plate.  This also shows off the clever transition from weaving to knitting. Christine pointed out that transitioning to crochet (for people like me who don't know how to knit and are too stubborn to learn) would work very well, too.

This is just an admiring glance at Christine Thresh's weaving techniques. To learn more, check out her website, Winnowings and look for the free downloadable PDF on pin loom weaving in the round.

While you are there, please take a look at the book behind her incredible techniques, Knitter's Weaving Book.

Christine describes, "For those of you who love running fibers through your fingers -- knitters and spinners -- this book gives you a simple way to expand your pleasure. Weaving on a light-weight, portable loom-board fits right in with your tactile delights. You can combine your woven pieces with your knitting. Imagine a stretchy soft cuff knitted right on to your woven jacket sleeve, or a woven vest with a knitted back."

Thank you Christine, for sharing yet another approach to pin loom weaving.

Constructing a pin loom - definitely not perfect but maybe good enough

I love my pin looms and I have a BIG collection of them. I am convinced that I need to have at least two of every size loom that I commonly use. I have a bunch of 4" x 4" looms and will often wind three or four at a time before weaving. I use looms made by all the current and past pin loom makers and I love them. I am mentioning all this in order to demonstrate that I am a really big fan of good, well made looms. You can get a perspective on good pin looms here.

But in the midst of my loom fandom, it is easy for me to forget that any loom you can weave on will work. In other words, let's not forget that a cobbled together pin loom can be just as rewarding, weaving-wise, as something much shinier.

I am sharing pictures of this poorly made loom
in order to make a point. And I am also embarrassed to be
sharing it with everyone because it looks awful.

And if we want an example of a non-shiny loom, this one will definitely take the prize. I recently decided that I needed a 3" (7.6 cm) x 3" loom. I only needed it for one project, so it probably would only be used a few times and I wanted it now.  So I pulled out my 4" (10.2 cm) x 4"  Loomette Loom and copied off the pin placement on to a 3½" (8.9 cm) x 4½" (11.4 cm)  piece of half inch (1.3 cm ) plywood, removing an inch from each side of the layout since I wanted this loom to be 3" (7.6 cm) x 3". I used 1¼" (3.2 cm) wire brads for the pins, pounding one in at each marking. Here's how it looks. 





I did a terrible job, at least half the pins are bent and that doesn't include the dozen or so brads that were so badly bent over that I had to pull them out and try again. (I didn't take a picture of the reject brads, it was too humiliating.)  And yet the loom still worked reasonably well.


Since I followed the pin placement on the Loomette, which weaves up exactly the same as the Zoom Loom and Weave-it, I could be sure that it would match the sett on the other pieces I was weaving. Because the Loomette has equal spacing between its pins, it offers a little bit more space for the weaving needle. 

Completed square on a very poorly made loom.

The next two pictures show the finished 3" square on and off the loom. You can see that one side is pulled out by the poorly placed pins. However, it didn't make any difference in the completed item because none of the edges will show.

So in return for a very small financial investment, a little time, one hammer blow to a finger and the continued embarrassment of sharing this ugly loom with you, I have a brand new, workable loom. It was totally worth it.

A few more words about the loom. You may notice that it has a rounded out opening in it. This loom was small enough that I could have woven with it without that opening but it is always easier to weave if you are able to get at the yarn from the underside.

At my request, my husband drilled four 1" holes in the wood. I took a coping saw and sawed between the holes to open it up. I sanded all the surfaces so that it was comfortable to work with.  You may also notice that the shape of the wood base does not match the pin pattern. This is because I found the wood in the scrap pile and just started pounding away on it. It turns out that having an even edge around the pins is another of those attractive features that is not entirely necessary.

Another important word about this loom. This is not the method for building a pin loom that is detailed in the Pin Loom Weaving book. If you follow the directions in the book, you will get a reasonably attractive and very usable loom.  The point of this article is that there are a lot of ways to make a pin loom and if you are able to weave the piece of cloth as you intended, you have been successful.

I have a feeling that there are many people who would disagree, feeling that the quality of the tools is as important as the product. And I agree with them most of the time. A great loom should support great weaving. I just don't want the need for a great loom to impede weaving.

The perfect way to end this post would be to be able to show some of the exquisite looms made by hand that people are weaving on. I don't have any pictures of those excellent looms, but I know they are out there. My woodworking skills, as seen above, encourage me to rely on my husband and other good loom makers.

The Whole Pin Loom Enchilada

Here is a quick update on the soon-to-be-published book. Check out the new page right next to the Home page - Pin Loom Weaving; The Book for a look at all the items in the book. I hope that everyone finds a few things that appeal to them.  There isn't much copy attached to the pictures at this point but if you have any questions or comments, please leave them, other people may have the same questions so you can help yourself and someone else.

Also, if you have not signed up yet, keep in mind that the first drawing for Pin Loom Weaving and a pin loom will be held May 31. There will also be a giveaway of book and loom on June 30 and July 31. I will announce at least the first name of the winner, or whatever information that person is comfortable with. Keep in mind that I do not share any email information with anyone except to send out the notes you have received.

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 Yarn Bags

There is no rule, as far as I know, that says that all yarn bags must look like something that your Great Aunt Harriet or that scary old lady in the Wizard of Oz would make, but that seems to be the prevailing idea. The upside is that yarn bags are so old fashioned and usable that they never really go out of style.

I think that we are on the verge of a great Yarn Bag Renaissance- at least I hope so. After all, there is an enormous amount of fabulous yarn around these days, we need a few good yarn bags to carry it.

I will modestly confess that I have a pattern for a truly marvelous yarn bag in my book Pin Loom Weaving, now available for purchase. Pictures of all the Pin Loom Weaving items can be found under the page heading, Pin Loom Weaving; The Book.

Here are some other great yarn bags including this vintage bag highlighted on Eloomination.  You can find the pattern for this classic bag at the Eloomination site: http://www.eloomanation.com/gallery/vintage.php

This next bag is crochet but wouldn't it would look great woven with a pin loom? The pattern is available at: http://archive.berroco.com/exclusives/bramble_bag/bramble_bag_lg.html 

My first yarn bag was the product of falling out of love with an earlier project and having a bunch of weavies already made into right triangles. This bag strikes me as the epitome of ugly but useful. It is nice and heavy and will handle all sorts of weaving items. See a simple pattern below. I left out the part about turning the weavies into triangular pieces first, that seems a lot of work for no purpose, but I have posted notes on how to make dual colored weavies to recreate that effect.

Rosebud - pattern for a pin loom blanket

This is a blanket made using 2" x 2", 4" x 4", 2" x 4" and 4" x 6" pin looms. It measures 50" x 60" (126 cm x 152 cm). My intention was to capture the flavor of an Amish quilt, with the joins between the individual weavies substituting for the quilting. It is called "Rosebud" because that was the idea for the stylized flower in the corner of each piece.

As with any quilt pattern, the variety of pieces in each block opens the possibility of tremendous variability in the final design. Personally, I like the simplicity of using a dominant color for most of the weavies, letting the bit of color in one corner stand out.

My concern in using one dominant color for the blanket was that it would feel flat, that it wouldn't have enough texture. I decided to add texture by deliberately buying a few skeins of navy yarn at a time, ensuring that the colors of the blocks would vary and that I could afford to buy the yarn.

The blocks were primarily made separately. I would weave enough weavies for one or two blocks, then join them and add a crocheted edging to each. That way I could put them away until I had the 30 needed for the blanket.



One feature that I consider an advantage to using pin looms is that it is not as important to match colors in an exquisite manner. Many people have had the experience of finding that the yarn they want to use comes from two dye lots, almost but not quite a match. With pin looms it is possible to separate those different dye lots in a pattern so that the difference is indiscernible. Or you can feature the differences.


The Rosebud blanket was assembled by using a single crochet edge on each weavie, then whipstitching the weavies together. That has been one of my favorite approaches to joining items because I feel that the edging matches the weight of the pin loom fabric. But as you can see with Rick Fahrenbruch's work, there is no need to edge the individual pieces in order to get a finished look. I am going to write at least one article on various approaches to joining weavies together for this blog, as well as have a bunch of information on approaches to joining in Pin Loom Weaving.

Pin Loom Polar Bears

Bear Number 1

The perfect animals to celebrate the polar vortex, another recent visitor to Minnesota.  I have added a second bear below with better bear paws.


Ideas for animals continue to gallop ahead. Last night saw the birth of this polar bear. This is definitely a pattern that will need some modification. I really like that it has a bear-like head. I checked out some pictures of polar bears, which helped me know to set the ears back far enough. I really love the dark pads on the feet.

You may notice that the bear seems to be standing on its toes, which was not intentional. I believe that this is a function of using too much stuffing and weaving it in too stiff a yarn. The bear was woven in an acrylic, worsted weight off-white yarn. I will need to try weaving it in perhaps a combination of baby-weight yarn with a light chenille yarn. The chenille would offer softness and give to the fabric, the baby weight would make the fabric much lighter, therefor even more give.

Bear Number 2 with improved paws

 I have added a second bear, made out of the same yarn as the first because I wove enough material for both bears at the same time. The only change that I made was pinching in above the paw area at the front of each leg. There may need to be further modifications and I think that softer yarn will also help, but its not too bad.

Bear Number 2 on left, Bear Number 1 on right.

How the bear was made

The bear body is made from two 4" x 6" weavies that were fastened together (I use single crochet and slip stitch) to form an oval. Leave an opening at the neck to turn it inside out and stuff.  The face is a 2" x 2" that has had two small darts taken in it to make a cone. This is attached to a 2" x 6" weavie that has been curled around and stitched together to form the neck. The legs are each a 2" x 4" weavie on the outer side and a 2" x 2" weavie on the inner side. These are joined together using single crochet and slip stitch to make the paws, turned inside out and stuffed.  The dark toe pads, nose and eyes are added on. The ears are a loop of crochet, ch3, sc2, sc1 in loop.

I t is going to take quite a while for me to write down all the steps and put together good diagrams. At this point I figure that I should listen to the creative urge that is making all these neat animals and fill in the details later. 

Yarn used for Bears 1 and 2.