In another life I must have been a man, because I hate to stop and ask for directions… (I’m never lost, I always know where I am… in my car!) and I insist on trying to figure things out for myself before I turn to instructions. So, the other day, when I put our new loom together, I decided to dig right in. Sure, next week there will be a stack of weaving books on my nightstand, but for right now, I just want to touch and feel and experiment. Later, I’ll learn technique and truly appreciate the advice of experienced weavers. But right now… it’s all about sensations.
We bought a simple table top loom… very suitable for children. I can’t use any technical terms yet, because I don’t know them, but suffice to say, Michelle and I successfully strung the loom (see what I mean… I have no idea of what the correct terminology is) and set to weaving. I am sure we are doing many things wrong… like, do you start the weaving right at the bottom, or do you leave space? And what is the best way to stop and start new fibers? There will be time to answer all those questions. For the time being, this is about process, not product.
The kids weren’t very interested in the loom construction. The girls were off playing with their spoon dolls, and Bug was somewhere saving the world. So, I sat down and started weaving. I brought down a stash of weaving yarn I had received by mistake many, many years ago (I have a blog written about THAT already) but after making several passes back and forth, and squinting to check my work, Michelle disappeared. She returned with a large ball of extra chunky yarn. "Here", she said, "try this."
WOW! With a few more passes I felt like I was on my way. Okay… so I’m often about immediate gratification and this chunky yarn gave me a feeling of accomplishment. Thank you, Michelle! About this time, Fairy and Pixie came into the room with their entourage of spoon dolls. Fairy watched me make a couple passes, them promptly climbed on my lap and wanted to give it a go! She immediately fell in love with weaving! Her fingers worked the threads adeptly… maybe more so than mine… and she only needed to be shown something once before she incorporated it into her technique! So, for the next hour we wove, gammy and granddaughter, guiding each other’s hands and equally delighting in the beauty of the creation that was unfolding before us.
I can guarantee you that you will be hearing much about weaving over the next couple of months. We will show you how to make a couple of quick, inexpensive looms that will get you and your children started weaving. And, as we learn, we will share our triumphs and our tribulations. I’m excited!
Great loom!!! What a fun new project! Where did you buy it?
Here is the site for the manufacturer, Schacht Spindle. They have list of the sites that sell them by state. It is a called a Class Loom… meant for schools. I love the size. It is easy on your back when it is on the table. It also folds flat for storage. The only thing I don’t like is it tended to traveled around the table if I wasn’t holding it for Fairy. Tim said he could add some rubber feet that will stop that.
I just set up a new link for this loom. You can purchase the Loom through Blick Art… a new affliate of ours.
I just learned about your site from Waldorf kindergarden newsgroup. I can’t believe I’ve never been here before. There is so much great stuff here it is going to take me several nights to get through! I’ve wanted to weave my entire life and never have. The looms I always looked at were so expensive. It never occurred to me to start small! I will be anxious to see where you and the kids go with this. I love your blog. Count me in as a regular.
Bought my little boy a lap loom for christmas and he loves it. It gives his little hands something to do when I read to him.
I haven’t bought any weaving yarn. Wouldn’t know what to look for. I let the kid pick out the yarn since it’s for his project anyhow.
I can’t wait to see your diy version of the loom! My little neighbor girl got one over the weekend and I’m jealous!!! She’s 7 and I’m jealous! hehe – it would be fun for my son and I to weave with her!
Great loom, that you can all enjoy.
I found one in a thrift, nice wooden one, so one of these days, I will have to try mine out.
Debbie
I have one in a box that was my grandmother’s. I’m afraid to get it out because I have no idea what to do with it! I should get brave one day and just dig in.
We did weaving in art class when I was in 5th grade. I absolutely loved it. I remember getting in trouble because I wanted to do it all of the time and not move on to stuff that I wasn’t so good at, like drawing. I made an absolutely beautiful sunset mini-rug. I wish I knew where it was, and I wish I remembered how to do that type of weaving, where it’s not solid, but is a picture.
I’m looking forward to experimenting, too. I’ve begun gather a stack of weaving books together… things I’ve collected over the years, moving them to my nightstand, as mentioned above! Next week we’ll have a pattern up for a simple loom, and you should just have a go at it again! I’m sure much of what you learned will start coming back to you when you get the fibers in your hands!