Saturday, August 26, 2006

When Your Motivation Needs A Kick In the Butt


Every loomer, knitter and creative crafter hits the occasional slump. You've loomed everything you can think of to loom, and you just aren't feeling inspired anymore. Your kids don't need any more hats. Your favorite yarns, beads and brushes just aren't speaking to you. You have empty looms and paper, and for the life of you you can't get motivated to start something new.

If learning a new stitch or brushstroke doesn't excite you, maybe you need a new *cause* more than you need a new project. What about —

— Looming for a women's shelter? Hats, scarves, washcloths, soap bags, baby blankets — they would all be appreciated, especially as the weather starts to chill this fall.

— Looming for kids who need hats and scarves in a poor area of town? Or even in another country?

— How about preemie hats for a local hospital? 

— Does a local school or good cause need a fundraiser, and can you organize a "crafting for a cause" event? 

— Maybe the local retirement or elder community center would like someone to teach residents how to loom. Remember, a lot of them are on limited budgets, but they still have relatives they'd like to make gifts for for the holidays. Take a set of looms and some of your stash and volunteer to help out for an afternoon (or several!).

Just some thoughts!

[Pictured: DK weight 2-ply New Zealand wool hand-dyed in cornflower and jade tones.]

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

Herringbones and Checkerboards
and Other Loominosities


Okay, you can do a knit stitch (K), and you've finally mastered the purl stitch (P), so what's next? Once you have learned just these two basic stitches on a loom, you can vary the look of your knit pieces by simply changing the order in which you do these simple stitches.

A ribbed pattern comes to life if you stack your knits and purls on the same pins as you knit each row —

First Row: K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat to end of row
All Rows: K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat to end of row

A rather nifty little checkerboard pattern can be created on a round loom or a rake loom simply by alternating knits and purls like this —

Rows 1 to 5: K6, P6, K6, P6 .... repeat to end of row
Rows 6 to 10: P6, K6, P6, K6 .... repeat to end of row

[Note: use fewer Ks or Ps in each set for wide gauge looms, more Ks and Ps in each set for small gauge looms.]

Your checkerboard comes to life as you repeat these two alternating row patterns for the length of your piece. As always, swatch [Shhh! You didn't really hear me say the "S" word!] if the size of your pattern blocks is important to you.

You can also do a simple herringbone stitch by offsetting the pattern of your stitches to the right by one peg every two rows. As an example —

Rows 1 & 2: K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat to end of row
Rows 3 & 4: P1, *K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat from * to end of row
Rows 5 & 6: P2, *K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat from * to end of row
Rows 7 & 8: P3, *K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat from * to end of row
Rows 9 & 10: K1, *P3, K3, P3, K3 .... repeat from * to end of row
Rows 11 & 12: K2, *P3, K3, P3, K3 .... repeat from * to end of row
Rows 13 & 14: K3, P3, K3, P3 .... repeat to end of row

Well what do you know — only two different stitches and already you're halfway to looming patterned dishcloths!

[Pictured: Mixed Patons, Lion Brand and New Zealand wools hand-dyed in shades of cornflower, jade, raspberry and cherry.]