Choosing Yarn 1: Cotton (Beginner’s Corner)

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This is the first in a series on selecting yarn appropriate for use on Weave-It style pin looms (this includes Hazel Rose Multi, Weavette, Wunderwag, Zoom, and other similar looms).

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Who doesn’t love cotton? It can be super tough to use on a pin loom though.

Weavers need to realize there’s a thing called take-up. Each time you add a new weft row, the warp threads all have to bend the slightest amount around it—that’s take-up. If you’ve warped your loom tightly, there won’t be room for take-up, even if your yarn is stretchy. Cotton yarn is characteristically non-stretchy, and worsted weight 100% cotton is one of the more difficult yarns to use on the pin loom.

Woven with I Love This Cotton color 52 “Forest”

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BEGINNER’S CORNER (PIN LOOM BASICS) — LESSON 2

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Yarn Tails and Working in Ends

Those oh-so-pesky, oh-so-necessary yarn tails! What to do with them???

There are lots of options. This tutorial will show you how to work the beginning yarn tail into the square while you weave, and how to work in the final tail before or after you’ve taken the square off the loom. (See end of post for Additional Resources.)

Remember, you have the option to ignore the yarn tails for now. You can work them in later or use either or both of them for sewing the squares together. It’s common practice to work in the beginning tail and save the end tail for joining the squares. My current preference is to make both tails long enough for sewing the squares together (I leave a beginning tail of 1/2 to 3/4 length around the loom which is the same length I’ll end up with when I’m finished weaving.)

About 12 inches (30 cm) of yarn at beginning and ending corners (4″ loom) is plenty for joining purposes

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Beginner’s Corner (Pin Loom Basics) — Lesson 1

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To Knot or Not to Knot?

This is a tutorial on how to begin a square without tying a knot, how to read a chart and follow a pattern, and how to make BEAUTIFUL squares with even warp and weft distribution.

To begin, if you DO want to start your square by tying a reverse slip knot to secure the yarn to your loom, see this short video (there are obviously other parts in this six-part series, and you’re welcome to watch those as well. But be prepared to die of boredom because not only is there no plot . . . well, you’ll see).*

Tie a reverse slip knot and attach it to one of the four pins near Cr1; begin warping as usual.

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