Project Planning Tutorial — Companion Squares and the Bigger Picture

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LET’S PRETEND…

Imagine that, unlike me, you want to make a project—sew squares together and arrive at something useful. Our imaginary project involves weaving “Companion Squares” that, when combined, contribute to a “Bigger Picture.” (The terms “Companion Squares” and “Bigger Picture” will be used throughout this article to describe the type of squares referred to—see photo caption.)

Example of a “Bigger Picture” made by combining “Companion Squares.” (Squares woven and photo by Bonnie Visser; used with permission. Pattern design by Suzanne Eakin.)

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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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