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The new Mat Maker and Rug loom

The new rug looms seems to be stirring up a bit of interest, I love it myself. I wove another place-mat yesterday after noon on the deck while listening to the game. Did not take very long, either. I want this set for the patio table. I like this bright red knit but I got a blister from the scissors cutting these strips last time and I need more. I might get out the rotary cutter and see if I can use that this time. This is a bit heavier than your average Tee shirt fabric. I have done a few using Tee shirt which I cut with the rotary cutter. Still, it was worth the blister! I like the way they turned out.

I have a ton of ideas for this loom, I think I’ll be using it a lot.

An FO!

I finished my orange woven top at last! It’s a little loose,(which makes a nice change! lol) but fits pretty well, all in all. I am quite pleased with it. I’m not sure how long it took to make but since it was only one among many projects it don’t think it took too long.
It was all woven on the Multi looms. Mostly the 6″ square with some help from the two triangles.

The project

I am starting to assemble the back but this is the front so far. Some people wanted to see.

You can count the squares. I am making the back of plain squares and haven’t yet decided about the sleeves. I think they’ll be textured, maybe, but of one pattern. Maybe.

Bloom time

Here’s the old garden shed and as rickety as it is, it is still lovely surrounded by bloom. The white and purple plum trees and the yellow forsythia. Even the barely budded tree leaves add some color to the spring palette. You have to watch where you step these days, too as some springtime treasures are harder to spot. Check the header above!

We are starting to look to gardening season, I’ve planted some of the cole family in the new beds already and have warmer weather things waiting indoors.
Also still weaving on my orange top and making good progress. Should be able to post progress pictures here for that in a couple days.
And COMING SOON! a new Hazel Rose Loom for your enjoyment! Just a hint to keep you in suspense!

A project for a Green Spring.

A friend who was moving gave Randy one of those rainbow colored nylon wind socks and, looking at it, I thought, “Well now, Hazel, I think you can make one of those easy with your 12″ square loom!” and I was right. I only had a stock of the green grocery bags so it isn’t as colorful as you could make it with bright colored bags. I’m sure you have some of these saved. It took two bags to weave the square and part of another one to make the streamers.
Here’s a link on how to cut your bags into one long strip, no fooling around with loops.
How to cut your plarn in a long strip.

This gal is a lot more fussy about them than I was but you’ll get the idea. I also cut mine finer, about 3/4 to one inch wide as I wanted to keep it light. I had no trouble with it breaking. (You could also weave a few squares to use as place mats for your patio table while you’re at it.)
Once I cut my plarn, I just butterflied it and dropped it on the floor and wove from there. Weave your square. I used a bit of sock yarn to sew it into a tube, leaving a tail about a foot long which I then knotted to the opposite side of the tube. I used an overhand stitch and did not pull it tight so that I could pull the seam to lay flat. It is just stiff enough to hold it’s tube shape but if yours doesn’t you could use a bit of wire or stiff plastic around the mouth to hold it in a circle. I leave that up to you. I cut loops from another bag and used a larks head to tie them onto the bottom edge about every 4th loop. Then cut the loop to make two tails. That’s it. Hang it out and enjoy the gentle waving in the breeze.


New projects.

If I have anyone reading this blog, I have to apologize for letting it go so long. I didn’t realize it had been over two weeks since I posted! We’ve been busy with the kinds of things that happen in the spring. Those few days when it has not been raining are filled with outdoor chores and the rainy ones have been mostly in the shop or working on writing up weaving and knitting projects or… book work. 😦
But we do have one great project going. The new planter boxes around the deck! Randy has been working hard to get this done in time to start planting for this years garden. I have already planted peas and chard.

Here he is taking a well earned break. Good thing we have years of compost to use to fill them. But I am nearly though with a couple of projects, too, which I hope to be able to show you very soon.
Meantime, I hope your spring is becoming warm and sunny, too!

April!

It’s Really spring now! Warm, sunny, things starting to grow, birds carrying sticks, my birthday! The gal friends gave me a party, it was great fun to see everyone after being holed up all winter. We were all suffering from ‘cabin fever’.
And little Ellie Petunia’s mom brought me a picture of her sweet self wrapped in the blanket I made for her on the 6 inch Multi loom. It’s some nice Green Mountain Spinnery cotton and Mom says it gets softer all the time. Ellie is 6 months now and sat smiling and talking to us, such a good baby! I was happy to see the blanket in use, of course!

More of the same…Welcome to spring.

Well, I am weaving and making DVD’s and I’m sure I’m expected in the loom shop but the slush is falling out of the trees making it dangerous out there . And my shoes are wet just from stepping out to the wood shed. Not sure I want to venture further! Bah. That one in the center is my still blooming primroses. Poor things.

More weaving swatches


I’ve been working with this Coats & Clark Luster Sheen yarn. I like the way the yarn knits up but this colorway does not work with the pattern I wanted to use it for so I thought I’d give the looms a try. It really makes a difference on different looms. The square is the 4″ Multi woven diagonally and the other is the 4×6 Multi needle woven. Does not even look like the same yarn. This is a stash yarn, I guess I need to buy the new colorways for my project since these are not on their list anymore. I’ll have to test them out, too.
But I hope you are using your looms. I have a couple projects coming along. I’m not making great headway in this gloomy weather. Weaving time somehow seems to turn into nap time! lol;

March already?!

It has been a while since I posted here. Bad Hazel! but time does fly…well , not fly exactly. More like drag this time of year. I keep busy but not the kind of stuff to post about really. The sun was shining this morning and Himself invited me to go for a ride with Him and The Dog so I did. We went out and got a load of shale for the driveway. Well, he did. I took the camera. It was pleasant getting out of the house for a bit.
I’ve been walking with a neighbor, which also gets me out but the weather has been cold and wet, either rain or snow so while getting some exercise was not really a nice stroll, tho the company was enjoyable.
Still weaving squares for my two projects.
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