Busy Schedules and Pin-looms

I’m writing this one full week before Easter and so far the bunny I wrote about weaving on the pin-loom is a work in progress. I’ve spent many happy hours weaving pin-loom squares and should easily have the rabbit finished by Easter.

When I first started this project, I hoped it would be easy to fit in and around my busy life. As much as I’ve love to get my floor loom warped, finding a few hours in a row to do so isn’t always possible. Even if we try to plan it into the schedule on a weekend it seems that emergencies always happen those days and once again the loom is neglected. Not so with the pin loom!

So far I’ve woven about twenty pin loom squares for my bunny, all happened in fits and spurts in the evenings when I’ve had twenty minutes to an hour to sit on the couch and weave. There’s no treadling to follow or remember so I can actually split my focus. As much as I miss my floor loom, I love not having to choose between weaving and having a conversation with my husband—it’s wonderful!

Did you know that toddler forks are perfect for combing threads back into place on the pin loom? Plus you can’t beat the bright colors.

I also appreciate how easy it is to find the yarn I need for my project. I don’t have a yarn shop nearby that carries my favorite weaving yarns so any time I need a cone of 8/2 cotton in a new color I have to special order it and wait.

This project and all the projects in Zoo Crew use a much easier-to-source acrylic knitting yarn—the kind you can find by the dozens in any yarn or craft store. Why acrylic? Well, it has the perfect amount of elasticity for the pin loom and it’s easy to wash, something vitally important with anything that will spend any time within three feet of a toddler.

As an added bonus, because I could go to a store and browse through shelves of yarn I was able to find a shade tan yarn with little speckles of black, brown, and gray so I can weave my bunny to look like the wild rabbits that run through our local park.

Is my pin loom a replacement for my floor loom? Absolutely not! I love my floor loom and still dream of weaving towels on it once again, but in the meantime I love my pin loom and the ease of it all. It’s just one more way to work weaving into my life. In fact, once I have the time and opportunity to get my big looms warped again, I don’t think I’ll put this little loom away. I am having far too much fun.

Happy Weaving!
Christina