Pinning Down 2021

The year 2021 was a year of many changes. I watched as my baby grew into a toddler and as my preschooler grew into a self-described “big kid.” I also watched as my work baby, Easy Weaving with Little Looms, grew from 1 or 2 special issues a year into a real-live quarterly magazine. To say I’m busier than I was in 2020 is an understatement, but I don’t think I’d have it any other way. As a result, though, one of the other hallmarks of 2021 is that it is the year I learned to fully embrace the pin loom.

Christina’s first big pin-loom project of 2021, a baby blanket for Baby E. Photo by Christina Garton

I have long been a pin-loom proponent, but it is only in the past year that it became my loom-of-choice. I found out it was perfect for fitting weaving into the spare moments in my life, as few and far between as they may be. The pin loom allowed me to easily take my weaving anywhere—I wove in mountain cabins, while watching my son’s gymnastics class, and during meetings. During those meetings, I found out an additional benefit of these small looms: Pin-loom weaving during meetings helped me to focus my always-too-busy ADHD brain.

Weaving on the pin-loom during meetings helped Christina focus more on what was being said and had the benefit of giving her a much-needed creative outlet. Photo by Christina Garton

Even large-scale projects are easy to start and stop so long as I keep track of how many squares I need and how many I have woven. As a result, this past year I wove a baby blanket for my now-toddler, two pumpkins for my big kid, and a koala lovey for a friend’s baby; I’m currently working on Deborah Bagley’s Market Vegetables from Little Looms 2018 for the boys’ play kitchen.

Deb Bagley’s Market Vegetables from Little Looms 2018 is Christina’s next big project. Photo by George Boe

After that—who knows! What I do know is I’m glad 2021 taught me to stop worrying and pick up my pin loom. In 2022 I’m going to challenge myself to some pick-up patterns, new joins, and (hopefully) some new loom shapes.

Happy Weaving!
Christina