Also known as a bandvev. These hand-carved Norwegian looms were used to weave narrow bands. Often carved by a suitor and given to a young woman, it was a useful and decorative object. I found this one at an antique store, first assuming it was a replica. It’s a bit too fragile to use, but it’s neat, isn’t it?
Photos of other band looms from a Norwegian digital museum.
A blogger who weaves bands on a grindvev.
My two new favorite websites/blogs, one for information, the other for inspiration:
Handweaving: Digital archives for handweaving history. Just look at the goodies found when the keywords rigid heddle and two harness weaving are used. PDFs and free… It's great!
El Telar de Anita: A blog so full of fantastic woven items, it's hard to know where to start. I'm studying ponchos for inspiration, and this cape has got me thinking…
I wove a narrow sample of the log cabin pattern on my rigid heddle loom. It's long enough to become a strap for a bag or purse, or trim on something like a bag or a purse. Because I used two similar colors, green and blue, the pattern doesn't stand out clearly but I still like it. To do a log cabin pattern, you simply need to warp the colors in the correct order, followed by using the same pattern in the weft. For example, on this small strap I did BGBGBG and then GBGBGB (repeat). Again, the weft follows the same number and color, BGBGBG followed by GBGBGB. Easy! I'd love to do a wider project.
And then there's this sad Weave-It loom. Marked a dollar, I couldn't pass it up. I wondered if I should try to glue it but then decided that I already have three of the 4" squares, so for a dollar, it can be my spare peg loom in case I ever need parts.
Spool knitters have been around for ages. Also known as French knitting, when a strand of yarn is looped around the pegs, eventually a length of knitted cord appears. I've had a few spool knitters, or "Knitting Nancies," but only in the plastic Knifty Knitter variety. When I found my vintage Nancy at an antique shop a week ago, I decided to investigate them. Lo and behold, I discovered an entire blog on them, with information about the history, different makers, and projects, as well as modern uses.
Please visit Spool Knitter, the blog, and get your fill of everything related to these tiny knitters.