Simplex Hand Loom Instructions
As part of my super, amazing 4" loom discovery, here are the instructions to the Simplex Hand Loom, which was made in Illinois back in the 1930s.
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The super, amazing 4″ loom story
I don't know what else to call this post… I'm so excited I can hardly stand it! It's super! Amazing!
Last fall, when I found the Wonder Weave in a nearby thrift store, I decided that's it–I probably found my quota of good bargains and I'd never get an actual Weave-it loom. So I bought a Hazel Rose loom, and it's really nice, but you know how it goes, each time I enter an antique store or thrift store, I scan the aisles for those little square frames. Matter of fact, when I'm back in the store where I spotted the Wonder Weave, I hesitate in that very aisle, looking around, just hoping maybe…
And then it happened! Yesterday, in the same store (different aisle), I found this box marked $16.95. "Weaver Set," it said. "1933 – 1945. Books, and etc.":
I grabbed it so fast I think I scared the lady next to me. But I didn't care. I had a treasure, and true to human nature I paused to study each shelf around me. Greed set it. Maybe there was more! Nope, but no matter, I had found a true bargain, a real find. Once, in my initial Weave-it frenzy, I nearly bid $40 on one Weave-it loom on ebay! And here I was, holding not one loom but two.. and whole bunch of stuff besides.
So, what's in this special Weaver box? I'll detail it all in later posts, but for now here's a peek:
- 4" Weave-it Loom
- 4" Simplex Loom
- Two needles
- 11 Pattern booklets (for Weave-it, Simplex, and Loomette)
- 15 finished squares
- 9 Sample cards with 2 squares apiece, each square featuring a different pattern
I love discovering crafting supplies from days gone by. I like thinking that we share a common fascination with all things loomy with crafters from seventy years ago. Plus, finding this also shows that they're still out there–bargains in dusty aisles of thrift stores, just waiting for you to find them, call them special, and bring them home.
Coming soon: a closer look at the looms, the booklets, and the samples.
I’m a Knit-Wit
I saw this Knit-Wit kit on sale but didn't buy it even though it was the last one, figuring I had enough flower looms; however, I decided if it was still there the next time I shopped, I'd get it… and it was, sitting slightly askew just the way I left it even though more than a week had passed. For $5.00, I can call it fate, a bargain, or maybe both.
The Knit-Wit is a new-again loom, once very popular in the 1970s and now repackaged. Mine came with both a square and circular loom, plus a DVD with helpful instructions. I started making flowers, following the instructions to create a border around each one. Then, I took it a step further and started connecting them together as I loomed, creating this … scarf? I think it's a scarf, anyway. I have about two feet done, 21 flowers in all, but I'd like to more than double the length. I'm using Marry by Rozetti, a yarn I'dbeen saving to practice cables or use the triloom to make another shawl. But for some reason, this retro, slightly-groovy scarf is growing on me. Or, is it growing on its own? Without me knitting anything? Hmmm…
Knit-Witting is sort of soothing, once you get the hang of it. What next? A pantsuit, perhaps? Thankfully, the biggest project I've ever completed consisted of 1.5 skeins of yarn, so I don't think a flowered pantsuit will ever be loomed by me.
Kreativ Blogger
Thank you, Brenda of Loom Lore! Brenda, an creative expert in all-things looming (just check out these loomy-licious cupcakes!), nominated me for this award, which I've seen being passed around the looming and knitting blogs. I've visited Brenda's blog numerous times, and she's always willing to answer questions. Plus, she offers a ton of innovative patterns. So, thanks again, Brenda.
As I understand it, the rule to this crazy Kreativ Blogger Award is that I have to "nominate" seven blogs I really enjoy, even non-crafty ones. Some of these are very popular blogs, but if you haven't visited them, please do. Here are a few of my favorite, never-miss bloggers:
- Crazy Aunt Purl: Laurie is super funny and yes, she knits. Plus, she has a bunch of cats.
- Chickens in the Road: Author Suzanne McMinn posts about life on her rural West Virigina farm. She loves to write about her chickens.
- Chez Larsson: I like this daily glimpse into Benita Larsson's cool Swedish home; she cleans, organizes, and crafts like a Swedish Martha Stewart!
- Polka Dot Cottage: Lisa Clarke's neat ideas with looming, and she does a wealth of other crafts–check out the polymer clay jewelry and buttons.
- Avalanche Looms: Susan Johnson's lovely weaving.
- Dangling Threads: Cady May's blog–she spins, she knits!
- Knitting-and.com: Sarah Bradberry's loaded site. I found this during my frenzied search for anything flower-loom related–and she has the best site out there for those little looms.