Tag: strand
Finished: Snappy Plaid, Grey and Pink
This cozy little scarf was completed yesterday. It’s another rectangle loom scarf using my Hideaway Homestead loom on the 10″ x 48″ setting. I’ve found they “shrink” in width about 2″ or more, but the length stays about the same. The yarn was Yarn Bee First Love, which is 100% polyester. It holds its shape very nicely off the loom:
Kitchen Skewer as a Continuous Strand Weaving Tool
I’ve struggled using a crochet hook as a continuous strand weaving tool. When you first start a project, it’s easiest to use your hands to weave, but after about twenty rows, it’s faster to use a crochet hook; however, there are times it works perfectly and there are times the yarn jumps off while pulling it through the shed or the hook itself snags the yarn and creates a mess. I’ve often thought there should be something better than a crochet hook for this type of weaving. Some weavers use a long, wooden hook that has what appears to be a deeper, sturdier looking hook, but I still thought there should be something that almost locks in the yarn but allows it to travel through the opening freely while pulling the working yarn through the shed.
Then I thought of using the humble kitchen skewer. If I could add a handle to this, it’d be a perfect tool for weaving this way. I’ve been using it without a handle, and it’s great. The yarn doesn’t snag, it only jumps out of place on occasion, and using the rounded end to weave over/under works really well. It’ll only be the last five rows or so where the size of this becomes an issue, and then… back to the crochet hook.
Finished: Snappy Plaid Scarf “Carrot Cake”
The yarn was a challenge (Schachenmayr Original Boston Sun (Earth Mix)). I’m making a note because I chose, on purpose, a yarn I wouldn’t have chosen. I wanted to see what the colors would look like on the loom. Believe me, the orange is a blaze hunting orange, but it looks far softer in the photo. The bigger issue was that the yarn itself was snaggy. It split and frayed and pretty much made the project difficult to complete. I think it’s better for knitting.