New Toy

Well, since no one had a preference, I've decided to show off my new toy.

I found this on ebay after saying again and again that I wasn't going to get a loom. Weaving would just take away from the already limited time I have for knitting and spinning. I had already given up dying yarn (except for limited circumstances) because of time constraints, so why would I want another hobby?

The second part, was of course, the cost of a loom. Even a simple table loom costs around $150 and eventually, I'd want a larger and more complicated one which can get quite expensive.

So, when I found a 20 inch loom on ebay for 1/3 of what it would normally cost, I caved.

It came in the original box from Better Homes and Gardens with the following post mark:

It's a bit hard to read, but the postage was $1.50 and the date was March 6, 1979. The box and loom were in almost perfect condition which makes me think it had been sitting in someone's attic for the past 30 years.

I don't have a warping board, so it took me a few days of creative thinking to come up with a way to measure the warp. I finally measured out the warp for a dish towel and spent FOUR hours today warping the damn thing. After that, even with the pretty combinations you can make on the larger looms, I may NEVER get one.

The other stumper was the paper used in winding the warp. I couldn't figure out why I needed it, but since EVERY book says to use it, I guessed it was important. Without a weaving supply shop, I had to improvise unless I wanted to wait a week for something to get here in the mail. A visit to my local art shop produced a roll of 90# paper that works perfectly.

Here it is all warped up with my first few rows of weaving on it.

A closer view. The colors are not what I would normally use and I'm sure it will be a bit uneven as I get used to weaving. Good thing grandparents like anything made by their grandchildren.

Now.. anyone out there know how to finish it off without fringe????