Loom Knit Moshling

Oh geez, it's been over a YEAR since I've posted anything here!! That has to change. I promise, I have been playing around with the loom. Just haven't had anything to show. Well, that all changes today.



I don't have much to show but this little moshling named "Squidge". I made her for the daughter for Christmas. I made three moshlings you can read more about on my general crafty blog here. The other two were sewn.



I made this Squidge the same way I did the Pygmy Puffs on one of my DIY looms. I used the stick pen loom just because it was handy at the moment.



These are a fairly easy project for the loom. I finished knitting the body in way less than an hour using two strands of furry yarn. It's like making a hair scrunchy. You knit off the rows until the tube length is equal to the width when laid flat. Then you bring the starting end row up though the inside of the loom; place a small wrapped hair elastic around it; place the stitches back onto the pegs to knit off and tie off the piece by gathering it shut. It doesn't have to be perfect when using furry yarn. Just try to find the first row of stitches the best you can. The fur will hide the stitches anyway. The toughest part was getting the many paired limbs and eyes on even when hand sewing them on.

Wish me luck getting some more projects finished to post about. I'll be posing our progress on the new design for the loom as we get it figured out. Right now I'm still looking at ways to make them out of materials I can actually get. Later!

A Late Update

I've been so busy with Halloween, and tabistry, that I've seriously neglected updating this blog for awhile. But, I've got some new materials and am in the process of constructing my new idea for an adjustable loom that will be easier to increase and decrease on. As soon as life returns to normal after October (if that is possible), I plan to devote my time to experimenting some more with this idea and creating my gloves.

Wish me luck! And, have a HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!!

Just Back from a Brain Vacation

You know how it is when you get a certain idea in your head, which you can't let go of? It clouds out all other solutions and stops you on your creative track. Well, that's what I've been dealing with. When I finally let go of the original plan that's been torturing me, setting it aside for later, a better idea just came to me out of the blue that is soooo simple.

We've been mulling over several ideas on how to construct a more intuitive loom at a small gauge for quite some time now. I want something that others would be able to figure out quickly and use easily without too much explanation. And, most of all, it needs to be made with the tools and materials that are available to us. I don't want to fork out a lot of money having someone else machine the parts. For months I've just been stumped. I couldn't figure it out until the other day when I had a brilliant epiphany in the car on our weekly "family day". Now, I just need to get the correct size of materials and sit down to construct it.

So, if you're having difficulties on a project, don't beat yourself up about it. Leave it alone for a spell and come back to it with a clear mind and fresh solutions. It could take weeks or even months to get it right, but eventually the ideas will come when you least expect it.

I'll keep you posted on my progress.

STILL Nothing new to show

Well, here spring is just about here, and I have nothing to show from our long chilly fall/winter but a bunch of looms tangled in heaping piles of yarn. :) I have no excuse except that I've been very busy these past months with the tabistry, other crafting (see my other blogs) and life in general. Don't fret. I haven't thrown in the loom-knitted towel. I really want to get back to knitting. But, I usually head where inspiration takes me. At the moment, it's dragging me into my craft room to do some much needed cleaning and organizing.

Me and my SO, Samedi, are still brainstorming a design for a new variety of loom. This has been very difficult to create at a small enough gauge. Still not satisfied with the results. Being the more mechanically inclined of the two of us, he has been shooting down many of my solutions due to what he refers to as "reality". :) I'll keep you all posted if we make any headway. I think once we are successful, it should spark a greater interest for me in trying new things. Then, I should have many new projects, at least started. :)

Speaking of new projects, if you haven't yet found Brenda's loom knitting blog called "Loom Lore" at loomlady.blogspot.com, you should really head over there. She is always thinking outside the loom with her amazing "rule-breaking" techniques. She really shares some clever ways use the loom that are sure to impress you. She is a master at making mock crochet items. I'm alway in awe when I see her new projects.

Image Viewing Problem

Yikes! Bandwidth Exceeded!

You may have noticed some of my images aren't showing up these days. I just wanted to let everyone know that this is a temporary problem. Should be back to normal around the 18th of this month. I was using Photobucket.com to host my images, and it seems they only allow a limited amount of traffic every month for non pro accounts. If this happens again, I will move the images to a new host. Or, I may have to consider taking up donations to open a pro account in the future.

Sorry for the inconvenience.

Mieljolie

HP Unity Scarf Finally Finished

Well, almost one year later, I finally found time to finish the Harry Potter Unity Scarf I started loom knitting for my mom on my pick-up stick loom. I would have had it finished much earlier, but I've been busy with the tabistry projects among other things.



I'm really please with how it turned out. Though, I had to simplify the pattern way more than I would have like to by eliminating all the crests but the first one. Oh well. It's very soft, thick and heavy. Should keep her neck toasty warm on cold nights. The black yarn I used is Caron Simply Soft, which I believe is made from recycled plastic bottles. To me, that is just mind boggling. How can a yarn this soft and pretty be made from bottles? The color stripes are various acrylic worsted weight yarns that I happened to have around. Though, as usual, my camera is oversaturating the colors. They are far more muted than they appear here.



If you want to see some of the progress pics I posted while I was working on it, go to:

http://knitty-witty.blogspot.com/2008/12/harry-potter-unity-scarf-on-flexible.html

Thanks for looking!

Another Thrift Store Score!!

Just had to share this cool gadget! I just bought a "Speedy Wool Winder" (yarn ball winder) like new in it's original box at our local thrift store for $1! My daughter and I are having a lot of fun winding up balls. It really is a handy item and so far great entertainment as well. With all the yarn I've been picking up everywhere, this ought to be put to good use.



I also scored a large jar of 1" wooden tassel beads! There are a LOT of bead in that jar!! I have no idea what I'm going to use this many for! Any suggestions would be great! Or, if any of you need some, I'm happy to swap. It was a great buy, and I needed some tassels for my belly dance belts. :) I want to hang them like tribal dancers wear from my belt.



My orignal mission was to pick up a Christmas tree stand to make one of those duct tape "body double" dress forms from a tutorial I found. I found one in great condition that ought to work perfectly. If I have any success, I'll be posting that and the tassels on my general craft blog.