How To Use A Pin Loom

To Knot or Not to Knot?

This is a tutorial on how to brainstorm a foursquare without tying a knot, how to read a chart and follow a blueprint, and how to brand BEAUTIFUL squares with even warp and weft distribution.

To begin, if you Exercise want to start your square by tying a reverse slip knot to secure the yarn to your loom, see this curt video (there are manifestly other parts in this six-office serial, and you're welcome to watch those as well. Just exist prepared to die of boredom because not only is there no plot . . . well, you lot'll encounter).*

Tie a opposite slip knot and attach it to one of the four pins near Cr1; begin warping as usual.

If you don't want to necktie a knot, there are a number of other options. I've heard of people taping the yarn to the loom, or (horror of horrors [considering I don't don't like sticky stuff]) y'all can attach a scrap of the hook half of hook-and-loop fastener (sometimes called Velcro) to the underside of the loom. I volition refrain from explaining all the reasons why this seems a VERY bad idea to me. (Zoom Loom and Loomette have a notch cut into the frame of the loom virtually Cr1 where you can attempt to secure your yarn. In my experience ZL won't hold the yarn and L will mildly shred it.)

Information technology'southward the easiest matter in the world to leave the yarn tail just hanging at that place loose. Just in case I want to utilize the yarn tail later, I leave a length roughly equivalent to one.v sides of the loom.

Yarn used in sample: Bernat Satin (BS) "Flamingo." (Please run into GLOSSARY for caption of abbreviations.)

In that location'due south a flake of slack in the offset warp if you don't necktie a knot, only it'south non hard to work with it this way.

After warping iii layers and weaving R1, the needle goes nether the free swinging beginning tail. R2 volition secure the tail. HOWEVER, before moving on to R2, let's look at a uncomplicated procedure that volition truly beautify your weaving. I usually refer to it equally snugging R1 against the pins.

Come across how R1 is in place, only isn't particularly shut to the pins?

I press down on all the threads while snugging R1 in shut to the pins with my packing fork. Above, the correct one-half is packed, the left isn't.

Employ your fork to pack L2's commencement row close to R1 and you're set to weave R2.

The pattern/diagram we'll be post-obit is called, "Middle Band—Bar X, Mini." (The written instructions are at the bottom of this mail service.)

Eye Ring—Bar X, Mini

In the diagram, R1 is all greyness. That's because it'south always a plain weave (P) row.

Kickoff tip for cute weaving: after each row, you may desire to utilise the Tug Technique (I use the Tug Technique in all my weaving videos, but this one is very brief). This stops your wefts from taking upwardly all the warp space as you weave and then your weaving won't exist so difficult in the final rows.

For this pattern R2 is also P. Hold the loose yarn tail with your fingers while y'all start R2.

The photograph for beginning R2 is shown correct-side-upwards here. I always rotate the loom around so I can proceed weaving with my correct hand, merely some people switch easily for even and odd rows.

For R3, look at the numbers across the bottom of the diagram. It tells y'all you'll P14, U3 (three red squares = U3), then P14. The Wunderwag loom has a center marker elevation and bottom that tells you where the center strand is (it's ever strand #8 of L3, or #16 of the 31 combined L1 and L3 warps). And so you actually don't need to count anything at all. Just P till y'all reach the three center strands and go under them, then P across. (You can count if you want to be sure you've done it right.)

This blueprint is a mirror image of itself. In one case you get used to following patterns and reading diagrams you'll realize that you actually simply need to count the showtime one-half of mirror image pattern rows.

R4 builds on R3. You tin can count 12 stitches or P over to R3'southward U3. Take the needle U3, communicable two warps + the first of R3's U3 strands, O1 (the center strand), then get U3 catching the tertiary of R3'south U3 strands + ii warps.

The up arrows point to R4's U3s. The down arrow points to the center strand.

R5-vii continues the design of building the V office of the heart, expanding the 5 outward row by row.

R5'due south first U3 catches two warps + ane (reddish arrow) of R4'southward U3 (greenish arrow).

R7 also begins the center openwork pattern of the centre motif (P2, O3, U3, O3, P2).

R7's outer U3s (ruby-red upwards arrows) build on R6'southward U3s (dark-green upwardly arrows). The blue upwards arrows bespeak where the needle goes O3 ( blue always means OVER in my diagrams). The red downwards pointer shows where the needle goes U3 between the ii O3s. Once once more, there should exist no need to count once your brain gets used to interpreting what'southward happening on your loom.

Continue weaving, challenging yourself to follow the diagram. Be sure to look at the tips below and employ them while you weave.

Second tip for keeping your weaving beautiful: detect in the pinnacle left photo below how the warps have pulled abroad from the vertical side of the loom. Use your fork to push them dorsum toward the pins (summit right photo). Continue prodding the strands back into place with your fork, beingness careful not split up your yarn (bottom left photo). You can do this every bit often as necessary to keep your warps and wefts evenly distributed.

Go on those warps and wefts in line with your pitchfork!

Third tip: if your loose tail looks messy, requite information technology a little tug to straighten information technology out. (Don't pull too tight!)

Straightening warp 1

If you're using a light worsted weight yarn (such every bit CSS, YBSS, or BS), the inner design of the heart will create an airy open up look. RHS will show a flake less openness.

Heart Band—Bar X, Mini with needle in R11

Here's a demo of using your fork to make room for the terminal row of weaving.

Use your fork to get all the room you tin can at the tiptop of the loom

One more tip—for an easier showtime of the concluding row: if you're using a Wunderwag loom you lot'll take actress long pins, so yous can feel quite safe during this procedure (but it's not THAT risky). At R16 (R24 on a 6″ loom), Cr3, lift the weaving upward a scrap on the pins; take the needle direct down into the loop, and so scoop it under the first warp. If you've used your fork to brand space, the final row will be fairly piece of cake to weave.

The concluding frontier: Space for that last row

If you're planning to work in the terminal yarn tail, here'southward how y'all might choose to practise and then (for a total demo run into Future Weblog Postal service).

Working in the final yarn tail horizontally

Take a moment to adore (and check for mistakes) your finished square.

All washed!

And then pop information technology off the loom.

Heart Ring—Bar X, Mini

WRITTEN INSTRUCTIONS

R1: P
R2: P
R3: P14, U3, P14
R4: P12, U3, O1, U3, P12
R5: P10, U3, P5, U3, P10
R6: P8, U3, P9, U3, P8
R7: P6, U3, P2, O3, U3, O3, P2, U3, P6
R8: P4, U3, O1, U3, P9, U3, O1, U3, P4
R9: P11, O3, U3, O3, P11
R10: Rpt R8
R11: Rpt R7
R12: P4, (U3, O1) ten 5, U3, P4
R13: P6, U3, O1, U3, P5, U3, O1, U3, P6
R14: P
R15: P
R16:P

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*In that location is another form of knot tying which involves making a sideslip knot and lassoing the first two warps of L1 around the pins. I've never tried this method and probably never will. It feels alike to putting Velcro on the loom . . .