A pair summers up to now, Eloise and I made mug rug coasters using nothing larger than leftover gadgets of yarn from earlier knitting duties and a loom we fabricated from a little bit of recycled cardboard. Although initially meant to be coasters, Eloise used her rugs to create mats and blankets for the tiny stuffed animals dwelling in her dollhouse. I was happy to see her uncover such a gratifying and playful operate for them and, additional importantly, they’re nonetheless in good use proper this second!
This week, as we had been in the hunt for handmade trip presents to make, we dusted off our little makeshift looms and tried our arms at weaving as soon as extra. I’d forgotten how so much peace handwork brings me until I found myself sneaking off to the art work desk so I could squeeze in plenty of rows. One factor I noticed the ultimate time we made these collectively is that it’s best to make two looms from the get-go – one for you and one to your teenager. There’s probability you’ll want to get in on the movement and, in my experience, youngsters take pleasure in doing handwork additional when it’s carried out alongside a grown up. Plus, it’ll keep you from sweeping in, taking on, or hovering above your teenager’s work – all of that are more likely to shut my kids down!
Only some notes sooner than you get started: 1) Any form of yarn will do as long as it’s skinny adequate to swimsuit into the notches of the loom. 2) Consider though – the thicker the yarn, the faster the weaving will go. 3) Moreover, wool yarn will finish in a fluffier, cozier style of coaster whereas cotton yarn will make for one factor tidy, trim, and neat, identical to the one inside the pictures to the left. 4) Should you want to use a few skein of yarn, not a difficulty. As you’ll see inside the directions underneath, you presumably can trim off the yarn as quickly as your row is the width you want, then – on the end of the project- you presumably can to tuck the remaining tail of thread neatly by the use of the weaving on the underside of the coaster. 5) As far as dimension goes, these coasters end up being about 3 1/4”w x 4 1/2”l, with out fringe, nonetheless you presumably can undoubtedly make them larger (and even make a rug) by rising the scale of your loom. 6) Lastly, it’s very arduous to muck up this mission, nonetheless do be careful to not pull the yarn too correct as you weave; in every other case the coaster will get narrower and narrower as you go. See {photograph} 3 for what NOT to do! You want your coaster to be the similar width from excessive to bottom, with the type of a rectangle comparatively than an hourglass. Get pleasure from!
Provides
piece of 5” x 7” cardboard
yarn (wool or cotton)
pencil
masking tape
tapestry needle
scissors
materials glue
ruler
fork
Directions
1. Using a pencil, make 20 marks, 1/4 inch apart, alongside the 5” aspect of the cardboard.
2. Using scissors, decrease shallow notches, roughly 1/4 inch deep, the place you drew the 20 marks.
3. Mark the place your weaving will begin and end by drawing a horizonal line 1 1/2 inches down from the shorter, notched edges on both sides of the cardboard.
4. Place the “warp threads” onto the loom. Warp threads are strung over the loom vertically and tightly to hold stress while you weave. To create the warp threads, insert an prolonged piece of yarn into one in every of many end notches, allowing the highest of the thread to fall behind the cardboard and attain midway down the scale of the once more of the loom. The excess yarn will in all probability be used to create the coaster’s fringes later, so make sure you choose your shade accordingly. Tape the highest of the warp yarn to the once more of the loom.
5. Flip the loom once more to the doorway aspect. Extend the yarn from the first, excessive notch to the first bottom notch. Wrap it throughout the primary, bottom notch.
6. Wrap the yarn throughout the underside of the cardboard, by the use of the second, excessive notch and all the way in which all the way down to the second, bottom notch.
7. Proceed wrapping the yarn spherical and throughout the cardboard, using the notches to secure it in place.
8. Should you attain the ultimate notch, convey the yarn to the once more of the piece of cardboard and decrease it on the midway degree of the cardboard. Tape the tail to the underside of the cardboard.
9. Begin to weave your “weft threads” by the use of your “warp threads”. The weft threads are the threads you weave over and beneath the warp threads horizontally.
10. For the weft thread, decrease a little bit of yarn about 8 yards prolonged and thread it by the use of the tapestry needle.
11. Starting on the left aspect on the bottom guideline you marked on the cardboard, weave the needle over one warp thread, beneath one warp thread, over one warp thread, beneath one warp thread.
12. Proceed weaving on this over-and-under pattern all through all of the warp threads.
13. Should you attain the highest of the first row, pull the yarn by the use of, leaving a 4 inch tail on the distinctive aspect of the row. If you’ve accomplished weaving your full coaster, you’ll thread this tail into the underside of the coaster (to cowl it).
14. Now weave your means once more from correct to left, following the similar beneath one, over one pattern. Be careful to not pull the yarn too tight, in every other case the coaster will get skinner and skinner as you go.
15. Should you pull your yarn by the use of, create an arc to verify your weaving isn’t too tight. Then take a fork and use the tins to tug the arc down.
15. Proceed weaving until you’ve accomplished weaving your entire yarn, or until you attain the highest mark for weaving. Ensure you go away a 4 inch tail from the sting.
16. Flip your loom over and take away the tape from every of the tails of the yarn.
17. Scale back the entire warp threads by the use of the middle (on the once more aspect of the loom) and punctiliously take away the entire warp threads from the notches of the loom. Then take away the warp threads from the cardboard loom.
18. Disguise the unfastened tails on the sides of the coasters by threading them into the coaster. To do this, thread the unfastened tails onto an embroidery needle and insert the needle down the channel contained within the prolonged aspect fringe of the coaster. Carry the tail down about an inch contained in the sting to make sure it stays secure. When It’s been pulled all through, decrease the remaining tail.
19. Finish the fringed edges by taking the warp threads, two at a time, and tying them collectively using an overhand knot. Repeat so that every one the warp threads have been knotted collectively.
20. Trim the perimeter to your required measurement.