I’ve been working on the same crochet project for a few months now and was itching for a little variety. While running errands, I talked the hubby into a quick pit stop to Hobby Lobby. I walked up and down the aisles, scoping out what would become my next crafting venture. I was hoping for something that wouldn’t be a huge learning curve and could be completed in a weekend, but still enough to satisfy my itch for something different.
I turned down the aisle and there it was, calling to me. The Prima Fiber Arts Loom Weaving Kit. Whispering “Buy me…. Buy meeeee.” Ever the sucker for a kit containing all you need to get started, I quickly loaded a mobile coupon and headed to the checkout.
I’ve been wanting to get into weaving for a while, and this kit was perfect! It included an adjustable loom, weaving comb, shuttle, shed stick, tapestry needle, yarn, warp thread, and even some accent pieces to really make your project have some pizzazz. With my 40% off coupon, I ended up paying just about $26 which is a steal for what you get. Everything seemed very well made and the pretty design on the loom and tools added a nice touch.
The “starter guide” instruction included in the kit was okay, but I would recommend watching the videos before really getting your hands dirty. The YouTube videos made by Prima were great because they used all the same items included in the kit. You can basically just follow along with the host.
Here are the videos I recommend watching:
Prima Fiber Arts Loom Kit Intro – (3 mins) What’s included in the kit
Prima Fiber Arts Techniques Part 1 – (18 mins) Basic weaving stitch
Prima Fiber Arts Techniques Part 2 (12 mins) More advanced weaving including angles and roving.
Prima Fiber Arts Techniques Part 3 – (14 mins) Finishing steps
Alright, instructions read and videos watched – now it’s time to get weaving!
The first step is to put the loom together. This was four quick screws, no heavy machinery or curse words involved.
I got hung up right from the get go for not understanding how to wind the shuttle. The still pictures in the instructions weren’t really helping, so I recommend another video: Winding a Stick Shuttle. The trick was to do the figure eight on one side, then change to the other side.
Next, you set the weave pattern by adding the shed stick, flip it up, and then start weaving. Changing colors is pretty easy, you just wrap the new color of the yarn around the shuttle and start a new row. I was a little overzealous on how much yarn I was adding in the beginning, which made if difficult to fit under the threads so lesson learned on that one. Once you have a handle on the basics, using roving and thicker yarn adds some dimension to the project and if you are feeling really sassy, you can start experimenting with angles and shapes!
I followed the design from the kit almost exactly but differed on the angle part a little bit. Full disclosure – this wasn’t on purpose, I got distracted by something on TV. But, I just kept going and think it turned out well. After getting the woven canvas mostly laid out the fun continues with accents. Making tassels is pretty easy. Here, I’ve just wrapped yarn around our tablet case and cut one end so they were all uniform lengths. Once on the loom, it’s pretty easy to just cut and shape them how you want it to lay. The kit also came with metal flowers, metal tubes, and silk flowers to add in where you think looks good.
With everything set, it’s time to weave in all the loose ends and take the project off the loom. This was the only time I had to use items from my own craft room – a needle and crochet hook. Similar to other yarn projects, the idea is just to weave in the ends and tidy everything up. Then, you cut two strands of the warp thread off and begin to tie them together. For the bottom, it was easier to just flip the tassels over so they were out of the way. To finish the weave, I found a stick and sewed yarn around to hold everything together.
Here’s a look at the finished project!
