Looming Lady Blog
convert flat piece patternsIn my last blog, I described a simple, straight forward way to translate a crochet ball pattern into a loom knit crochet pattern. In this article, I want to explain how to use the same method on a flat piece.
We’ll make a washcloth in crochet, then on a loom. What size and shape do you want? Start with the basics. I want an average 8 inch square fabric and will use a simple single crochet stitch for this project. For a washcloth you will need a small amount of cotton or similar yarn. You can also use a loom hook, large eye yarn needle, and a pair of scissors. Choose your hook. I chose a standard H crochet hook to crochet my cloth. Crochet your piece. I chained 23, turned single crocheted in 2nd chain from hook and each chain after it. 22 single crochets. Turn. Row 2 – 22 single crochet in each stitch across, turn. 22 single crochets. Chain 8, slip stitch into final stitch, bind off. You have a flat piece with a loop on one end. Choose your loom. I used a 31 peg round loom for this project. Loom your piece. Start by doing a swatch for gauge. E-wrap 10 pegs, flat stitch knit for 10 rows. My swatch showed 3 stitches = 1 inch, 3 rows = 1 inch. Row 1 – e-wrap 24 pegs. Rows 2 – 23 flat stitch (u-wrap) each peg across. 24 stitches. Row 24 – knit off all stitches to the last. Knit the last stitch 8 times, creating a chain. Bind off. Use your yarn needle to sew the chain closed on the last stitch for a holder. Weave in all tails. Conclusion The key to converting this simple pattern is to know your shape, size, and gauge. Next, we’ll try patterns with stitch patterns inside them.
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Crochet to loom knit, part 1two yarn balls, side by sideYarn work is delightfully fun because it can be done in many ways. I love to crochet – that was what I learned first, when I was about 9 years old. A crochet hook and a ball of yarn is easy to carry, even in a purse or pocket.
But in my 40s I started to loom knit. I was transported by delight with the ease of loom knitting. Then I decided I wanted to do both. But patterns for loom knitting was hard to find at the time. They have become easier and more popular, but I like to make what I want to at the time. Often, that means making something I would do in crochet but with a loom. How can you transpose patterns from crochet to loom knitting? There are two main questions to answer in advance. Which shape? Round or square? What size? I will walk you through the easy example of a ball. First, I will crochet a ball, then I will loom knit a corresponding ball. For the crochet project I will use a standard H crochet hook, a small amount of yarn, scissors, and a yarn needle. I chose this hook because it seems close enough to the gauge produced by my 12 peg loom. It will be almost impossible to make exact items in every detail. The goal is to complete similar items with different tools. I made a magic circle and crocheted 12 single crochets for the first round. I did not attach the yarn to the first stitch but made a spiral by beginning round 2 onto the first stitch of round 1. I made a single crochet, 2 single crochets in the next stitch around. 18 single crochets. I continued the spiral. Rounds 3-5: I single crocheted around. 18 single crochets. Round 6: I single crocheted in first stitch of round 6, decreased next 2 stitches together, repeating from * around. 12 single crochets. Stuff the ball with your desired material. For my cat ball I used dried catnip. Round 7, decrease stitches by single crocheting 2 stitches together around. 6 single crochets. Round 8: decrease stitches by single crocheting 2 stitches together around. 3 single crochets. Bind off. This makes a ball of about 2 inches diameter. Toss it to the closest cat. To use the pattern on the loom I used a 12 peg mitten loom, loom hook, small bits of yarn, and a yarn needle. Scissors are also useful. The 12 peg loom was my smallest, which is why I chose that first. It was also the nearest loom on hand. I wrapped all the pegs on the loom and flat stitch knitted for 6 rounds. I cut a long tail and used it to pull through all the stitches on the pegs and lift them off. I pulled them closed and seamed over the end. I filled the ball and seamed the other end of the ball. This was also tossed to the cats. So, I go back to the beginning. What are the answers to my 2 questions? The ball is round. This ball is for a cat so it is small – about 2 inches diameter. These are the key questions I needed to answer to create my crochet project on a loom. Next time, I’ll try something flat, like a wash cloth. Who knows what we can graduate to? |
AuthorI am an office worker by day but a writer and crafter in my free time. My books can be found on Amazon in print or on Kindle. Archives
October 2022
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