Melissa left me a great comment, and a great question about which loom I would recommend. I have had the same question a number of times at Ravelry, so I thought I'd post about it. "Is it question and answer time? I like those! Also, if it is, which particular CinDWood loom(s) do you recommend? I like hearing recommendations from other loomers before I make an investment, so if you are ever looking for a post idea, I may have just given you one. ;) "
This is a wide open question, and to make a specific loom recommendation, I would want to know what kind of patterns you like to make. Instead I will tell you about the looms that I have and how I use them.
All my CinDwood looms are in the 1/2 inch gauge. I like this gauge best of all. It makes the nicest fabric in a large peg format. The looms sit well in the hand (they have a rounded base with no hard edges) and the pegs are sturdy, yet have a slight give and a nice flat top that keeps the yarn from slipping. The pegs have not shown any wear, and I have used them quite a lot.
The photo above shows the 51 peg youth hat loom with the Dandelion Shawlette on it. This loom is about the same diameter as a green Knifty Knitter loom, but has many more pegs, which creates a much nicer fabric and allows you to use much thinner yarn than a large gauge loom. It was part of a set of 4 round looms, which have 66 pegs (adult large), 51 pegs (youth), 35 pegs (newborn) and a baby bootie loom.
This next photo shows the Daisy Chain Sweater on the 35 peg CinDwood newborn hat loom. It is used to make the sleeve for this sweater.
Here the photo is showing the body of the sweater being made on the 66 peg adult large hat loom. This is a great example of how having more pegs (smaller gauge) can create a nicer fabric. The 66 peg CinDwood is about the same diameter as a yellow Knifty Knitter or purple Knifty Knitter, which have 41 and 48 pegs, respectively.
This last photo shows one of the two large round CinDwood looms that I have. It is the large afghan loom in 1/2 inch gauge, with 124 pegs. The project is a new one I am working on right now. This loom made the Flower Garden Afghan, using the loom version of the feather and fan stitch. The narrow peg distance lets the feather and fan stitches slide between the pegs; the larger gauges do not. This large loom has loads of potential with all of the pegs, but if you are not going to make afghans, then the baby afghan loom in 1/2 gauge is a great loom. It has 90 pegs, and fits nicely in your lap. For knitting in the round, it made the Cotton Cowls. I'm hoping to make a felted knitting tote on it, too. Some of you have asked me how I liked the 36 inch Universal Loom from CinDwood. Well, I have not used it enough t0 give you a full opinion. I'm still playing with it and I will let you know as I go along.
There are a number of companies making the 1/2 inch gauge, so you can find variations in the number of pegs and the construction of the loom. Decor Accents has the "regular gauge" and Markman Looms has the "half gauge". Both also offer adjustable looms. The closest Knifty Knitter is the purple hat loom in 5/8 inch gauge with 48 pegs.
Copyright 2011 by Invisible Loom and Craft, Renee Van Hoy. All Rights Reserved. Personal Use Only.
Loved this post~it's so helpful!
ReplyDeleteI love the CinDWood looms, they are wonderful!!
Do you use any fine gauge looms Renee?
If so can you give any recommendations for those!
Wishing you a most wonderful week!
RENE, THANKS FOR THE OPINIONS AND COMPARISONS. I WAS ABLE TO GET THE KK ROUND PURPLE LOOM, BUT NOW I FORGOT WHICH OF YOUR PATTERNS I WANTED TO MAKE WITH IT! -- KIM
ReplyDeleteBrilliantly described Renee, I have used my 59 peg 1/2 inch gauge from CinDwood Looms daily since buying it over two and a half years ago and it is barely showing any signs of wear. The looms are very strong and tough, Harvey my toddler who is now three years old regularly throws them around or wheels them across the carpet when and if he can get hold of them and I havent had one break on me yet. My large afghan loom arrived a couple of weeks ago, I am currently spinning yarns to make a very large ladies sweater on it so will let you know what happens when I get to it. I am excited about the design though and cant wait to make it having been totally inspired by your creations of course :)
ReplyDeleteHelen xx
I was browsing for baby blankets and found your white (sweater???) ~ it's gorgeous! If you don't mind my asking how do you make such a pattern? How many times round one peg before you go to the next? I love it. Can I make it with a KK loom? That's all I have at this time!
ReplyDeleteThanks!
Hi "Woman In Love",
ReplyDeleteThe sweater is a pattern called "The Daisy Chain Sweater." If you go to the pattern pages (top of the blog on the right) you will find the links to all of my patterns. The Daisy Chain is a for sale $2.50. It does not work on the Knifty Knitter looms. It needs a 1/2 inch gauge loom size to make this sweater.
I just LOVE your loom knits, and especially with Spring around the corner, I want to start on one of your "Lacy" loom projects! Thank you for posting your masterpieces :)
ReplyDeleteI am going to try, yes, "try" to do your lacy shawl project, it is absolutely gorgeous!
wow it was very nice,,i hope i cant do such and can buy that large round loom,its very hard to find that here in japan,,
ReplyDeletewhere can i buy huge round loom ? i want to make that something than hat round loom
ReplyDeleteHi Susan,
ReplyDeleteCinDwood Looms makes a large round afghan loom in a number of different gauges. I believe that is the largest round loom currently available. The other option is the Martha Stewart Loom set, which allows you to assemble all of the pieces into a giant loom. You would have either a large gauge or small (3/8 gauge) option. The pegs and pieces for the Martha set can be a little loose, so many people use Gorilla Glue to make them permanent - just don't glue the pegs where the pieces are joined together.