Renee Van Hoy Designs Innovative Patterns for Loom Knitters

Friday, July 19, 2013

The Wingspan for Loom Knitters e-book

I am very excited to share with you the new Wingspan ebook for Loom Knitters. The ebook includes an updated version of the original Wingspan for Loom Knitters pattern, the new “Wingspan in Lace for Loom Knitters” pattern, and a section on sizing your Wingspan.

Both Wingspan patterns may be sized as a scarf, shawlette or shawl. The patterns are flexible and have gauge options for small (3/8 inch), medium (1/2 inch), and large (3/4 inch) gauge looms. Yarn weight options are given for fingering, DK, worsted and bulky weight yarns.

Wingspan in Lace has four lace designs that may be used all at once, or in any variation you prefer. You may even make a beaded Wingspan.

Variations are endless. With this pattern e-book, you will be able to create your own, very unique Wingspan.

The e-book comes in two formats, large print 24 point font, and a 12 point paper-saver version. A photo gallery and cover are also included.

Wingspan for Loom Knitters
e-book $8.00 US

Thursday, July 11, 2013

July Looming

There is plenty of good looming news for July. As always, the loom-a-long group over at Ravelry is busy with a new loom-a-long. The July-August theme is "The Kitchen Sink". We have a pile of wonderful kitchen themed patterns perfect for early holiday gift looming. The Indian Corn Hotpad by Brenda Myers is especially popular. Continuing through the end of the month are the wonderful Striped Pull-on Pants by Bethany Daily, from her lovely book, "Loom Knitting for Little People". Two "on-going" loom-a-longs are also open to join, one for the Leafy Sea Dragon Scarf, and the other for loom knit fingerless mitts.

I also have some news about the Wingspan for Loom Knitters pattern. All the versions of Wingspan have been free patterns for several years. There have been problems with the needle knit version of the pattern being stolen by several large yarn companies, so the designers of all the versions of Wingspan will be changing the patterns to paid patterns to support Maylin, the original Wingspan designer. What does this mean for you? Well, your free pattern will stay the same, and will stay in your Ravelry library. But, after July 20th, there will be a new, paid pattern - actually, two patterns. I'm revising the original Wingspan for Loom Knitters to include several size options and loom options, and I'm writing a new lace Wingspan as well. I hope you'll enjoy the new and improved Wingspans.

Another thing in the works is a Mystery Shawl Loom-a-long, suggested by the Loom Knitters Group on Ravelry. There is a poll going to help choose a date for the loom-a-long. Please come and vote. More details about this latter, but the photo at the top is a small hint.

Thursday, June 27, 2013

The Spanish Looms

A few months ago, a member of the Ravelry Loom Knitters Group spied an unusual loom on Ebay in France. The seller was Spanish, so one of our members who spoke Castilian Spanish offered to help translate. The result was the discovery of "The Spanish Looms". We've affectionately named them the "Elivra Looms" after the very nice lady who sells them. What are these mystery looms? Well, at first glance, they looked like copies of the basic Knifty Knitter looms, in very pretty colors. But, what peeked everyone's curiosity was the extra holes between each of the pegs. And, there were extra pegs to put in them. So, we were looking at looms in a smaller gauge, with an awful lot of sizes, at reasonable prices. When the first batch arrived, our hopes were confirmed. The looms were indeed about a 3/8 inch gauge when the extra pegs were added. There were 9 looms, 4 long and 5 round. Unlike the Martha Stewart looms, the pegs for the Elivra looms snapped into place evenly, with the grooves automatically facing outward. The pegs are about the same size as the small Martha loom pegs. The plastic was smooth, but not slippery, and the looms were sturdy. The colors were fun, with a translucence that made us want to find a way to put lights inside of them. The group next placed a bulk order with Elvira, and ten members received the wonderful looms. So far, everyone is delighted with them, so it seemed time to tell you all about them.

The pegs counts and rough measurements are as follow:

Round set (when all pegs in) :

Small pink : 20 pegs. Almost 1/2 inch gauge.
Green : 44 pegs. 3/8 minus 1/32 inch gauge.
Purple : 62 pegs. 3/8 minus 1/32 inch gauge.
Blue : 72 pegs. 3/8 inch gauge.
Big rose : 82 pegs. 3/8 plus 1/32 inch gauge.

Long set (when all pegs in) :

All have a 3/8 plus 1/32 inch gauge.
Purple : 52 pegs.
Rose : 76 pegs.
Blue : 100 pegs.
Green : 124 pegs.

The link to Elvira's Ebay store is:

http://www.ebay.com/sch/bufandastoreonline/m.html

I used Google translate to help me order (I had to have the largest long loom once the round set arrived.)

Loom Knit Shawls II ebook

$12.00 US

Friday, June 7, 2013

June 2013 is a very exciting month for loom knitters. In fact, I thing it should be declared "Loom Knitting Month". And here is what we are celebrating:

A huge, free, wonderful database just for Loom Knit patterns on Ravelry. Up until two weeks ago, Ravelry had a pattern database for knitting and crochet patterns. Yes, there were many loom knit patterns in the database, but they were hard to locate, and not really part of Ravelry. With the new database, in just barely two weeks, 650 patterns are now in the "loom knitting" category, and there are another 200 soon to be added.

What does this mean? It means you may go to Ravelry and easily search the database. You will find patterns, books, and best of all, projects made by other loom knitters. Yes - Ravelry not only added patterns to the database, they gave us a loom knitting project catagory, too.

Now it is up to the loom knitters and designers to build up this database, add their projects, link them to the patterns, so we have a wonderful place to look for loom knitting information and patterns.

And if that wasn't enough - there are new looms this month! My very favorite, CinDwood Crafts, has added a 5/8 inch gauge (the same gauge as the old round Purple Knifty Knitter Loom). The looms are special order only at this time. This gauge comes in sets of 4 round looms, for the same cost as the 1/2 inch looms.

Kiss Looms has just released an extra fine gauge, 3/16 inch loom, in two sizes. It is a little different from the other Kiss looms, as it only has the front pins, no back row of pegs. The loom is adjustable, too. It is great to have an adjustable, extra fine gauge loom available.

Now for the Loom-a-long updates: the "On-going Leafy Sea Dragon Scarf" loom-a-long continues to be very active, with lots of ruffles being made. The Fingerless Mitts Quest continues throughout June, and the new June/July loom-a-long is a darling pair of striped pants from Bethany Daily's wonderful book "Loom Knitting for Little People". You may read about all of the loom-a-longs and join in at the Ravelry Loom-a-long group.

Blooming Loom ebook

Loom Knit Shawls Vol II

The Shapely Loom ebook

Loom Knit Shawls Vol I

Wednesday, May 8, 2013

May Loom-a-Longs and a Pattern

May is the start of a long anticipated Loom-a-long on Ravelry. With tongues in cheeks, we call this one "Fingerless Mitts: The Quest for the Perfect Thumb." We have a variety of free patterns to try out, with and without thumbs, and a lot of brainstorming about how to add a comfortable thumb to our mitts. Since so many loom knitters suffer from hand problems, having a comfortable mitt is something many have wanted to try. Please come and join the Ravelry Loom-a-long group, try a pattern, suggest a pattern, and make mitts, with or without thumbs.

In honor of the fingerless mitt loom-a-long, I have a new pattern for a pair of lacy mitts. The "Fit for Tea Mitts" may be made on a 1/2 inch gauge loom, with 21, 22 or 25 pegs. They are worked in the round, and have a lacy cast on and cast off, and a little bit of lace on the cuff and at the fingers. They have no thumb - but perhaps we will solve that in the loom-a-long. I hope you enjoy the pattern.
Fit for Tea Mitts $2.49 US

Continuing from last month is the Daisy Chain Sweater loom-a-long. The sweater is a fast knit, so if you would still like to join in and try the pattern, please do. And even though the official loom-a-long has ended, there are still quite a few people working on the Leafy Sea Dragon Scarf.

Loom Knit Shawls Vol. II
ebook $12.00

Monday, April 15, 2013

April Looming Around the Net

There are two fun Loom-a-longs in the Ravelry Loom-a-long Group this month. The first, a repeat by request, is the Leafy Sea Dragon Scarf seen in the photo above. This is a one month loom-a-long, for April only, but of course you may join in any time, and work at your own pace. The second Loom-a-long will last through May, and the pattern is the Daisy Chain Sweater, a lace pullover sweater that has the look of crochet. I've rewritten and updated the pattern to provide more sizing information, as well as a new option for making the sleeves. More information about the patterns is available on the linked pattern pages, as well as in the Loom-a-long Group. I hope you will be able to join in one or both of the loom-a-longs.

Monday, April 1, 2013

Drum Roll - Time for the Drawing!

It's time to draw the prize winners for the drawing. The official "What Would Jane Knit" bag has been filled with the names of everyone who purchased a book during March (one entry for every book.) Good luck everyone!

The first prize is a wonderful loom knitting bag. And the winner is...

Judy Davis. Congratulations Judy!

The second prize is two skeins of Kuka/Ice yarn. And the winner is...

Twila Zoener. Congratulations Twila!

Third Prize is a Knifty Knitter Loom set (yellow loom, blue loom, spool loom, loom clips and loom clip booklet.) And the winner is...

Jennifer Wales! Woo hoo Jennifer!

Fourth prize is a Purple Knifty Knitter Hat Loom. And the winner is...

Melitza Calderon. Way to go Melitza!

Fifth Prize is a Provo Craft ergonomic loom pick and crochet hook set. And the winner is...

Pamela Gaffney. Congratulation Pamster!

Sixth prize is a Knifty Knitter book set (Loom Crafts for the Knifty Knitter, and Pamphlets I, II and III.) And the winner is ...

Barbara Perkins. Congratulations Barbara!

The last prize is a free single pattern from Invisible Loom. And the winner is...

Everyone else. Watch for an email from me with your prize notification. Winners of the first six prizes will need to send me your shipping address. You may send it as a comment from this blog, (which will never be seen publicly), email me, or contact me through Ravelry. Thanks everyone for celebrating the new book with me.
Copyright 2013 by Renee Van Hoy, Invisible Loom. All rights reserved.