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First time at the loom!

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Last week, on a whim, I bought my first loom. I hadn't woven anything in maybe 15 years—the last time was at summer camp, and then the "loom" was a tiny piece of cardboard with slits cut into the top and bottom for the warp threads. (Remember those?) Lately, though, I've been looking to bring more mind-quieting activities into my day-to-day, and I remembered how much I enjoyed weaving as a kid.
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The loom (above, 30-pound pup for scale): a $25 adjustable wood loom from Melissa & Doug, picked up on Amazon. It's fairly large for a lap loom (17 x 23 inches) and very kid- and beginner-friendly. I think I'll be able to use it for a while before upgrading, though I'll definitely need to swap out the shuttle, which is oversized and blunt and made for safety rather than precision.
The yarn: I spent about $15 at my local yarn shop on acrylic/wool blends in neutral colors. Next time, I'd like to play around with chunkier textures for more dimension and thinner yarns for more intricate patterns. But for a "getting the basics down" first project, these did the trick.
The result: a 12 x 17-inch wall weaving with wood beads and a simple twig-and-twine mount... kind of a solar system-y vibe going on. There are some things I like about it, and a lot I know I can improve on. At first, this was more about the process for me than the finished product, but now I'm getting excited about all the techniques I can learn to add visual interest. This feels like a pretty good start!
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Anyone have favorite weaving resources to share? (I've been real deep into #weaverfever on Instagram...)
Would love to see some other first projects, too—woven or otherwise. Happy crafting, y'all!
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sora.b
118
Aug 3, 2016
Nice weaving! For resources, I follow @maryannemoodie, @meghanshimek, @jeanniemakes, and @_jujujust_ on instagram. Here's my first (and last) project... need to get back into it again!
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kristinaten
510
Aug 3, 2016
sora.bThat's beautiful, @sora.bai! Love the pattern and texture. The one I'm working on now is proving to be quite ambitious (maybe too ambitious), but I'm learning a lot from it. These 'grammers are awesome. I like Maryanne's idea of painting her designs before weaving them. I think I'll have to pick up her new book!
LisaC
30
Jul 29, 2016
Very cool, kristinaten. That's an awesome first project. I love to try out new and unique craft projects. This might just be next on my "to try" list. It doesn't seem that you have to invest a lot to get started on a fun new hobby.
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