Freecycle finds

Weaving is something I’ve always wanted to try, ever since I experimented with a plastic toy loom as a child. I was really excited to see weaving looms advertised on Freecycle, and even more excited when they arrived at my door! A local school was throwing out the old stock from its home-economics department, and I got two looms and a knitting machine.

The knitting machine is a Bond one, and looks as if it dates from the 70s. I’ve not had it out of the box yet, but it looks as if all the bits are there, and there should be instructions that I can follow. The looms are a bit more confusing though. This one is a children’s toy, probably from the 60s.

There are basic instructions inside the box, which are beautifully old-fashioned. The user is advised to start off with scraps of wool from “Mother’s sewing box”. There is supposed to be a pattern book included, which has obviously gone missing at some point, but I think I should be able to work out how to thread and use the loom, as everything else appears to be there.

The other loom is much more confusing though. This one is larger, about 12 by 18 inches. It has a project on it already, made with string, raffia and wool.

I’m not sure how it’s supposed to work though. I don’t really know much about weaving looms, but I thought that you should be able to wind the completed work round one end, so that you could make a piece of cloth that’s longer than the length of the loom. There are also these pieces of cloth attached to rollers at either end, which have wooden slats tied to the edges of them.

I don’t have a box or any instructions for this loom, so I’m not sure how to identify it. If anyone knows how to use it, or can point me in the right direction for some advice, that would be really helpful! I can’t wait to get experimenting.