Weaving Frame

A simple weaving frame can be made by making incisions in both ends of strong cardboard.

With a heavy ball of string, cover the frame. Start at one of the edges and thread the frame up and around each incision. Then fasten and cut. You can use any flexible material, for example, wool, ribbon, yarn, fabric strips, raffia, twigs, etc. The more variation, the more interesting the result will be. The children could experiment with twisting yarn together before weaving, to achieve interesting texture variations. A piece of card or a ruler may be used to hold up the thread to make the weaving easier.

When finished, pull off the frame and cut the loops and the side and tie knots. Children particularly enjoy weaving with great variety. Be sure that they can do paper-weaving before they use a frame.

Circle Loom Coaster

Begin with a circle of cardboard, notched around the circumference. Punch a hole at the center of the circle.

Wind string around the cardboard, beginning at any point on the circumference, through the center, moving forward one notch each time, until the string is wound around the circle. Tie loose ends.

Beginning at the center, weave yarn over and under, using any pattern the child wishes. This can be completed in one color, or the child may choose to make contrasting stripes.

Variation

The fan loom is a variation of the circle loom. After cutting the desired shape out of stiff cardboard, notch the edges, as shown. Sew a small ring to the bottom of the loom frame, on both the front and back sides. Attach the warp thread to the ring on the back side. Wind the warp threads across the notched edge through the ring on the front, and through the next notch to the back ring. Complete in the same way.

Beginning at one side, weave yarn over and under, using any pattern the child wishes. This can be completed in one color, or the child may choose to make contrasting stripes.

Oatmeal or Salt Box Loom

Mark off notches at the top and bottom of the box 1/2' apart. String the vertical warp up and down, winding around the notches. Attach yarn to the end of a popsicle stick needle, and weave in and out of the warp.

When the weaving is finished, remove it from the loom. If desired, the bottom can be closed, using a slip stitch, and a handle attached to make a shoulder bag.

Woven Bag

Material

• A piece of moderately stiff cardboard the size of the finished bag.
• A long blunt needle with a big eye
• Yarn - a variety of colors
• Pencil, ruler, scissors, comb

Presentation

The bag will be woven over the cardboard, and will be complete when removed from the loom. To make the loom, decide which edge will be the open edge in the finished bag. Make a series of marks for slots along that edge of the cardboard, about 1/4" apart. If possible, have the marks at the corners closer than 1/4 inch. Using scissors, cut into the cardboard at the marks, about 1/8". This is your loom.

To warp the loom, wrap the loom vertically, wedging the end of the yarn in the first notch. Let the free end hang out about 6 inches. Bring the warp thread down over one side of the cardboard, around the bottom, and up the other side, wedging it in the first notch as before. Bring it immediately sideways back through the second notch. Tighten the thread both where it goes around the bottom of the cardboard, and where it crosses from notch to notch, so that it lies straight.

Bring the yarn around the bottom of the cardboard, up into notch two, and immediately sideways through notch three. Keep the yarn tight. It is important to never go over the top edge of the loom with the yarn, except to come right back through the next notch.

You will end up at the top with an even number of warps around the loom, as many on one side as on the other. Because you need an odd number of threads for the in and out of the weaving to work, cut an extra notch at the bottom corner and end the warp thread there. Leave a few inches to hang free.

Cut a piece of yarn as long as the child's outstretched arm can reach, and thread through the blunt needle. Show the child to begin weaving at the bottom of the loom, over and under across the first side of the bag. Pull the yarn through until the far end just enters the weaving. With a comb, show her to push the "weft" yarn down as closely as possible to the bottom of the bag.

Turn the cardboard over to weave across the other side of the bag. It is important to start the back row the opposite way from the way finished the front row was finished. Weave under and over. When the child returns to the first side to begin the second row of weaving, show her to just weave the opposite way from the first row. Continue in this way.

When she runs out of yarn, cut a new piece and overlap for about four or five warp threads. If she wishes, she may change colors.

When the weaving reaches the top of the cardboard, the bag is finished. Slip the warps at the top the the bag out of their notches and slide the bad down off its cardboard loom. Using a blunt end needle, weave the loose ends inconspicuously back into the weave of the bag.

The bag can be closed with a loop and a button, and a handle could be attached if desired. It could be decorated with fringe, beads, or a tassel.

Finger Weaving

Materials

Yarn

Fingers

Show the child to wind the yarn over and under the fingers of her non-dominant hand. Begin by holding the yarn between the thumb and first finger.

Wind over and under the fingers (don't include the thumb) four times, so that two loops of yarn are around each finger.

Looking at the palm of the hand, have the child slip the bottom loop over the top of each finger.

The woven loops will fall over the back of the hand. Continue to weave by winding over and under the fingers twice, so that there are two loops of yarn on each finger, and proceed to lift the bottom loops over the top of the fingers. It helps to bend the fingers when lifiting the loops over. From time to time, tighten the weave by pulling on the end piece of yarn.

Continue in this way, weaving a rope of yarn that can be used for many purposes: coiled into a mat or rug, used as a headband, belt, a fancy tie for packages, etc. This is quite effective made with variegated yarn. Tie on new segments with a square knot.

If the child wishes to stop working temporarily, slip a pencil through the finger loops. This will keep it from unraveling.

When the finger weaving is completed, cut off the yarn four or five inches from the end, and simply weave the end of the yarn through the finger loops a couple of times, and pull.