Diana Oleson
So excited my new loom finally arrived! It was easy to put together and to warp. I have always wanted to learn to weave because of the creative and artistic part of it. My goal is to weave a Navajo wall hanging for my guest room. The designing is as much fun as the actual weaving.
My first project was a white mini wall hanging. It only took me three hours to create this really sad looking wall hanging. What I learned from this project was that I wove too tightly, used the wrong yarn, and attached the fringe incorrectly. If at first you don’t succeed, try, try again, so I did. My second mini wall hanging had a butterfly bead. It is better but the fringe still needs work.
My third project is a larger wall hanging and I got the fringe right this time, but my pyramid needs to be redone, it is too short and fat. I will be taking it apart and redoing it with the help of a video I found online. This is going to take more time to make, and I am enjoying the journey.
My husband, Roger, noticed that my loom was sliding around and I had to stand to reach the top of it, so he made me a work table from a door I drove into and knocked off the hinges. It’s not pretty, but it works great! This is called recycling.
The Needle Crafters would love to have weavers join our group. If you are interested in learning to weave but are not really sure you will like it, you can make a loom from just about anything you have lying about your house, and there are a lot of DIY videos on creating a loom from clipboards, to cardboard boxes, to old picture frames. Come join us and we can learn together.
I believe that in life we all need to find our own happiness and what gives us joy in life, especially now with all that is happening in our world.
Before I end this article, I want to thank all of you who have donated yarn and supplies to the Needle Crafters. Our charities will benefit greatly from your generosity.
Here are a few of the charities we are knitting and crocheting for: Operation Christmas Child, Veterans of Eloy and Casa Grande, Morning of Generosity, and Hats & Gloves for Eloy Elementary Schools special program.
Diana Oleson can be reached at [email protected]. Needle Crafters meet on Thursdays from 10 a.m. to noon, in the Creative Arts Center.