I have been experimenting with placemats made out of sock waste.
Trying to find my mojo if you will.
Wanting to take them off the loom, tie the fringe, set them out to take a photo, and say, "AHHH."
So first I came up with these.
They are made with the scarf waste from Solmate socks, and have a lot of black in them.
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OK, but they didn't really move me.
Second, I used the heel strips to make these with the fringe-y sides.
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And third try got me these.
Made from the toe clips or loopers that you get when you sew the end of the sock, and cut the waste off.
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These are my favorite, hands down. I call them 'fiesta placemats'.
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Now if you've been reading my blog, you probably already know that my brain is cranked up on high most of the time. Sometimes that is exhausting, but other times, it rewards me with a lot of creativity.
I recently was puzzled about what to do with my thousands of pounds of sock loopers. I sold some to other weavers, and that was good. But if my husband is right, and occasionally he is (please don't tell him, I have to live with him, ya know) I will not live long enough to weave all the stuff I have.
So I got to thinking. Surprise!
Remember the potholder looms that were around when you were a kid? Well, they are still around. Mostly made of plastic, they make a small, pretty flimsy, potholder.
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The loopers I have will not work on this small loom, they are too big.
So I am working on getting a prototype for a bigger potholder loom, one that I can market as a kit, with all the vibrantly colorful loopers that are in the Solmate sock rugs.
Here are some of the larger potholders made on a 9" loom. I think you will agree with me....they are gorgeous.
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If you are interested in being one of the first ones to try it out, be sure to let me know. I am starting a list.
The potholders are thick and substantial. You can weave one with NO previous weaving experience.
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And now, I am crashing, which is sometimes what happens when I cruise along at those high speeds.
It is called 'being a couch potato'.
I know, I need more practice.
17 comments:
I'm telling ya... you're a genius! The pot holders are wonderful and I hope you sell a boat load of them!
Di
You mean something like CraftSanity's looms?
http://www.etsy.com/listing/49514827/craftsanity-potholder-loom
I can't believe you made those out of pieces of socks ... you are amazing! Truly!
I would love to be one of the first to try. Let me know please. :)
I had a sturdy metal loom as a child and made potholders for Christmas gifts. I remember the joy of that project like it was yesterday. Thanks for the memory. And those potholders are nice and flexible and hold up for a long time.
Count me in if you get to the kit stage....I love the fiesta placemats. They have just the right look!
Please count me in. I used to adore doing those potholders and still have one.
And I love those placemats.
I agree, I like the last group of placemats the best, too.
Hi Hilary,
I absolutely love the placemats. How can I get some loopers from you???? Count me in for a potholder loom. I made them all the time when I was a kid.
I love your kit idea. Recently one of the ladies from my book group emailed me. Her 9-year-old granddaughter wants to learn to weave. I was scratching my head until I though of loopers. She told me last book group that her granddaughter is enthralled. You really need to push this. Linda's granddaughter would agree :)
Count me in, too...would love to create some useful pretties of me own!
Those placemats are DELISH!!!!
I love the idea of the potholder loom, I just finished tossing one out that was bent out of shape :( As for the placemats I like them all especially the ones with the fringe all around. You know everyone has different taste on design so anything you weave up will have someone whipping out their wallets.
I would love to weave potholders---when I was little, the park board had a summer activity program for kids, and I was a potholder-weaving fool. Oh man. . .'spose I could remember how we wove those lanyard things, too?
Brenda.
How clever!!!!!!! The hotholders are amazing!
I like number three placemats too. They make me happy.
I'm ready to relive a part of my childhood. Please count me in!
Looks like you've have a great idea here. Why am I not surprised?
The pot holders are great! Please put me on your list....can't wait!
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