Loom Knitting

Another method of producing knitted fabric is to use a loom or a knitting board. Loom Knitting is quite an old craft that, like other forms of knitting, is gaining popularity again.

Looms tend to be either round, oval or rectangular and most consist of one or two frames with upright pegs. Each peg holds a stitch, to create new rows of knitting the yarn is wrapped around or across the pegs and the existing stitch is hooked and looped over the yarn to form a new stitch.

Loom knitting is gaining in popularity as it is a quick and easy form of knitting. Although many people tend to think loom knitting is limited to stocking stitch, with a bit of imagination and experimentation you can use a knitting loom or frame to do any of the traditional knitting styles.

Types of Looms

There are three main types of knitting looms that you can use, a round loom, a rake or a knitting board.

Most people start their loom knitting careers with a round loom.

These looms are generally made out of either plastic or wood and are available in several different sizes. The gauge of the knitting produced on these looms is set by the distance between the pegs and the thickness of the yarn you use for your work.

With a round loom you can either knit a 'tube' or a straight piece of knitting. To knit a tube you just continue knitting around the loom in a clockwise direction until your knitting is the length you desire.

To create a straight piece you knit all the stitches on the loom from the right to the left and then knit all of the stitches back from the left to the right.

A long loom is similar to a knitting board (see below) but are generally made out of plastic rather than timber. These looms consist of two rows of pegs with a central peg at each end of the loom to complete a circle of pegs.

A rake is a frame with a single row of pegs, so each row has a definite starting point and end. You can only do flat knitting (a straight piece) on this type of loom.

A knitting board consists of two rakes joined together with a gap in between. Knitting boards are the most versatile type of loom, as they can be used to knit 'tubes', straight pieces in double knit (knit stitches on both sides of the piece) and quickly and easily handles rib.

Knitting Loom Instructions

Although knitting on a loom is very easy, it always helps if you have some instructions!

For example - wouldn't you like to know how to:

• Cast On Quickly
• Cast On Firmly
• Form Knit Stitches
• Form Twisted Knit Stitches
• Form Purl Stitches and
• Cast Off

Where to Get a Loom

Knitting looms and boards are reasonably difficult to find in Australia, you probably won't find them in traditional craft stores. And don't bother trying Amazon if you are Australian, very few of the suppliers will ship to Australia, but if you live elsewhere you could give it a go:

If you are an Australian maybe you could try Ebay:

How about some instructional Books or DVD's?

There are no problems with getting the books and dvd's shipped internationally, but if you are going to buy a DVD please make sure that the one you are buying either plays in your region or is for all regions.

Want to Make Your Own Loom?

If you can't find a knitting loom or knitting board in the stores, you might like to try making one of your own!

It is not that difficult, you will need a few tools (power tools, if you are short on elbow grease like me) and of course, some instructions, but it is very do-able!

Looking for a Pattern?

To be honest at the moment I do not have very many patterns ready for you. Eventually I will have pattern books available in the Knitting Naturally Store and one or two will be available on the site as soon as I can create them!

In the meantime, here is one for a garter stitch scarf to keep you going!

When you are ready for something a bit more challenging, try this pattern for a textured scarf.