Here's a new item for my wish list, the EvenKnit Sock Loom from DecorAccents Looms. Isela and her husband developed this item to please loom sock knitters--you can make socks for your entire family on this loom instead of purchasing different sizes for little feet or big feet. Also, instead of the e-wrap, this loom uses a zig-zag method. Instead of wrapping each peg, you simply weave the yarn in front of the pegs and behind the pins, then knit off! Super knifty! (Here's her .PDF instructions. Knowing Isela, a video tutorial isn't far off.)
I think at over $90, this may be a future Christmas gift and not just a little splurge. However, I must say that the DA Looms are lovely, well-made, and something a future loom knitter will be ecstatic to find in a treasure box 100 years from now, so the price is worth it, but with my budget, it does rank as a "super special" gift.
Besides, my one try at using a sock loom was pretty disastrous. I started out with my lovely EFG DA Oval Sock Loom, but didn't get past the toe. It seems that my eyes and very close, tiny knitting don't get along, and as a result the loom has been gathering dust for over a year. I've often considered swapping it with someone who owns a FG sock loom to see if a larger gauge would keep me interested. It's possible I'm simply not a sock knitter; but with an entire skein of bamboo sock yarn waiting for a purpose in life, I feel compelled to try again.
I bought this hand-dyed wool blend this weekend, and at first I wasn't certain I was wise to spend that $25. (Yes, $25!). The colors, although lovely, seemed to cry out "baby blanket." However, now that I see it on the Weave-it, I sorta like it. It could even turn it into something other than a baby blanket, especially since I don't know anyone with a baby, and I don't have a long enough attention span to make a blanket. The nice thing about Weave-it squares is that you can keep on weaving them and then decide what you're going to make after you have a nice pile.
These are my first two squares made with my pre-patented Weave-it with the goofy numbering. After I read Jana's instructions, I was able to correctly wind the yarn and weave the 4th row. Thanks, Jana!
