Ms. Deb's Loom Knitting Journey

This is how the journey started, and now it has become my total lifestyle.

I went with friend to a Senior Center to learn how to crochet. I knew a little bit about that craft, I could do a single crochet chain, but I did not know much more than that. I ended up learning how to Loom Knit instead. This is basically how a plastic knitting loom changed a hobby into a like style for me.

So, a neighbor friend suggested that we go to the local Senior Center to learn how to crochet. The first day we went to the Senior Center they weren’t having a crochet class; we were there on the wrong day. We took their activity schedule and returned the next week. When we arrived, the table was filled with older Ladies and their crochet projects. There was no real teacher, just a room full of senior with years of experience in knitting and crocheting. One lady spoke up and asked me what I wanted to learn; I had sat there all this time making an endless crochet chain. With confidence in my voice I said, I want to learn how to crochet, do you have a pattern or particular item you want to make. The puzzled look on my face gave me away, of course, I had no Idea. So, another lady showed me how to look for a hole to put the hook in. I made an attempt at that until the end of class, I had no plans to go back. My friend who was a neighbor from another building and much younger than I, wanted to go back so, I said OK.

This time when we arrived, we found lots of different ladies with seemingly more complex crochet projects. Some of the previous ladies weren’t there? Most of the seats seemed to be occupied with people or bags of yarn and other items. I didn’t notice that there was an elderly man sitting at the table, till he spoke up and said you can sit here. He moved the items that were occupying the seat, and I sat down. I noticed as I sat down that he was rolling pieces of yarn into a ball. He introduced himself and his Wife who was sitting across the table from him. After that everyone around the table started to introduce themselves and told me a little bit about the projects they were working on.

I continued to go back, some days there was a lunch special and no crochet classes at all, just eating and talking. Then one day I went to the crochet class, and I sat down beside the same elderly man. I notice his yarn ball had gotten very big and very colorful. The out of his bag he pulled out a round plastic item with pegs all around it. It reminded me of a toy I had as a kid. Instead of paying attention to my crochet project, I was very interested in what he was doing. He took that large ball of yarn and started wrapping it around the pegs on this round plastic object. Then he took a hook and started looping the yarn over the pegs. Wow! I thought to myself, this looks just like the toy I use to make ropes and hot pad out of as a kid. I had noticed that some of the ladies would save their yarn scraps and give them to the elderly man. Then he’d tie them together and wrap it around his ball of yarn. I was beside myself with curiosity, and class would be over soon. So, I asked the man what he was doing. I knew it definitely was not crochet or knitting. He told me that it was loom Knitting, I mentioned my childhood toy and since he was much older than me, he knew exactly what I was talking about. He reached in his bag of self-made yarn balls and pulled out a beautiful beanie. He explained that he never buys yarn, he just collects the scraps from all the ladies in the crochet and knitting classes and ties them together and makes beanies. I watched him a little while longer, somehow this looked easier than crochet and for sure a lot easier than knitting. I asked the elderly man, where could I buy one of those looms and would he teach me how to make beanies. He said, why of course.

I left class that day and went straight to Joann Fabric and bought a set of looms and yarn. When I returned to class the following week, I was ready to learn how to make beanies. I only got a few lessons from the elderly man, as he got ill and stopped coming to the Senior Center. No one else at the Senior Center knew anything about Loom Knitting. The Senior Center started having funding issues, they cut hours and eventually closed. Thank goodness for my young neighbor friend, finding You Tube. The two of us watched Loom Knitting tutorials to figures out how to make beanies. Soon, my little Loom Knitting Hobby became an obsession, and the Journey began.