Tuesday, January 24, 2012

Weaving A Pot Holder With a Loop Loom

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One of the best parts about homeschooling is that you can pick and choose different styles of education that you like and work well for your family. One of the things that I really liked about Charlotte Mason style of education is the incorporation of handy crafts that are practical. As Little BBQ’s first handy craft we decided to have him make a pot holder for his play kitchen using a loop weaving loom.
Loop weaving looms are very inexpensive. I found one a few days before Christmas on clearance at Michaels that came with a weaving needle (you can use a crochet needle if your kit does not come with a needle) and cotton loops. I showed Little BBQ how to weave the first row. Then, he tried to weave by himself but he lacked the coordination to keep track of the over and under pattern and get the loop to where he wanted it, so I helped him with his first weaving project. Next time I will help him weave less until he can finally complete a pot holder on his own. Our kit came with enough loops to complete four pot holders. I predict that he will be able to weave by himself by the forth pot holder. This project took us 3 different sessions to complete. The first time that we weaved Little BBQ only had enough patience to weave for 4 rows. The second time that we weaved, he again lasted 4 rows. However, on the third session he was able to finish the rest of the pot holder. I finished off the sides for him since it was not clear even to me while reading the directions how to finish off the pot holder. Next time I will show Little BBQ how to finish off the sides. The only thing that surprised me about the weaving was how much the pot holder shrank when we took it off the loom. The pot holder really is only good for play dishes.
A loop weaving loom is great for early elementary students. Concepts that can be explored by using a loop weaving loom include counting by twos and pattern making. Weaving is also good for fine motor skills that early writers need to develop in order to write clearly.


3 comments:

  1. The cotton loops are much better than nylon since it is thicker and doesn't melt, and wool loops are even better. The wool ones are available from Harrisville Designs http://www.harrisville.com/history_of_harrisville_designs.htm, a mill in New Hampshire that sells weaving and knitting kits as well.

    I made potholders as gifts for the aunties when I was a child and now my kids do the same. I haven't bought a potholder in 30 years!

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    Replies
    1. Kat, thank you for the tip! I will have to look into wool loops.

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  2. I second Kat! I'm a mom who still gets a kick out of making these... :-)

    http://philwife.blogspot.com/2012/02/pot-holders-potholders-pot-holders-you.html

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