Shots of new 'Mini Loom'

I am learning so much with my new Mini Wave Inkle / table loom by Gilmore Looms.  It is quite a bit smaller than KraftyMax's model, so learning how and where to put my hands in for the warping has added a little bit to the challenge.  However, I do have small hands and not only have I succeeded, I am really starting to get the hang of it. 

So of course I took some pictures and wanted to share them with you.  These are all practice pieces so be kind!

After botching 2 warps in a row, I went for a much shorter, (3 ft.) and much narrow warp, out of yarn that I had tons of.  I only warped one color and I got bored with the actual weaving of it, so I tried floats in the same color as the background.  They are usually done on a striped background and I had been told that they would not show with two tones for the background.  I wanted to see for myself.

Believe it or not I love this tone on tone piece and I intend to do a white and ecru piece very soon.  (I think the floats will show just fine with the right yarns.)  I think one will be matte and the other will have a sheen.  Should be very elegant.

I tried to enlarge this picture, but it got too blurry to see the design any better than this one.

After ruining yet another warp, I again set out smaller, again.  I think this one was around 5 ft. and I am (of course) still having trouble following other people's designs.  I hate looking back and forth to the graph, and un-weaving if I make a mistake in THEIR design. I tried charting my own and found it tedious, (duh) so I just started weaving and doing pick up as the mood hit me.  

I did look at Helen Bress' book and came up with some things that are similar to her designs.  Part of the problem is that I don't always have the same thread count that they (other designers) do.

  I am having so much trouble wrapping my head around this warping business that I am lucky to get it on there at all.  So once its on I just go with it.  It has grown since I took these pictures. it is now about 30 in. long.  

I already had in mind to do a belt for KraftyMax's "hippie chick daughter",   (and then before I could she actually ashed for one, LOL) and I think this one might even be long enough.  If not I have plenty of purple.  It happens to be Kraftymax's, her daughter's, and my daughters favorite color.

This is the beginning and I think the one on the left kind of looks like a flower. 

Of course there will be more pictures when it is completed.  I think I am even going to add beads into the fringe!  Wish me luck and keep following.  Same bat time, same bat channel.