Review: Oval Loom Knit Collection

When I think of loom knitting, I usually think of hats and tube scarves, because to me that’s what looms are for. You’re supposed to use all the pegs all the time, right?

The truth is you can use just a few of the pegs, or all of them, work back and forth in rows or in the round, even knit and purl to make different textures on the surface of your knitting project, all with the same tool.

Oval Loom Knit Collection by Kathy Norris shows some of the great variety of projects that can be done with a loom, including a baby blanket, bib and booties, a cowl, armwarmers, a hat, a pillow and a throw.

Most of the projects are pretty easy for people who are new to loom knitting, but the few bigger or more challenging projects make this book a nice choice for people with a few simple projects under their belts as well. Instructions for the basic stitches are included in the back of the book.

Loom knitting is a great way to make a knit fabric that’s easier for some people than knitting with needles, and even if you can knit with needles it’s still fun sometimes to explore other options.

Have you ever used an oval loom? I’d love to know what you made.

About the book: 32 pages, paperback, 8 patterns (3 beginner, 1 easy, 2 easy+, 2 intermediate). Published November 2016 by Leisure Arts. Retail price $11.99.

Sometimes when I’m scrolling through Ravelry a pattern will catch my eye as much because of the name as the look of the design (which is a little hard to see in those little thumbnails sometimes, anyway).

So it was with the Stellify shawl by Paola Albergamo. Stellify means to turn into a star, and the name and the story behind the shawl come from the story of Ariadne. The better known part of her story is that she helped Theseus escape from the Minotaur, but he then abandoned her. What comes after in many stories is that Dionysus found her, fell in love with her and later married her.

When he threw her jeweled crown into the sky, the Corona Borealis constellation was formed.

What does all this have to do with shawl knitting?

The shawl itself looks like it has a scattering of stars on it, as if it, too, has been stellified. The shawl begins with an I-cord tap and is shaped into a triangular shawl with both lateral and central increases. I-cord edging is incorporated into the sides, and the colorwork is done with mosaic knitting, which means this shawl is easier than it looks.

Mosaic knitting has you working with just one color per row, slipping stitches that appear in the other color to make the colorwork visible. Even better for people new to this kind of colorwork, the pattern includes written and charted instructions throughout so it should be easy to follow along.

The pattern comes in two sizes (the larger one is shown here) and calls for two colors of fingering weight yarn. It looks great in black and yellow, but don’t miss the other projects on Ravelry to see other fun and beautiful color options.

You can find the pattern in English and Italian on Ravelry.

[Photo: Paola Albergamo]

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