Mom got a new work table for her birthday and I decided to make her coasters on our zoom loom. A zoom loom is a kind of pin loom. Pin looms have been around since the 1930’s. They are easy to use and don’t use very much yarn. My coaster turned out pretty good. But then I had another idea…
I think I can do a square start to finish in under an hour and the directions that come with a zoom loom are very well written. (Poorly written directions really annoy me.) I chose schoppel wool for my project. The slow color changes made really colorful sheep and the wool was really nice to weave with. I also used CoBaSi for a non wool sheep and I really liked weaving with it too.
Working a simple little square is just a very satisfying project. Mom and I have been enjoying listening to Audible while we work. We are almost finished with To Kill a Mockingbird performed by Sissy Spacek.
Once you have a square done, you can stop there, or you can make your square into something else. I have seen lots of kits to make animals, but I wanted to be able to make something with one square, so a sheep was the purrrrrfect choice. (My cat Mocha thinks so too!)
The legs would be easy enough to make using pipe cleaners, but we had mini clothespins and I think they are cute also. I save an extra couple of feet of yarn for sewing up, but I also use the leftover tails to draw up the ends of the square. First I secure the clothespins inside the square and place the stuffing. If you try to stuff it after, it shifts the clothespins around and the legs don’t stay put. If you decide to sew up the square completely and then clip the legs on after, your sheep looks like his mama was a giraffe and his legs are way too long.
Basically I just place the legs and stitch around it until it feels like it won’t move around too much. Here are a couple of pictures with the pipe cleaner legs. Place the stuffing carefully around the legs so they don’t get moved around. If you just stuff it in, the legs get out of place.
On each end I use a running stitch and draw it up. Whichever end is smooth gets to be the rear of the sheep. If it’s a little more uneven when I draw it up, that can be the head. We will be sewing a felt head on, so any uneven bits will get covered up.
I used safety eyes on some of my sheep, but wiggle eyes work too. The ones with wiggle eyes remind me of characters from the animated series Shaun the Sheep. The head is really easy. I just cut that freehand out of felt. And I don’t use a pattern so each one is similar, but unique.
I also used craft pins so I could hang a sheep on my bag. I just used the holes already present in the weaving to attach it to the back. How fun is that?
I’m sharing one with my pen pal! They would be great to top a crafty gift instead of a bow, or tuck in a skein of yarn for a little surprise for your favorite knitter.
Next month I’m going to be using the easy marble to create some fun shoes for summer, and I am looking at creative ideas for a blanket for Mocha.
I am also talking to my Dad about going on a little trip somewhere fun and I’ll be sharing that too!
Tools and Materials Appearing in This Post
ABOUT
Cee Cee Creech is growing up in a home full of creativity. Mom BeLinda loves making things, and Cee Cee loves it too. In 2011, Cee Cee changed their lives when she wanted to knit elephants to comfort the residents of Joplin, MO after a tornado destroyed their town.
This mom/daughter team has raised thousands of dollars, and made/distributed toys for charities all over the world. Today, Cee Cee is a high school student, curious maker, and the teen craft ambassador for Makers’ Mercantile. Follow their adventures on the Craft Corner.
These are so cute. Would live yo make some for my knit group
Where did you get those craft pins ?
Thanks
The pins came from Makers’ Mercantile. They would be so fun to make for a knit group! Great idea.