BACKSTRAP LOOM

Laverne Waddington has an excellent tutorial on backstrap weaving on her blog and on Weavezine.com. She also has a backstrap weaving group on Ravelry.

I used two strands of different colors for my warp - - one each of red and black cotton warped as one.

After Laverne suggested attaching my loom to a table top with clamps, things went along well.

NEW TOY! THE KUMILOOM!

This Kumiloom seemed like a good Christmas present for my granddaughter who likes fingerloop braiding. I helped her get it going and was so impressed, I had to have one too!

The loom is made of a flexible foam with slots cut in it to hold the strings very firmly so there are no tension issues. The bobbins are terrific. They flip open to wind and flip closed to hold the string securely - - so much so that they are still holding on when only a half wrap is still on the bobbin core. The bobbins snap together in a stack for storage. I got my Kumiloom kit on ebay for $15 including shipping, but there are a number of sources for it.

My spinning wheel threading hooks needed new loops so I dug out my silk – some purchased from Stringpage.com - and dyed some white silk blue (food coloring + vinegar) and here is the result.
The braid on the loom and the blue braid were made with the basic instructions that come with the loom. The black braid is a variation on the basic one.