How to Knit a Scarf on with a Loom Part 1/2

I’m going to demonstrate on how to load your loom, and this is a Wal-Mart 9.99 particular rectangular loom. And this apparently is the easiest way to knit. I’m telling you, it is so fast you can whip off a scarf in just a quick afternoon. And the thing about these Wal-Mart looms is that these teeth and pegs are really spaced apart so actually need a really good thick material in order to cover it. Look at your socks, your socks are constructed in the same way but the teeth are so close together it creates a very fine knit. And because these are so far, I almost like call these alligator jaws because they’re so far apart you really need the material in between in order to create the effect.

Now a lot of people say to use the outside tip as a way to wrap at the first time, don’t bother. You know, you don’t want this thing coming apart on you. So create a slipknot instead. So we’re going to wrap it around your finger twice, the back over the front and then push up so you can backtrack that if you need to. So now, you have the perfect slipknot. I’m right handed so I’m going to put it on the right hand side of my top corner. And I’m going to pull it snug, not too tight, they don’t refund it, and just let the straggler, which I call the loose ends, just fall in between the two. Your material is going to be growing inside the two, inside this actual apparatus.

So what we need to do is we need to start doing a wrap. And if I went like this, it’s not grabbing on to anything. And the problem is that when we take it off the hook, we need it to secure on the other pieces of material. So we can’t wrap it like this. So what we need to do is going on the underside of the peg wrapping up over. And now, we’re going to come on the other side and we’re going to be under and over. Okay, so let’s go to the next one just directly across, so under and over. And now, you can go to the next one. So we’re creating like this zigzag effect. And now, do you see what I was just saying? These strings are kind of wrapping around the peg and that’s what helps and gives it the stipulate to hold it together. So if I went like this, you can see that I didn’t get the same effect so I have to go under, over.

So I find for scarves, nine pegs is actually really sufficient and it makes this project overtly quick. So I better start counting. So one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, okay, and then we’re going to come to the ninth. On the ninth, the last one—so if you went all the way across even if you want ten, this is exactly what you’ll do. You’ll just come into the underside like that. And you’re going to want to hang onto this because if you let it go, it’s all going to fall apart on you. So what you need to do now is just push down gently all the strings to about the halfway point. Don’t go ape crazy and push it all the way to the bottom, you’re just wasting your time. So about halfway.

So now we have to then continue to wrap and going back up. This is casting on. So we finished on this side of the actual peg. And so, just for the ends only is that you go directly across to the next one. So directly across and then we have to rewrap that one that we just came back from going on the over side of it and then going under. And now, jump back up to the next one, so over and under. Do you see that? So we’re creating the same effect.

And so, when you look straight down on this sucker, you’re going to notice, the strings up here, they’re in formation of a pattern but they also appear to be all over the place, and you need that because that’s what’s helping to create the thickness and the quality of your thing. So if you’ve lost your strings or you’ve lost your tension, it will fall apart really quickly on you. So we’re going to get back to the top. So we’re going to end up on this side here, and so we’re just going to pull it back around. Don’t let go of the string yet. So what you want to do is just flip it upon its side, and I’m still holding the string, so you see, I just flipped up still holding it going on the top, and now there are two strings and you’re going to grab the one that’s closest to the bottom and pick it up and throw it over the peg. So now, the very last one is now in place so this will not fall apart on you.

So working down the same side, you’re just going to go and pick the bottom ones up and throw them over the top. Now, crocheting with this kind of string is really difficult, but actually loom knitting and knitting with really fuzzy string is extremely easy because it just stays together.

Now, with this particular project, we’re not rotating this thing like all of the places. It’s not like tingle so we’re just going to flip it up and we just finished on this side so we’re going to start over here. Okay now, this side is very loosey-goosey, so you’re just picking it up and throwing it over, because when it was all on there really tight because one side has now been pushed over the edge, this side becomes extremely loose and fluffy and we’re at the very last one there so we just throw it up over the top. So now, we just want to push down. And as it grows, you’re going to see it coming out of the bottom.

So now, we’re going to start our—that was our casting on so that was our very first cast on. So now we’re on the other side of this peg and now we’re going to go straight across up and over and then back to that peg and then up and over. So I’m going to put it back down. So we’re just going to go up. And again, this pattern looks really random when you look straight down on it but it’s actually very sequential and very well together.

Now, you can see the ball of wool is in the bowl. When you have a ball of wool like that, instead of it running all over the house and your cat is chasing it down, it’s just easier to leave it in a bowl and it rotates really nicely. So we’re back on the bottom and I’m holding it. So I’m just going to flip up, still holding it grabbing the bottom part section, throw it over the top, now that’s locked into place. So now, I’m just going to work my way back on the same side making sure I have both strings as I flip up over.

These scarves will probably take you about four hours but they grow. It’s the quickest four hours you’ll ever have. These are actually really fun to do. Okay, so we just finished on this side so we’re just flipping it up and continuing along. And again, this side is going to be very loosey-goosey because we just pulled the other side off already. So there’s like no pressure to it. You just put your hook behind and it’ll literally just jump off. Okay, and then you just push down a little bit so that they’re about halfway down and grabbing your string again.

So we’re up over here. So straight across, remember, we came around and we’re on this side of these pegs so we come around on the this side of this peg, up and over, and we go back around that first peg again and we just work our way back up. Finding the angles is a little hard because I’m trying to stay within the camera, and also, because this would normally be on my laptop tipped up on its side and I just felt the string fall off. So I might have to put a little more pressure on it or get my aim to be a little bit better. And now, we’re back at the top so we pulled back around toward the center not letting it go, slipping up, take the bottom over the top, and now that’s locked into place again and we just continue along and your scarf is just literally going to grow.

So that is how you cast on and get your project started no matter what you’re doing.