Cardboard Loom 2

Creating the pipe-cleaner needle - In weaving this is officially known as the 'Shuttle' and really makes the weaving easier and faster.

It is an optional step if you have a pipe cleaner, or half a pipecleaner

When the yarn is threaded onto the needle the hole can be pressed ‘shut’ to hold the yarn in place and if the yarn is swapped for a new piece the hole can be opened again. This will act as the ‘Shuttle’ in the weaving process.

• Loop the white (or a lighter colored) yarn around the cardboard loom.

This is the warp thread, it is strung over the loom vertically and supports the shape and structure of your weaving.

• The bottom popsicle stick should be woven ‘over and under’ or ‘under and over’ so that it can be used as the ‘Reed’ in the weaving process.

A reed is part of a weaving loom. It is used to separate and space the warp threads, to guide the shuttle's motion across the loom, and to push the weft threads into place.

This is the weft thread, the thread that you weave between the warp threads.

The weft creates your design in the weave.

The technique for a successful weave is ‘over and under’ as shown in the video. The opposite on the return pass ‘under and over’, without pulling too tightly and using the popsicle stick (the Reed) at the bottom of the work to keep the weaving tight for a more advanced method.

The Coaster or Mat - is completed by tying off both sides the same, shown at the start of the video.

The Coaster is tied off the same on both sides and the popsicle sticks are not needed in the final piece.

The Wallhanger - is completed by tying off the bottom like the coaster, but the top needs to be tied to the top popsicle stick with spare yarn for the hanger.

The wall hanger needs one of the popsicle sticks to remain and tied to the ‘top’ section as shown in the video. The spare yarn cut from the weaving is used to create the loop at the top. Everything is secured with a double knot.