Comfort & Joy Lap Blanket
Designed & woven by Mackenzie Keller
As a beginner weaver, I have greatly enjoyed learning how to weave on my Zoom Loom and Cricket. I also get cold at my desk, so a lap blanket seemed like the perfect useful first project. Since my Cricket loom has a maximum weaving width of 15", I decided to widen the blanket with Zoom Loom squares, rather than joining two panels together. The result is a simple yet festive blanket with patchwork elements and a bit of fringe.
If you want a wider blanket or have a 10" Cricket, you can choose to add more rows of Zoom Loom squares or weave a second center panel.
Project Specs
Finished size: 20" wide x 30" long, excluding fringe
Weave structure: plain weave (Cricket); plain, chain, and diamond in relief squares (Zoom Loom)
Number of warp ends: 121
Warp length: 2 yards (includes loom waste and take-up)
Width in reed: 15"
EPI: 8
PPI: 12
What You'll Need
-
Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport, 720 Ash (beige), sport weight, 600 yards
-
Berroco Millefiori Light, 6890 Moss (green), sport weight, 100 yards. (The colorway I used is no longer available; Moss is comparable.)
- Brown Sheep Nature Spun Sport, 101 Burnt Sienna (rust), sport weight, 50 yards
-
15" rigid heddle loom with 8 dent reed—I used a Cricket
- Zoom Loom
- stick shuttle(s)
- tapestry needle
- warping board or warping peg
Materials
Equipment
Directions
Zoom Loom Weaving
Weave 18 Zoom Loom squares. I wove 12 plain weave squares, 4 chain stitch squares, and 2 diamond in relief squares. I chose colors randomly for each square.
Warp the Zoom Loom with 3 layers, as explained in the Zoom Loom instructions. I sometimes warped with two colors instead of one; here I formed layers 1 and 2 with one color, then made layer 3 and wove the rest of the square with a second color.
Assembling the Squares
Lay out 9 squares in a row in a way that you find aesthetically pleasing. Stitch them together using a whipstitch. (I preferred how the back side of the whipstitch looked, so I stitched with the wrong sides of my squares facing up.) Weave in all ends. Steam press the stitched rows, laying them out so they are equal in length. Measure the length of the Zoom Loom rows—this is the length you need for the center panel.
Cricket Weaving
Warp your loom following the chart. I used indirect warping, but you can also use the direct method with the Cricket warping peg. I added a thread on both sides of the heddle to make my weaving the widest possible width.
- Weave the center panel in plain weave, working to the same length as the Zoom Loom rows. Measure without tension, or the center planel will be too short! I added weft stripes following the schematic. Hemstitch the beginning and end of the center panel.
- Cut the center panel off the loom. Trim tails and steam press.
Assembly and Finishing
Lay out the blanket following the schematic. Pin or clip the Zoom Loom rows to the center panel.
- Stitch each row to the center panel using a whipstitch. Make sure the lengths match up and that the squares aren't stretching or puckering. Steam press the seams.
- Add fringe to the ends of each Zoom Loom row using a lark's head knot for each bundle. I made beige fringe, but you can match the color of the end squares.
- Trim the fringe using a rotary cutter and cutting mat or scissors. I cut my fringe to 2 inches long.
Notes
Resources
Correa, Florencia Campos. 100 Pin Loom Squares. St. Martin's Griffin, 2015. This book is now out of print, but check out her Carmina Cape project in this newsletter, which comes from her new book!
Sienna Bosch, our Schacht Textile School Coordinator, taught me all about the Cricket and helped me come up with the specifications for the project. Stephanie Flynn Sokolov advised me on the pin loom squares.
