LOOM Knitting Primer, Part 1

A beginner's guide to knitting on a loom, with over 30 fun projects, is what the cover of the book tells you. Don't fool yourself there is more to this book then just being a beginner book and we are going to explore the inside pages of this little beginner's guide to show you why.

In part one here we are going to cover the beginning of the book then jump to the back of the book. We will explore the middle sections in other parts.

One wonderful thing to start this book is a great Contents section. It has always been my belief that a good content section is a great start to any book that is meant to be a teaching guide. You’re in the store and you have very little time to look through all the wonderful books available to help you decide just what you want to buy. Open the book and there is the content section or not. No content section means you really do have to take that time to browse the book, but a good content section will show you right away that here is something you need. It is the window to the pages inside and its curtains are wide open for you to view inside. This primer has a very large window to show you the entire world inside it. Take your first stop here. It has a wonderful view.

The beginning pages start with a wonderful Introduction to loom knitting written by Isela. If you are not already a loom knitter, Isela would have you convinced to give it a try and quickly. You will discover through her little introduction that you really are missing out on a wonderful new to you craft, not new, just new to you.

Isela continues in the next section with some introduction to the history of loom knitting and more discussion on the looms themselves. She will teach you more then just a little history. She will help guide you in knowing more about looms in size, shapes, and gauges.

A Glossary is included with terms that you will soon become familiar with. Her listing of the terms includes what they are and what abbreviations you might see in written patterns. Included are names of stitches, type of looms, and much more. You will want to take your time in this section to be sure to catch it all, but don't worry the book is yours; go ahead explore a little more. You can come back any time you need to, it won't disappear, I promise. My section has still been there no matter how many times I have gone to other sections and I am still finding something I missed before. So go on turn the pages to see more.

Next we get to meet the Family of Looms and Buying a Loom are the next two sections. I put these two together in this little review because they belong to each other. First there are a lot of different types of looms available and here in this section Isela gives you a better introduction to those types of looms. She will guide you in their use and then in the buying of looms section she will help you choose the type of loom for the type of yarn you want to use.

She will tell you the difference between a rake, a board, a round, and the double or single sided looms and then continue on to give you a chart for yarn weights, and a quick reference guide to choosing a loom for its gauge. These sections are a must have for the serious or not so serious loomer trying to choose what loom can be used with what yarn and give you a wonderful introduction into choosing the gauge of your looms.

Looms are not the only thing needed to do this type of knitting. We have other tools that we need. There are not many and some you may never need but Isela tells you of some you may not have thought of and this handy little section includes many different tools that can be used along with your looms to create some wonderful projects. You may never need to use any of the extra tools listed in this section but it wonderful to know that Isela thought of you when she added this area. You will never have to do guess work on the many tools that can be use after Isela's introduction to them.

What do you know about yarns or what do you think you know about yarns? As a beginner you might not know anything at all about the different types of yarn in today’s market. Oh please don't worry, Isela has thought of this also. She has a little section that will have you on your way to being an expert in the art of choosing your yarn. A must read in this big little book.

So you think that there cannot be more. Ah so wrong. Here we jump to the back of the book. No, no the middle section, nope that's for later. Sure there are all those middle pages to explore but you have to wait. Yes I said wait. Now don't get upset, there is still good to come.

The Useful Information section is just as its name sounds, information for you that will be useful. I am going to give you a little hint into this section with the titles: Reading charts, Washing your knits, Head Size Chart, Poncho Conversion Chart, Common Abbreviations Found in Loom Knitting, and Resources. Ah, I thought that would get your attention. See the back of the book doesn't mean the end of the book.

The Index section is a work of art all by itself. Are you in a hurry but cannot remember the exact page you saw that special something you want to try. Well, the index is your guide to the inside pages. You won't have to guess or go through the book page by page wasting that wonderful knitting time. Just look at the index and jump back into your knitting. This is a very comprehensive index.

Coming soon, Part 2.

MaryJeanne