I recently discovered my old-school potholder looms when I was reorganizing all my art supplies and materials in the basement. (Well, my daughter did the organizing since she could “not live with the mess one more minute,” as spoken like a true Virgo.) The loops were old and in bad colors, like the ones that come with those potholder weaving from long ago. I searched online for where I could buy some new cotton loops, and oh my word… I found my happy place. Shall I just stop working and make potholders now and forever? (Kate Kilmurray has literally made a career of it, and so can I!)
The shop is called Friendly Loom and their cotton loops product is called Lotta Loops. They come in these incredible colors in either packs of mixed colors or in one single color. Let’s just say if I became a full-time potholder maker I don’t even think I would ever tire of finding color combinations. Ever.
Materials needed to make potholders:
~ Potholder loom kit (7″ traditional) from Friendly Loom
~ Cotton loops from Friendly Loom
~ Looms and curated hand-dyed loops from Kate Kilmurray
Weaving a potholder on a loom:
1. Begin by choosing your color story. There are so many options: warm colors, cool colors, complimentary, rainbow, earth tones, one color, two colors, ombré, or just random. Anything works!
2. Set up the loom by hooking the loops from top to bottom in a row all the way across. This will act as your “warp” where all horizontal “weft” loops will weave through.
3. Start weaving from the top (I use my fingers until the end when I use the weaving hook). Just hook the end onto the peg, then go over & under until you get to the other side and hook it to the corresponding peg on the other side.
4. The next loop will go under and over in the opposite way, so if you begin by going over the first “weft” then begin the 2nd row by going under.
TIP: It’s easier going through the middle where it’s looser and then pushing the loop up with your fingers after you hook it on the other side. (You will be adjusting loops continuously throughout to make sure they are straight.)
5. When you get to the bottom it’s trickier to weave because it gets too tight for fingers. This is where using the weaving hook makes sense. Weave the hook over and under all the way across, then slip a loop over the hook and pull it back through.
Finishing the potholder:
This is a little tricky to describe. It’s actually easy but becomes wordy when writing instructions. You can always look up videos on YouTube (I will make one soon, too).
6. Starting at one corner, reach through the first loop with the weaving hook then hook the second loop and pull it through the first. It helps to use your fingers to stretch the first loop as you pass the 2nd loop through.
7. Now do it again — hook the 3rd loop and pull it through the 2nd. Continue all the way around, using your fingers to stretch the loops as you go, keeping in mind that there will always be one loop on the weaving hook.
8. As you finish one side, it helps to loop one of the finished stitches from the middle back onto the loom temporarily. It took me a while to discover this trick but it helps keep the tension because as you get to finishing the last side, all the loops start popping off the loom. (When you are doing this in real time you will understand these helpful tips much more.)
9. When you get to the end and you have the last loop left on the weaving hook, leave it on as you pull on the sides to even them out. Then what I like to do is hook the last loop through itself just to double-secure it.
That’s it you’re finished! Once you make one you won’t be able to stop. And you will get better and faster with each new potholder.
I made all my potholders and used all the best colors before taking photos of the process, which is why the colors in this how-too are a bit strange. But it’s also good to show that if you get these gorgeous Lotta Loops from Friendly Loom, you can’t really go wrong with any combo!
Share your potholders with me on Instagram if you make some from this tutorial! I would love to see them.
xo Bar
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