Spool loom creations take center stage - craft project

Arts & Activities, Dec, 2002 by Barbara Herberholz

Spool knitting (sometimes called spool weaving) is an old-fashioned craft that is fun and intriguing while offering a quick and easy way to make finger puppets. The looms may be large or small, resulting in tubes of different diameters that have a knitted texture and appearance. The materials needed are readily available. The yarn selected should be the stretchy kind that is used for knitting and crocheting.

To make a large loom for the puppet's body, cut a piece of 3/4-inch-thick wood, 3 1/2-inches square. Then drill a 1-inch hole through the center. With a pencil, mark a 2-inch concentric circle around the hole. Then hammer 12 one-inch-long finishing nails evenly spaced around the 2-inch circle, about 1/2-inch apart, leaving about 1/2-inch of the nail extending above the wood.

To make the puppet's body, drop the end of a ball of yarn down through the hole in the loom. Hold the end of the yarn securely under the loom. Then wrap the yarn from the ball around each nail counter-clockwise, one at a time, while moving from nail to nail from left to right, clockwise (see figure 1). Try not to pull the yarn too tightly or it will be difficult to lift the loops over the nails later.

[FIGURE 1 OMITTED]

When all the nails have been encircled, wrap the yarn clockwise around the outside of the nails, above the original loops, one nail at a time. Use a small size (No. 00) steel crochet hook and lift the lower loop over the wrapped yarn and then over the head of the nail. Continue around each nail in this manner, clockwise (from left to right). Pull the yarn end firmly that is hanging below the hole in the loom.

Continue wrapping the yarn again around the outside of the nails, lifting the loop on each nail up and over the nail as for the first round. Continue in this manner, pulling the yarn that hangs underneath the loom occasionally. The knitted tube will emerge from the bottom of the loom after you have made a number of turns around the loom with the yarn.

To change colors, tie another color to the first color of yarn close to the nail and then cut off the first color. Keep the knot and yarn ends inside the tube as you work.

To make a small loom that will produce narrow tubes, use an empty spool of thread with four finishing nails arranged around the top of the spool. Drop the end of the yarn down through the spool and work around the nails as described above. This produces a narrow tube that may be used for the puppet's arms and legs, or perhaps a tail for an animal puppet.

To finish the tube, cut the yarn, leaving an 8-inch end. Draw this end through each loop on the nails as you lift the loops off the nails. Pull the end of the yarn tightly, closing off the top of the tube. Thread the end of the yarn in a large-eyed needle and make a few stitches through the end of the tube to secure it before cutting off the yarn.

You will need a tube that is about 4-inches long for the puppet's body. Stuff it at the top end with cotton, wrapping around the tube under the head with matching yarn and tying a knot. Arms, legs and tails that were knitted on the small spool loom may be made to hold a bent or curled position with a pipe cleaner.

Cut a piece of pipe cleaner of the same length and insert it in the finished knitted tube, stitching it shut with matching thread, and attaching it to the puppet's body. Bend it in the desired position. Use felt scraps, embroidery floss, beads and other scrap materials to finish the finger puppets.

LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Students will ...

* use different media, techniques and processes.

* learn how to knit on a simple loom made from nails centered on a block of wood.

* select and experiment with combinations of colors and textures of yarn to create a tube.

* create a finger puppet from the knitted tube.

MATERIALS

* Wooden loom for each student (3/4-inch-thick wood, 3 1/2-inches square)

* 12 finishing nails for each loom

* Yarn (solid and variegated colors)

* Needle or small crochet hook for knitting

* Materials far detailing: cotton puffs, pipe cleaners, embroidery floss, felt, beads, buttons, feathers, etc.

* Needle and thread for finishing finger puppet and adding details

Barbara Herberholz is an art-education consultant in Sacramento, Calif., and serves as an Arts & Activities Contributing Editor.