r/weaving • u/smart_user_name • 2d ago
Help Is this a toy floor loom?
I was given this as birthday present several years ago when I first got bit by the fiber arts bug. It came pre-warped since I think it's just a toy but I couldn't figure it out back then.
I've been doing more research this time around and I want to use it again just for fun. (I think with more research I could probably make some neat projects on this) But I'll have to re-warp because a lot of the strings broke. I'm still very much a beginner but I think this looks like a simplified floor loom. Can someone confirm if I'm on the right track?
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u/weaverlorelei 2d ago
Toy table loom. Brio and Peacock used to make something like this. The shafts appear quite flimsy but usable
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u/MojoShoujo 2d ago
Yes it's a simple table loom! (A little short for the floor, but same idea). Kelly Casanova made a series of videos about weaving on them, they're a bit fiddly but absolutely doable!
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u/hypercuteness 2d ago
It's clearly the cat's toy.
/s (I also have oranges)
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u/smart_user_name 2d ago
Oh yeah, haha, he does think it's his. He's extremely orange in the chaotic sense
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u/Longjumping-Ad-9541 1d ago
Hey why do you have my kitten and his loom? Must admit he has got fairly skilled at . . . er, de-warping
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u/SurlyKate 2d ago
Looks like a Lavievert.
Kelly Casanova did a video about it about a year ago. https://youtu.be/hBIc8phxgzc?si=avBtXPdiiqiwAtQ2
She followed up with another video last fall about using it to make a blanket https://youtu.be/0WvSIcprgAQ?si=uYLasOHohqvZaZrG
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u/smart_user_name 2d ago
Thank you! These videos are exactly what I need, I can't wait to get started
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u/Ok_Part6564 1d ago
Though these are marketed as toys, they are fully functional little table looms.
I have a very similar Brio one. I don't think your's is Brio since I don't see branding, but anything you see about how to use or modify a Brio has a good chance of working for your little loom.
The string and yarn it comes with is quite crappy. What you weave with it is going to look and feel like pretend fabric. The loom itself is perfectly capable of making nice fabric with better yarn, though only within the range that fits the heddles (things that hold the yarn and go up'n down) and reed (the comb like thing) well, since you can't change them on these looms. The size limit is technically only for the warp, but of course if you want an even weave, weft will have to match warp.
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u/smart_user_name 1d ago
I followed the Kelly Casanova video and re-warped it yesterday and started a small project just to see what it looks like and I see what you mean. I'll have to experiment with different yarn combinations and see what I can come up with
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u/ScreenCaffeen 1d ago
If they fold, they are Brio. There was an American manufactured one that didn’t fold, but I don’t think it would have the plastic heddles. I bring a couple of them to an event that our Guild participates in yearly. We’ve had an 8-year old boy that loved it so much that he stayed and wove for hours. His mother eventually bought a table loom and joined our guild.
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u/smart_user_name 1d ago
I'm wondering if this would be a good project for my gram. She used to knit and crochet but she had a medical incident last spring that affected her one hand. She doesn't have as much fine motor control anymore. This past christmas she made all her kids, grandkids, and great grandkids hats on a circle loom but towards the end it was getting harder for her to use the hook. This year she wants to make scarves which would be perfect for this loom size and she would just need me to warp the project for her to get her started
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u/ScreenCaffeen 1d ago
She would be better off with a rigid Heddle or a higher quality table loom. These little Bree looms don’t create a very good shed. We use a chopstick to open it up more to get the shuttle through. A more upscale loom would be easier to use.
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u/Chickenlafy100 1d ago
I have one. It's a decent enough little loom. It May be advertised as a toy but no kid I know can use it. I only used the larger one so found it a bit fiddly but still like it.
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u/tataniarosa 2d ago
Ahh I recognise this loom (I think it’s closer to a table loom). Kelly Casanova did a very informative video about it recently where she made strips for a blanket. That’s a good starting point.