Using a Circle Loom to Make Baby Hats - Needlework Monday
I have never been able to do much crocheting or knitting...until my friend introduced me to a circle loom! Now I have made three baby hats in one week! I never thought this was something I could do before, so I highly recommend one if you have ever wanted to make a hat!
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This is the hat I made for my nephew who also got boots made for him by his aunt. The hat was possibly tried on by the cats before it was sent to Texas. Please do check that link if you need a laugh! The first hat I made was tiny, so it ended up as a doll hat. Then I tried again with the leftover yarn from my nephew's hat. Here's what I needed to start:
Yarn, circle loom, hook
Wrap the yarn around each peg of the loom from front to back. For the first row, you have to do this twice. This is a quick tutorial, but there are a lot out there with all different results for hats if you're interested!
Then take the hook and move the bottom yarn over the top yarn for each peg. After you have gone all the way around, push the yarn down on the peg and put a second row of yarn on each peg all the way around.
After a few rows, you will start to see that the bottom of the hat is taking form! The lip of it will even start to roll on its own! Keep going!
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I didn't have a lot of yarn left for this hat, so I was able to finish it quickly! When you get to the end, make sure that you have enough string to go around the loom about halfway. Then put a big plastic needle on it and start taking off the yarn one at a time from each peg all the way around.
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Then just gather all of the yarn on the long string you have and tie a knot in it. You can weave it through a few times to secure it.
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To make the pom pom for the top, I just wrapped the extra yarn around a few fingers, tied it in the middle and then cut each end. Then I tied it into the middle of the hat to cover the hole.
Super easy! Like I said, this one made a tiny little hat...that fit a Cabbage Patch doll! But it's still pretty cute and my daughter is pretty happy with another winter hat for her baby dolls. The kitty was not such a fan this time. Ha!
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Even my 7 year old son has started making one on the loom! It is super easy to use and makes a great project! I am so glad that my friend told me about it and helped me learn to use it. She said they're available at Walmart, amazon and any other craft store! I want to get some that are different sizes next...although we don't wear knitted hats here in Panama. Ha!
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That looks really fun @apanamamama. I always though those looms were children's craft toys. didn't realise you could do stuff like make propert hats with them. 😁
I know, me too! I had no idea! I even attended a knitting Bible study where I did cross stitch usually because I'm not a good (or relaxed) knitter. I wish they would have told me about them because I would have made baby hats like all of them were! I just didn't think it was possible.
FOR TSE: Where did you get the Cabbage Patch doll? Do they still make those things? I remember one year they were the big item for Christmas and supplies ran short -- and people were fighting over them in the stores and scalping them in the want ads for hundreds of dollars. (This was way before the days of eBay.)
Talk about your First World Problems!!
I got the Cabbage Patch kid from craigslist before I left the states. I had seen them not too long ago at a store like Toys R Us, but I guess kids are more into American Girl Dolls than CPK these days. I love CPK growing up and had a small collection. My parents were one of those waiting in long lines to buy me one of the first. Julita Joanna was her name and she had red braided hair. Lol - supply and demand - always those crazies asking hundreds more than what the "it" toy is worth every Christmas. Yes, definitely First World Problems!! Ha!!!!! I even had the CPK record and my grandad burned it onto a CD for me years ago. I still even remember most of the words to the songs. Man, what a nerd. ;)
I am enjoying teaching loom knitting to young students (age 10-15) this fall. They are learning more quickly than when I taught crochet or regular knitting. So much fun!
That's so cool! My 8 year old doesn't like to do much, but he has worked on this project so that has been nice! :) We tried to teach him knitting and crochet, but it just didn't work. I'm going to have to find more looms so all my kids can do it. Just imagine all the little baby dolls walking around with winter hats on. ;) Ha!
Yay you’re knitting!!!! I have never used a loom before but I hear how fun they are and how fast they work up as you said! This hat will go cute with those cowboy boots! Too bad the cat wasn’t as thrilled lol! So cool your son is doing it too! My oldest son told me he wants to learn how to sew :)
Thanks so much for sharing this cute hat with us! Do you think you will learn to knit without the loom too?
I am a bad knitter - I can only do it if I have one needle in between my legs and the other one working off of it! Ha! I made a poncho once and a few scarves but that's about it. One stitch. I'm much better at quilting or cross stitch and those are more relaxing to me... My nephew is due in Nov, and even though he'll be born in Houston, there might be a week or so where he might need a warm hat. Hopefully he gets to use it. Or his sisters can use it for their baby dolls. Ha!
Haaa! Everyone has their comfort zone! So will you show us some of your cross-stitch some day? 😍
I hope he’s able to wear it too!
Sure I'll show some! Funny thing is, I give most of it away, so I don't really have much/any sitting around. I used to do cross stitch for hours while I was a missionary in Mexico. I wouldn't go out in the evenings, so that's what I'd spend the nights doing. :)
I have also knitted on a circular loom, and the progress of a project can be seen very quickly. The hat looks very nice, I like the look of the wool.
Yes, the wool is really soft and it turned out nice! I'm glad it was such a quick project. Hats before just looked so hard - I'm glad I found out about this!
That Cabbage baby doll took me back to my childhood. Heheheh, if I tell you I knitted a pair of socks for it, would you believe me? lol I did!
Lol - I love that you knitted socks for yours! I just loved Cabbage Patch kids!!
I have seen that loom before at my favorite thrift store. I picked it up and looked at it but I didn’t have a clue as to how it was used. I’ll be looking for it on the next trip. Thanks for sharing.
I know! I'm so glad I was able to pass on the info about the loom and that my friend told me! I didn't know what I could do with that thing - I got it at a thrift store too in Texas and brought it to Panama. Good thing!
My dog says he would love one in a light brown with holes for his ears, if you have a little extra time... :-) Still like the kitty models.
Lol! Well, that would be a good fun project. Custom doggie and kitty hats! Ha!
I have a set of those looms, too, and I love them. They work up so fast! Great work on the hats - and I love the kitty model! ^_^
Thanks! I'm just so glad I learned to use it and that my son likes to do them as well. Now to find projects for the other kids (they like those potholder looms but I'm not sure what else we could do with those - need to ask google). :)
The step up from potholder loom is a rigid heddle loom; but they're expensive if you buy one new. I have one that my friend found at an estate sale for me (she is the type that enjoys checking out garage sales and estate sales and the like just for fun and she knew I was looking), but I've also seen instructables for building one out of cheap materials online. You'd need someone who could drill holes into thin pieces of wood, like popsicle sticks or balsa wood, but other than that the construction would be pretty simple, I think!
Do you know that as a child I always wanted such a doll (for which you made the hat)?? I was so in love with them, but my parents thought them to expensive ... sigh.
But it is really cool you have started to knit and the hat turned out great. I have never used a loom, but i know they are sold in our craft shop. I am curious what you will make with this loom :-D
Oh no! So sad that you didn't get one. Yes, they were expensive/overpriced. I don't know what else I can make with the loom. Maybe I should look on google. I saw something about a slouchy hat. There really isn't a need for warm hats like that here (at least none of my friends wear one). I have seen some babies with one on so perhaps I could make baby hats to give away.... :)
I think you can also knit a sweater or more on the loom... while browsing I found this video :
But I don't know if it is a good tutorial, but I was fascinated by the possibilities of loom knitting :-D