Over the years, I’ve tried lots of different types of crafty endeavors. From woodburning to beading, if you can name the craft, I’ve probably tried it. As I’ve gotten older and time has gotten more precious, crafting just for the sake of it has lost most of its lustre, though. Intellectually, I understand that the stress relief of having a creative outlet is just as important as that outlet being “useful” in the conventional sense, but the combination of wasting time and also just not being that talented has made crafting lose much of its appeal for me in my adult years. 

Every now and then, I still feel the need to make something, though, and when I caught sight of the colorful plastic looms a week or two ago in the knitting section at JoAnn’s, I just couldn’t help but buy one. What the hell, I thought. There’s always Ebay if this thing sits, untouched, in the closet for the next year. I started knitting that night, and to my surprise, it wasn’t just fun – it was pretty easy, too. It was also pretty relaxing, especially after I figured out how to stop getting the yarn so tangled up when I pulled it off of the skein.

Yesterday I finished my first project, a long, soft scarf with fringe. It’s not perfect – far from it, in fact – but it’s a pretty nice result for a first attempt, I think. If it ever gets cold here, I’ll try it out and see how it stands up to some wear and tear. Better than having a scarf, I also feel compelled to learn more patterns and make something else. I’m scared to say it out loud and jinx it, but I think I might have finally found my craft calling!

In the mean time, if you’re interested in learning to loom knit, here are three essential videos that came in handy for me, including a guide to casting on (which is how you start a project), a guide to casting off (how you finish the project), and a guide to adding fringe. All three explain the process for people who are double knitting on the loom, so if you’re single knitting, keep that in mind. Enjoy!

How to cast on for double loom knitting (via Martha Stewart Crafts & Lion Brand Yarn):

How to cast off of for double loom knitting (via Martha Stewart Crafts & Lion Brand Yarn):

How to add fringe to a knitted scarf (via VeryPink Knits):