Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #16929 in Toys & Games
• Brand: Galt America
• Model: A4170B
• Number of items: 1
• Dimensions: 3.00 pounds

Manufacturer's Description
This wooden weaving kit is an ideal introduction to the traditional craft of weaving. Create a colourful woven bag, mat and coasters.

Box Contents

Customer Reviews

not only for the distaff side!
My father bought this for me a couple of years ago - I was too embarrassed to desire this toy, seeing that I am well and truly an adult! Toy looms are a classic in children's education - when I was growing up in the late 70s-early 80s, my grandmother had made me one by hammering two parallel lines of nails on a wide wooden tray. So there is nothing amazingly new about this toy, and in fact everything about it is rather low-tech -- but that, in fact, is its charm and value! Learning how weaving works is a handy and useful skill to acquire. Like almost all crafts, it improves dexterity, hand-to-eye co-ordination, concentration and appreciation of colour, while handling the yarn is a tactile experience of its own. It also provides a valuable cultural lesson, as weaving is one of the legs on which over 2000 years of clothed human history stands on (the other two being knitting and felting).

The loom frame is rather light-weight (you'll have to hold it down with one hand while passing the thread through) The wood that this is made out of is really smooth - even when I've used fluffy yarn on it I never had it snagging or catching in the wooden grooves of either the loom frame or the tools. Also, a useful thing that this loom has - which my granny's hand-made loom didn't! - is a heddle (this is the device used to seperate and guide the warp threads to open up a path for the shuttle - the square rod that protrudes from either side of the warp, in the picture.) The frame's full measurements are around 8x10"(26x20cm), and the piece of fabric you produce on it is a -rather small- 6"(15cm) square. However, I have successfully weaved a full-length scarf (50"/127cm without the fringe) on this frame, by repositioning the warp. Also, woven squares can then be sewn together to create a larger piece of fabric. I didn't care much for the woolly yarn that came with my loom, though I suspect my expectations on this department are a bit more sophisticated than the average kid's! At least the colours of the yarns have been updated to the somewhat tasteful, very girlie pastels (the beads thrown in is a nice touch too), as opposed to the somewhat garish, folk-artsy colours of the old kit. Of course, this loom is a tool, so once you have it you can go out and buy yarn of your choice to make things to your exact taste (or even use all sorts of non-conventional materials like string, strips of fabric, even strips of plastic bags). The last thing I have to say in praise of this loom is - under ten pounds! The hours of creative amusement that I have derived from this little investment are endless already.

Thankfully, fibre arts and experimental textiles have gained a lot of popularity in recent years, so this sort of activity has lost some of its geek attributes and has become hip again. A lot of crafty/artistic teenagers would find this loom delightful - though children that are more interested in action, those with poor concentration skills and those that are naturally impatient might find the procedure somewhat tedious and/or boring. Still, weaving your own fabric is almost magical, so it may hold even these difficult people mystified! It also is "fun for all the family", as everybody will probably want to have a go at it - my husband did.