Who can use a boomloom?

Our looms are great for ages 7 or 8 and up, though younger children have used them and enjoyed them. They are designed intentionally to be useful for complete beginners and also engaging for expert weavers. They’re also created to be simpler and more accessible than traditional looms for artists and makers with vision and dexterity challenges.

What is special about the Boss?

Our patented mechanism creates patterns like a 4-shaft loom, but without pick-up sticks, threaded heddles, shafts, drafts, or complicated instructions. The pattern is built into the bar, making it the easiest way to create complex weaves without having to know how to read a draft. It’s also the only patternmaking loom that can switch to any other pattern in the middle of a piece, simply by switching the pattern bars, because there are no heddles to thread.

What kind of yarn works best?

Mid-weight knitting yarn like worsted or DK weight works perfectly, as does thicker rug-tufting yarn an cotton yarn like Sugar N Cream. For warp, I like to use 8/4 mercerized cotton. You can buy it in big cones from online stores like WEBS.

Can I weave a scarf on the boomloom Boss?

The metal Boss weaves pieces about 6.5” x 8”. You could piece them together. The cherrywood Boss weaves pieces about 6.5” x 10”, but the weaving area can be lengthened if you replace the dowels with longer 1/2” dowels.

How do I join the pieces?

There are great resources on Ravelry about joining woven squares, of the sort that a pin loom makes, that also apply to these squares. Here is one list of methods: https://www.ravelry.com/groups/looms-to-go/pages/Joining-techniques-for-pin-loom-modules

Can the bars be used with other size looms?

Some of our customers have adapted them for use with inkle and vintage Boka looms. They are designed to fit the Boss frame and may not integrate seamlessly into other frames, but we like the idea of experimenting with that.

Are you going to make a bigger one?

We’d like to, or a bar that can be used with a rigid heddle loom. “We” is really just me, Lauren, so R&D is sometimes slow.

If it can’t make bigger items, what’s it good for?

This loom will never replace a larger one — those have been perfected already and we just can’t compete. :) The real strength of this size and design is as a compact, nimble patternmaking tool. Our customers tell us that they really enjoy being able to make quick, interesting projects.

By handling so much of the technical part of weaving for you, this loom allows a level of understanding, experimentation, fluidity and creativity with complex weaves and patterns that traditional looms may not always provide. What we found while developing this loom is that the “how” of weaving is incredibly engaging, maybe even as much as the “what.” By putting the patternmaking directly at your fingertips, the Boss gets you testing — playing — discovering — learning. In some ways, I think of it as a visual art/design tool.

What is Boomloom Studio?

That is our instagram where we share ideas, videos, and work from our community.

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