The Straw (Loom) That Broke the Camel's Back

I've had this project on my radar for some time now;

Dollar Store Crafts

It looked easy and like something the girls could do.

Not so much…

I tried to get it set up for them and ended up in a giant knotted mess.

It said to start by threading your yarn through the straws and then tie a knot at one end.

Stick the tails of the knotted end down to a piece of cardboard - this is to help hold it in place while you weave.

The part I couldn't make work was the actual weaving.

I tried and tried to get the yarn to go over and under the straws, but the straws kept shifting and then everything became a mess.

I needed something to hold the straws in place…

What I actually needed was something to hold the yarn in place.

A box!  My God I'm good!

I cut 6 notches in either end of a box (similar to a shoebox).

 I used the same knotted piece that previously held the straws and just tucked one thread into each slit.

Same on the other end.

Tie your weaving yarn to the outside thread and begin your "over unders and back again".

The only flaw with this technique is that I pulled some rows tighter than others so I didn't have a consistent width all the way through.

But it was easy enough that the girls could take over.

They were so pleased with the rainbow bracelet they had created.

I gave them enough yarn that they could do numerous rows, but not so much that it all became a tangled mess - maybe a metre at a time.
When you're ready to add the next metre in, just tie a tiny knot and continue where you left off!

Rainbow Loom's got nothin' on me! 

  

Have a great one!