There
are multiple ways to start bias weaving on a square loom. A few web queries will find you several options. I have selected this one because I happen to like it, but others are certainly workable. I have posted some links to other resources further down on this page.
1. Please note that I like to use a loom with two of its corner nails removed. These "missing" nails are diagonal from one another, and I use this extra space where the nails have been removed to get my hook into the loom to pull the yarn through. Position
the loom so one of the corner nails is in front of you and to your left. The other corner nail will be on the far
right side of the frame.
2. Establish your diagonal weaving direction by tying a slip knot in the end of the yarn you want to use to start your weaving. Leave a tail several inches long. Stretch out the loop of the knot you just made and stretch it until it goes around the nails at the diagonal corners of the loom. Make sure the loop is not twisted. Tighten the knot so it is secure, but not tight. Position the knot itself so it is at the outside of the nail closest to you.
3. You
now have two “warp” yarns on the diagonal. Take the working yarn and pass it on the outside of the first
nail to the right of the left-hand
diagonal. Pull the yarn to the right,
parallel to the first two warp yarns and pass it on the outside of the nail next
to the upper right corner nail. Fold the
yarn and pass the folded yarn over one of the warp threads and under the
other. As you are pulling it through the
warp, pass it around the outside of the first nail on the to the left of the
right hand corner nail. Now bring the
yarn back to the starting point.
4. You
have now made a rectangle. You have
woven a tiny triangular area at each end of the diagonal warp and you now have
4 "warp" threads. The picture below shows the way one of the triangular woven areas at the corner of the loom will look.5. Continue to weave. You will need to manually select alternate warp threads, always working at the near left corner of the diagonal. Make a tabby weave by raising the warp yarns that the weft went over on the prior pass. Initially, you can raise the yarns by grabbing them with your fingers and holding them up enough so you can pass the next loop of yarn under them. As the work grows, it becomes more difficult to do this, and you may find in easier to use a tool such as an afghan crochet hook. If you have removed two of the corner nails from the loom, it will facilitate getting your tool past the row of nails.
6. As
the square fills in, you accumulate more and more warp yarns, fewer nails are
available as yarn passes around more and more of them and the available weaving
area becomes narrower. As you get to
the last few nails, you will eventually find it difficult to use your crochet
hook because the space is too tight. At
this point, you thread a loop of your working yarn through a tapestry needle
and use it to pick your next weaving shed.
7. When all the nails have been used, use your
tapestry needle to pull one final single weft yarn through your work on the
diagonal axis opposite the one where you started weaving. This is the axis between the corners that do
not have nails. Pull the yarn out of the
needle
8. When all the nails have been used, use your
tapestry needle to pull one final single weft yarn through your work on the
diagonal axis opposite the one where you started weaving. This is the axis between the corners that do
not have nails. Pull the yarn out of the
needle. Now lift the loops over and off the nails all around the loom. Your edges should be completely stable and secure. Squares can easily be sewn to other squares using the loops at their edges, or you can knit or crochet into these loops.
Resources:
