Backstrap Loom

Yesterday I took my loom kit to the archery range in Santa Ana.  I'm glad I did because we were there much longer than I planned on and I got quite a lot done. This is the first striped sash I've made.  It's my best one yet. I found out this type of loom is called a backstrap loom because you wear a strap around you and tie the belt to it so you can get the right tension.
At one point a squirrel was under the bench right by my toes but it scooted off when a bike went by.  Once you are tied into the loom it's not that easy to jump up and do things and I couldn't quite reach my camera.
Nothing beats crafts on a nice day under a shady tree in my book.

Making a striped belt on my backstrap loom.

Using a comb as the beater.

I made a simple shuttle out of a basswood rectangle and the loom out of popsicle sticks and basswood slats.

Weaving is fun.

San Tiago archery range.

Loom at the Park

The book I got the directions out of.

Using a comb as the beater.

The shuttle and the loom

The moss green and turqua scarf I made in the backyard.

Yesterday I took my loom to the park by the library and set it up for weaving. It was challenging with the breeze but I finally got it under control. A few people wandered by and looked at me like I'd sprouted antlers but no one came over to talk. I'm not sure if it was because I was the only white woman in the park, or if they just couldn't tear themselves away from their cell phones and endless rounds of singing Itsy Bitsy spider.
It seems I can get about half a belt done in one sitting.  By then my attention starts to wander, or I have to find a bathroom, or my shoulders and neck start to cramp up. How did our foremothers do it with all the butter churning, soapmaking, wheat grinding and wood chopping? We are weaklings compared to them, or at least I am.