Other Hands, Part Two
She knits, she weaves.
I saw it in a toy shop.
Do they still make these?
Warning: Brief Historical Reference Diversion Ahead
“The potholder loom was conceived in the 1930s as a means to use ‘loopers’ in a creative way. Loopers, also known as ‘cut off strips,’ are a waste product of the hosiery industry. Hosiery and sock mills had vast amounts of waste from a piece of the sock tubing that was cut off. Hosiery was made on a Looper Machine, which works much slower than the ‘sewing clip’ used today to make cut off strips or loopers. This is where we get the names ‘looper loom’ and ‘loopers.’ —excerpted from www.historicalfolktoys.com
Warning: Brief Walk Down Memory Lane Diversion Ahead
I remember having one as a child. What kid didn’t? Potholders, made from brightly coloured loops, adorned many a kitchen and were received by many a relative at Christmas during the 1960s. So, you can imagine my delight, as a weaver, to find this simple little tool still being manufactured. I had to have one!
And so it sat in the cupboard until recently when I decided it would be just the tool to sample colour combinations for future weaving work. Why wind a full-blown warp just to see how the colours work together? Aha, this would be much faster, I thought, mentally patting myself on the back!
And then she came, drawn by the aura of the brightly coloured loops. Hardly completing my work, she whisked it out of my hands and disappeared into her room.
Later that same day—
I’m thinking it might be a brightly coloured vintage Christmas this year…
Speaking of Potholders: Family Historical Postscript Bonus—
Great Aunt Sadie worked in an armament factory in Ohio during World War II. Machine parts were packed in white fabric. Being a Great-Depression-Era-thrifty-old-soul, Sadie took these strips of fabric and made potholders of them. Only a few are around today, a favourite family treasure.
I think you have a talented daughter who follows after her mom.
17 Sep 2008 at 5:53 am
cute - I even see one with irish colours! good for using up leftover yarns, too?
17 Sep 2008 at 9:03 am
I had one of those when I was a kid! I wonder what happened to it! I just may have to order another. Thanks for the link.
Your daughter’s potholders are beautiful. I bet they could be looped together to form a mat.
17 Sep 2008 at 7:02 pm
My mother kept the potholder loom up in the top of the linen closet. It was taken out when someone was home sick from school so they could do something besides read a book. (TV when home sick was strictly forbidden.)
17 Sep 2008 at 7:52 pm
Wow, clearly she has the family talent for color and pattern. All my potholders were simple 1×1 alternating checks.
17 Sep 2008 at 8:22 pm
I had one too, I’ll have to see if I can find my girls one.
18 Sep 2008 at 1:12 pm
Awww….my daughter (7) makes those also. It is such a great way for them to start crafting.
18 Sep 2008 at 1:54 pm
Wow - she got a pattern to emerge! I have one of those potholder looms, too, but my potholders are wild and chaotic, and the bind-off is not nearly that neat either. I need to practice.
Well done, kiddo!
18 Sep 2008 at 4:01 pm
I used to have one of those when I was a little girl. Loved it, since it provided with hours of fun. It was from a toy company from Alicante, Spain, that doesn’t exist anymore…
18 Sep 2008 at 6:15 pm
oooh I am dying to know how to make those ‘houndstooth’ pattern!! Very nice!
19 Sep 2008 at 1:11 pm
too cute. all the way around. daughter kate seems to have a good eye for color! have fun!
19 Sep 2008 at 5:47 pm
The worst two looking potholders in my kitchen drawer are two that my daughter made me on her loom when she was about ten years old. They looked great when she made them, but nearly fifteen years of use has them looking pretty bad. I can’t bring myself to get rid of them, though, ’cause…well…my daughter MADE them! ;-Þ
20 Sep 2008 at 2:18 am