Tami Walsh, a great, long-time friend of Loom Knit Central, creates the most amazing projects using the double-knit loom technique. We had to get the scoop on how she creates these fabulous pieces.
Tami, tell us about yourself.
I’m married and have 2 grown boys, Toby & Tyler, ages 35 and 32. I live in the small town of Bedford, Pennsylvania. My husband and I have a small animal rescue in our home housing bunnies and parrots, and sometimes a guinea pig or two.
How long have you been double-knit loom knitting?
I’ve been doing double-knit looming for almost 2 years now.
How did you get started?
Oh boy, I don’t know about you but Ravelry can really get you into big time trouble. I was meandering around on there one day and saw this awesome scarf depicting The Fellowship of the Ring from Tolkien’s Lord of the Rings Trilogy. Being that I am a huge fan, my eyes boggled at this masterpiece and it was a free pattern but it was for needles, a skill I had never been able to tackle.
I downloaded it anyway and realized that it was just charts. From there I went to Youtube and started searching for videos on how to double-knit something like this on a loom.
You make some incredible projects! How did you learn this technique?
Thank you, Chris 🙂 I learned from a video on Youtube on how to do brioche double knitting on the loom. It’s by Kimberly Carrigan. Check it out here.
Where do you find your patterns?
Mostly Ravelry & Pinterest.
Do you sell your projects? If so, where?
Yes, I sell my projects if someone asks me but I don’t have a store or do any “promoting” of my wares. Maybe one of these days. 😉
Do you use a special loom?
Yes, I do, actually. I use a couple of special made KISS Looms (kisslooms.com) with different peg counts (a 50 peg and 120 pegs) as my double-knitting boards. I love them 🙂
How much time does it take to make one of your beautiful projects?
Each project is different and depends on how many repeats of the pattern there are, how many pegs are needed (ie. how wide), and how complicated the color chart is. On average, though, it usually takes me about 3 to 4 weeks for a scarf if I’m working on it every day. Bigger projects, like the Hedwig shawl that I did, takes over a month to a month and a half to complete since there is a lot involved.
What are you working on now?
I’m doing an order for the Hedwig shawl at the moment.
Tami, besides Ravelry and Pinterest, are there any other sites you can recommend to your fellow double-knit loomers?
Well, let me see…..if you have a Facebook account, there are many graphghan groups one can join, or even perler bead groups. These groups use charts to make images and designs on their chosen medium and they work the same for double-knitting. Cross stitch groups are also good for inspiration. If you already know how to double-knit and follow the colored squares, you should be good to go and on your way to turning out a beautiful, colorful project 😉
Any advice for newbie double-knit loomers?
Watch lots and lots of tutorials on Youtube, and stock your library (at home and on your computer) with some good double-knitting books that show you how to do specific stitches on a double rake. Loom Knit Central has an awesome E-book available that’s packed with information. I have that one myself and I love it.
Anything you would like to add would be awesome!
I would only add that the loom has a lot to do with how well your project turns out. Make sure it’s a sturdy loom so that it doesn’t buckle in the middle when your knitting starts to get longer and heavier.
Tami, thank you for sharing your knowledge and passion for Double-Knit Loom Knitting!
I’m happy to do it!
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