I grew up in a household full of crafty people. Mom sewed, Grandma crocheted, and Dad and Grandpa did woodworking. But somehow, the arts and crafts gene didn't make it into my DNA; it was all I could do to complete a paint-by-numbers picture. Yet I still wanted to make something like Mom and Grandma. One day, Grandpa bought me something he thought would make me crafty: a small square loom used to make potholders. It didn't work. All it did was piss me off.
The loom was made of metal and was painted dark green. Since this was back in the day, I wouldn't be surprised if the paind had lead in it. In case you are totally clueless about what I'm talking about (unfortunately the picture above doesn't give a shot of the loom sans cloth loops) it was more like a metal frame about 6 inches square, and had little metal teeth all along the edge. (The teeth were what you would loop the cloth loops over.) When I say that the metal loom pissed me off, it was a two-fold reason: first, because i would get frustrated because I could never finish one potholder. I'd lose my patience because I couldn't get it to be as neat and orderly as in the picture on the bag of loops, and I'd just give up and have Mom or Grandma finish it for me. Second, because after I got frustrated, I would leave it in the floor, only to step on it later on as I would be walking through the room.
I saw the metal loom in the very cool Vermont Country Store catalog last week, and I was very surprised that they are still around. I'm sure they're made of plastic now to comply with OSHA and FDA standards. I did a quick search online and found lots of craft books with patterns and instructions to make all kinds of things with the little woven squares - not just only potholders like back in the day. But I bet they're still as frustrating to make, though.
3 comments:
I remember those things, LOL. I hear you about missing a generation. My grandmother could do any type of crafty thing she put her hands too, and quite beautifully. I don't think my mother inherited her talent and that same non-talent passed onto me. She attempted to teach me how to crochet and I have a couple "ugly" blankets I made. My home ec teacher gave me a passing grade for trying. She patted my shoulder and said "Some people just don't have it." I was sewing a frog bean bag. Pathetic, LOL.
I had a red metal loom. We had pot holders galore!
Even I can make a loom potholder.......lol
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