Loom Craze

[lslowry]

Just watched the news about the Loom craze. Surely this is a form of French knitting from years ago in which a wooden cotton bobbin with small nails attached to the end was used to thread wool through the hole in the bobbin in a knitted form. Nothing new there then!!

[HansUrbancka]

Just to stretch this thread a little further....Here is the BBC report on the craze :-

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-27974401

Hans.

[boxtops]

PS it's not the same as either tatting or French knitting, these are like tiny rubber bands you make the bracelets from.

[Booldawg]

Wasnt there something similar about 10 years ago? Lots of brightly coloured strands of plastic that were weaved together. Think they were called 'Scoobies' ?

[boxtops]

They were plaited things, booldawg http://www.howtomakescoobies.com/

[dancecaller]

yes it's like French knitting but with one big difference - the shops can make money out of it. We used cotton reels with 4 nails.

Anyone remember American Skipping. I'm to old for it, it came in when my sister was at junior school. My sister did it the cheap way, finding elastic bands and looping them together to make a big loop.
My daughters called it 'elastics' and spent a few pence on a length of knicker-elastic.
Now the shops are selling special covered elastic rope-loops for it.

[Mags22]

Fascinating wee video,must try on the French knitting thingies in the drawer!

[jno]

you're right, boxy, that's not what I learnt as French knitting.

How long do rubber bands last?

[Daffy6543]

My grandchildren (6,6,5,4 years old) are into this and I have just ordered 3 kits for them to use, they are just doing them on their fingers at the moment.

[Mamyalynne]

Yes, my Daughter is being driven mad by these things all over the house too - anyone remember finger knitting, no reels or equipment needed just some odd bits of wool.

[fairycakes69]

My grand daughter is obsessed with it, younger sister has broken 3 looms, so their dad has made a loom out of wood and nails. Success

[andres]

My little niece gave me one of the bracelets yesterday . Just taken a close look at it and it is looped together in the same way that we used to make men's leather belts in Occupational Therapy years ago. One of my ladies used to love making these belts . She was blind, deaf and dumb and 75years old, so you can imagine the pleasure she got from making them. It was so rewarding to see her smile .

[andres]

to jno---I don't know the exact time but rubber bands do go brittle after a while and snap easily.