I have been doing research into portable looms, and am torn between my newfound desire to take weaving EVERYWHERE I go and the fact that Western-style looms, honestly, are not very portable. I was down at Carolina Homespun yesterday looking at the Schacht Flip loom and the Ashford Knitter’s Loom – while they both pack down relatively small, neither will fit into a carryon bag (I was hoping to take it and work in the airport during layovers). The Flip loom is about 15×16″ folded and the Knitter’s Loom, while smaller, is also just barely too big to fit into a carryon. I was tempted enough to buy a Flip since it has more options and can weave much more complex projects than the Knitter’s Loom, but honestly, while it’s portable, it’s just not portable enough. I will probably return it today (or Sunday, the next time Carolina Homespun has official office hours).
Going upscale, the Dutch Master Loom is also relatively portable, and has eight harnesses (so can weave stuff as complex as my loom at home), but at 28×12″ is not exactly a grab-and-go loom. I’m still tempted by it, but I dunno.
The fundamental question in all of this is how often I would be using a portable loom. As the portability drops, the odds of my using it drop as well. Fundamentally, I was/am looking for a loom I can take with me when I travel “home” for the holidays, and none of these looms are really portable enough to tuck into a suitcase and work on in odd moments. I may be forced to revert to knitting, even though I’ve found knitting REALLY boring lately. I’m tempted to buy enough yarn for a sweater, and see how much I can get done on the plane/in Maryland.
Dang. I really wish my latest hobby were more portable.
