Have you ever looked at a simple plastic fast food straw and seen a weaving
loom? Well, most of us probably haven’t and we’ve been missing out on a wonderful craft project. This project is weaving on a straw loom. I am not the most talented person when it comes to crafts involving sewing, knitting, or crochet but this project was easy and fun. Simple household items like plastic straws, yarn, and tape can create a one-of-a-kind woven bracelet.
Use fast food or packaged straws and wash any used straws so that they are clean and unsticky. Cut the straws into two 5″ sections. Make sure that the ends are even and tape them together at one side. Right now I bet you are thinking that this is insane or trying to figure out how this is going to work but trust me. This will be a project that you will repeat over and over.
To begin weaving, simply tie the yarn onto the bottom straw next to the tape. Bring the piece of yarn up and behind the top straw. Loop the yarn around the straw and bring it between the two straws. You’ll continue weaving with this figure 8 pattern until you reach the end of the straws. You’ll find a rhythm after a few times and it can be very relaxing. If you want to do more than one color, simply tie off the first color, leaving a tail from the knot, and tie on the new color. Weave over the tail of the previous color. When you reach the end of the straws, tie the yarn or string off.
It’s now time to warp your loom. It sounds like such a scary phrase but it is actually the easiest part of the process. Begin by cutting two pieces of yarn about 12 inches long. Thread the yarn through the straws at the taped end. Make sure the ends are even and tie them off in an overhand knot. Push the straws against the knot.
We have now come to the tricky part. You need to slide your weaving off of the straws and onto the warp threads. You may have to push hard because the woven yarn is quite happy to stay tightly wound around the straws. Center your weaving onto the warp threads. Tie a double knot in the warp threads on both sides of the weaving to keep it in place and tightly woven. You have now completed your very first woven bracelet.
After mastering the woven bracelet, you can begin to create more wondrous creations on your simple recycled loom. You can make belts by using longer straws. Just tape the straws together, end to end, to make a bigger loom. Stack multiple straws for wider bracelets or add small beads or charms for a different look. Your imagination, and number of straws, is your only limit.
