Crafxzen

Beginner's Guide to Vegetable Gardening

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Wed, 08 Jun 2022 13:22:00 +0000

Vegetable gardening is my summer hobby. I've had a vegetable garden in some form ever since I was a kid. If you've never had a garden before, getting started is easy no matter where you live.
To get started, first take a look around your yard. Find a spot to put the garden that gets at least 6 hours of sun, especially afternoon sun. A south facing spot is the best.

Next choose the type of garden. Will this be a row garden where the seeds are directly sowed in the ground, a mound garden (Hügelkultur) where raised mounds of soil are built on top of the ground, raised beds or a container garden?

Row gardens
Row gardens are the most common and the hardest to maintain. 10' x 10' is a good starter size. Remove any grass and get the area down to bare ground. Use a roto tiller to loosen the soil and make it easier to plant. Then take a hoe and mark rows in the soil. Leave at least 2 - 3 feet between rows for easily walking between them.

Mound gardens
For a mound garden, layer cardboard, leaves, twigs, black and white newspapers in raised mounds in rows or small, round circles. On top of that add, soil, compost and/or mulch.

Raised bed gardens
For raised beds, I used 4' x 4' x 6" square beds made by Greenland Gardener sold online at Home Depot. Unfortunately, the company seems to have stopped making them, so I just bought a couple similar, but definitely not the same, raised beds at Lakeside Collection. The Greenland Gardener beds are heavier, recycled material that won't rot. The Lakeside beds are lighter and made of plastic. They are roughly the same size and price. They both are pretty easy to install. The Greenland bed sides are one piece and have corners the boards fit into. The sides do buckle a bit over time though. The Lakeside bed sides have two pieces that slide together and lock in place with a stake that pushes into the ground.
In the past, I've used wood raised beds, but eventually wood rots, which mine did, so I prefer a longer lasting material.
A budget friendly soil option is to fill them with items similar to building mound gardens. All of that will eventually compost down into nutrient rich soil.
Also lay the raised bed down on top of landscaping fabric or black plastic to prevent weeds from growing up through the bed. I used the black plastic because it lasts longer.

Container gardens
This year, I'm trying containers for my flowers, but vegetables can also grow in pots. 5 gallon pails work great for larger vegetables like tomatoes. The vegetables just need room for the roots to grow. Vegetables like radishes can be grown in smaller pots.

I've done all 4 types of gardens and should have just started off with raised beds. They are so much easier and there is far less maintenance with hoeing and weed pulling than row gardens. They cost more upfront, but are worth it in the end if you are going to stick with gardening for the long term.
If you are not sure, just make a small row garden with a few simple vegetables like lettuce and radishes and then move to a raised bed later on.

Once you figure out what garden type you are going to use, pick a size for the garden. Start small, don't get carried away right off the bat. Weeds take over so easily that it will be too overwhelming if you were to jump in with a giant row garden.

What to plant
Next, figure out what you are going to grow. Grow what you will eat. If you don't like something, don't grow it. Some starter vegetables to grow might be lettuce, cucumber, zucchini, radishes and a tomato plant. Don't go overboard buying seeds. Some seed packets, like lettuce, contain a lot of seeds. They will keep for a few years if kept dry though. Also, buy good quality seeds to improve the rate of success. I get my seeds from Baker Creek Heirloom Seeds. They are reasonably priced, high quality seeds with free shipping. They also have a gorgeous annual seed catalog.

Gardening tools
For gardening, some basic tools you need include a hoe, shovel, handheld digger and gardening gloves. A knee pad, hat and bug net might also be helpful.

Planting
Once the last frost is passed, it's safe to plant the garden. You basically just drag the hoe through the ground or use the digger to make small holes to drop the seeds. Drop the seed in and cover it up. A good rule of thumb is to make the hole about double the size of the seed. Then cover the seed with dirt. Small seeds just need a dusting of soil over the top, but bigger seeds like zucchini need a little bit more. Don't cover with too much soil though or the seed may not germinate. Once the seeds are planted, drizzle with a bit of water if you want.
Things should start popping up after about a week, depending on the seed. The only care really needed until harvest time is a bit of water when the soil feels dry and pulling any weeds that pop up. Try to stay on top of the weeds. They can get out of control fast. That's why I gave up the row garden and switched to raised beds. Weeds still grow in them, but it's not nearly as time consuming or strenuous to pull them out. Don't use any pesticides/herbicides. Go organic. The vegetables will contain more nutrients and be much better for you, which is a big reason to grow your own food.
The crops are ready to eat when they look good to you. Be careful with zucchini. One day they can be almost ready to eat and the next they are the size of baseball bats.

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 11-13-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 13 Nov 2021 19:00:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Hydrangea, Black, and Spice colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Black,Spice,Hydrangea,Hydrangea,Spice,Black,Spice,Hydrangea,Spice,Black,Hydrangea,Spice,Black,Spice,Hydrangea,Hydrangea,Spice,Black

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:
,

Black,Spice,Hydrangea,Hydrangea,Spice,Black,Spice,Hydrangea,Spice,Black,Hydrangea,Spice,Black,Spice,Hydrangea,Hydrangea,Spice,Black

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Black underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Spice over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Hydrangea appears, substitute your second color wherever Black appears and substitute your third color wherever Spice appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 10-16-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 16 Oct 2021 16:03:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Carnation, Turquoise, Lavender and Purple colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Turquoise,Carnation,Lavender,Purple,Lavender,Turquoise,Purple,Lavender,Turquoise,Turquoise,Lavender,Purple,Turquoise,Lavender,Purple,Lavender,Carnation,Turquoise

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:
,

Turquoise,Carnation,Lavender,Purple,Lavender,Turquoise,Purple,Lavender,Turquoise,Turquoise,Lavender,Purple,Turquoise,Lavender,Purple,Lavender,Carnation,Turquoise

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Turquoise underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Carnation over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Carnation appears, substitute your second color wherever Turquoise appears, substitute your third color wherever Lavender appears and substitute your fourth color wherever Purple appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 10-02-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 02 Oct 2021 16:28:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with White and Flax colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Flax,Flax,White,White,Flax,Flax,White,Flax,Flax,White,White,Flax,White,White,White,White,Flax,White

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:
,

Flax,Flax,White,White,Flax,Flax,White,Flax,Flax,White,White,Flax,White,White,White,White,Flax,White

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Flax underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Flax over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever White appears and substitute your second color wherever Flax appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 09-18-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 18 Sep 2021 15:29:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Powder Blue, Blue, Leaf and Red colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Powder Blue,Red,Leaf,Red,Blue,Red,Powder Blue,Leaf,Red,Blue,Leaf,Powder Blue,Red,Blue,Red,Leaf,Red,Powder Blue

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:
,

Powder Blue,Red,Leaf,Red,Blue,Red,Powder Blue,Leaf,Red,Blue,Leaf,Powder Blue,Red,Blue,Red,Leaf,Red,Powder Blue

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Powder Blue underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Red over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Powder Blue appears, substitute your second color wherever Blue appears, substitute your third color wherever Leaf appears and substitute your fourth color wherever Red appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 08-21-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 21 Aug 2021 15:58:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Silver, Orange, Red and Plum colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Plum,Red,Silver,Plum,Red,Silver,Red,Red,Plum,Orange,Red,Red,Silver,Red,Plum,Silver,Red,Plum

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:
,

Plum,Red,Silver,Plum,Red,Silver,Red,Red,Plum,Orange,Red,Red,Silver,Red,Plum,Silver,Red,Plum

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Plum underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Red over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Silver appears, substitute your second color wherever Orange appears, substitute your third color wherever Red appears and substitute your fourth color wherever Plum appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 08-07-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 07 Aug 2021 16:02:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Willow and Burgundy colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Willow, Burgundy, Burgundy, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Burgundy, Burgundy, Willow

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Willow, Burgundy, Burgundy, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Burgundy, Burgundy, Willow

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Willow underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Burgundy over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Willow appears and substitute your second color wherever Burgundy appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 05-08-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 08 May 2021 19:14:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Spice and Powder Blue colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Spice, Spice, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Spice, Spice

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Spice, Spice, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Spice, Powder Blue, Spice, Spice

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Spice underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Spice over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Spice appears and substitute your second color wherever Powder Blue appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 04-24-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 24 Apr 2021 22:07:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Carnation, Flax and Tiger Lily colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Carnation, Carnation, Carnation, Carnation, Flax, Tiger Lily, Flax, Carnation, Flax, Carnation, Tiger Lily, Flax, Carnation, Tiger Lily, Flax, Carnation, Carnation, Flax

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Carnation, Carnation, Carnation, Carnation, Flax, Tiger Lily, Flax, Carnation, Flax, Carnation, Tiger Lily, Flax, Carnation, Tiger Lily, Flax, Carnation, Carnation, Flax

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Carnation underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Carnation over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Carnation appears, substitute your second color wherever Flax appears and substitute your third color wherever Tiger Lily appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 04-03-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 03 Apr 2021 22:05:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Purple, Carnation and Spice colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Purple, Carnation, Carnation, Purple, Carnation, Spice, Carnation, Purple, Spice, Carnation, Purple, Purple, Spice, Spice, Spice, Spice, Purple, Purple

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Spice, Purple, Purple, Spice, Purple, Spice, Purple, Purple, Carnation, Carnation, Spice, Purple, Purple, Spice, Carnation, Carnation, Purple, Carnation

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Spice underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Purple over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.
Continue on with the rest of the row colors.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Purple appears, substitute your second color wherever Carnation appears and substitute your third color wherever Spice appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 03-20-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 16:06:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Robin's Egg and Turquoise colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Robins Egg, Turquoise, Turquoise, Robins Egg, Robins Egg, Turquoise, Turquoise, Robins Egg, Turquoise, Robins Egg, Robins Egg, Turquoise, Turquoise, Robins Egg, Robins Egg, Turquoise, Turquoise, Robins Egg

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Start off by laying down the column colors.
Next, weave the first row color of Robin's Egg underneath, then over, underneath, over, etc., the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Turquoise over, then underneath, over, underneath, etc., the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Robin's Egg appears and substitute your second color wherever Turquoise appears.
Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 03-06-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 16:52:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with Robin's Egg, Pewter and Winter White colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Robins Egg, Pewter, Winter White, Pewter, Robins Egg, Winter White, Robins Egg, Pewter, Winter White, Winter White, Pewter, Robins Egg, Winter White, Robins Egg, Pewter, Winter White, Pewter, Robins Egg

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Start off by weaving the first row color of Robin's Egg underneath, then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Pewter over, then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Robin's Egg appears, substitute your second color wherever Pewter appears and substitute your third color wherever Winter White appears.

Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

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Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 02-20-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 06 Mar 2021 16:44:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with green, pine and leaf colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Green, Pine, Pine, Green, Pine, Leaf, Green, Green, Pine, Leaf, Green, Green, Leaf, Pine, Green, Pine, Pine, Green

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Green, Pine, Pine, Green, Pine, Leaf, Green, Green, Pine, Leaf, Green, Green, Leaf, Pine, Green, Pine, Pine, Green

Start off by weaving the first row color of Green underneath, then over the column loops. Weave the second row color of Pine over, then underneath the column loops. To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Green appears, substitute your second color wherever Pine appears and substitute your third color wherever Leaf appears. Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner. See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together. Crafxzen Potholder Gallery (#ad)

Free Woven Loop Potholder Pattern 02-06-2021

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 06 Feb 2021 23:19:00 +0000

This woven potholder can be made with powder blue and willow colors. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

Powder Blue, Willow, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Willow, Powder Blue, Willow, Willow, Willow, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow

Next weave in the following colors for the rows:

Powder Blue, Willow, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Willow, Powder Blue, Willow, Willow, Willow, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Powder Blue, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow, Willow

Start off by weaving the first row color of Powder Blue underneath, then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of Willow over, then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever Powder Blue appears and substitute your second color wherever Willow appears.

Finally, finish off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Crafxzen Potholder Gallery

(#ad)

How to Make a Unique Burgundy Red White Woven Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 01:53:00 +0000

I made this woven potholder with burgundy, red and white colors in a unique abstract pattern. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

burgundy,burgundy,white,white,white,red,red,red,red,burgundy,burgundy,burgundy,burgundy,red,white,burgundy,red,red

Next weave in the same colors for the rows:

burgundy,burgundy,white,white,white,red,red,red,red,burgundy,burgundy,burgundy,burgundy,red,white,burgundy,red,red

Start off by weaving the first row color of burgundy underneath, then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of burgundy over, then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever burgundy appears, substitute your second color wherever red appears and substitute your third color wherever white appears

Tie off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

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Crafxzen Handwoven Potholder Giveaway

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Mon, 16 Mar 2020 22:13:00 +0000

I'm running the first Crafxzen handwoven potholder giveaway for the potholder displayed above! Enter now, the giveaway ends: December 6, 2020 at 12:00am

Use the form below to enter:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The colors are powder blue, daffodil, hydrangea and white.

How to Make a Pink Orange Turquoise Green Abstract Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 22 Feb 2020 02:57:00 +0000

This is a nice spring colored potholder with pink, orange, turquoise and green colors in an abstract pattern. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

orange,pink,green,green,turquoise,turquoise,orange,orange,turquoise,turquoise,orange,orange,turquoise,green,green,turquoise,orange,orange

Next weave in these colors for the rows:

orange,pink,green,green,turquoise,turquoise,orange,orange,turquoise,turquoise,orange,orange,turquoise,green,green,turquoise,orange,orange

Start off by weaving the first row color of orange underneath, then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of pink over, then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever pink appears, substitute your second color wherever orange appears, substitute your third color wherever turquoise appears and substitute your second color wherever green appears.

Tie off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Order from the Etsy Shop
Order from the Potholder Gallery

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How To Make a Red Orange and Yellow 3 Color Checker Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 25 Jan 2020 17:46:00 +0000

I turned a checker pattern into this 3 color checkered red, orange and yellow patterned potholder. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

red,red,yellow,red,red,red,red,red,yellow,red,red,red,red,red,yellow,red,red,red

Next weave in these colors for the rows:

orange,orange,yellow,orange,orange,orange,orange,orange,yellow,orange,orange,orange,orange,orange,yellow,orange,orange,orange

Start off by weaving the first row color of orange underneath, then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of orange over, then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever red appears, substitute your second color wherever orange appears and substitute your third color wherever yellow appears.

Tie off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Order from the Etsy Shop
Order from the Potholder Gallery

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How To Make a Yellow and White Checker Two Pattern Loop Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 18 Jan 2020 23:18:00 +0000

I made a cheery, checker two, yellow and white patterned potholder. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow,yellow

Next weave in these colors for the rows:

white,yellow,white,white,yellow,white,white,yellow,white,white,yellow,white,white,yellow,white,white,yellow,white,white,yellow,white

Start off by weaving the first row color of white underneath, then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of yellow over, then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever yellow appears, substitute your second color wherever white appears.

Tie off the ends, starting at the top left corner. The hanging loop will end up being the 2nd loop at the top left corner.
See my Loom Potholder Tutorial for further details on weaving the ends together.

Order from the Etsy Shop
Order from the Potholder Gallery

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How To Weave A Christmas Red White Green Abstract Pattern #1

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Wed, 04 Dec 2019 02:36:00 +0000

I'm working on a few Christmas themed potholders in red, green and white. This is the first one I made. To make it, use the following colors for the columns:

red,white,red,red,white,green,red,red,red,green,red,red,green,white,red,red,white,red

Next weave in the same colors for the rows:

red,white,red,red,white,green,red,red,red,green,red,red,green,white,red,red,white,red

Start off by weaving the first row color of red underneath then over the column loops.
Weave the second row color of white over then underneath the column loops.

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever red appears, substitute your second color wherever green appears and substitute your third color wherever white appears.

Order from the Potholder Gallery

Loom Potholder Tutorial

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How To Weave a 2 Color Tee Pattern Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Wed, 20 Nov 2019 01:34:00 +0000

I made this two colored Tee pattern potholder using pink and lime colored loops.

To weave this pattern, first add the column loops in this order:

pink,pink,lime,lime,pink,pink,lime,lime,pink,pink,lime,lime,pink,pink,lime,lime,pink,pink

Next, weave in the row colors. The first row, which would be lime, starts out weaving under the first column. The second row is pink and would start out weaving over the first column. The row colors are:

lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink,lime,pink

To make this using different colors, substitute your first color wherever pink appears and substitute your second color wherever lime appears.

Order from the Potholder Gallery

Loom Potholder Tutorial

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How to Weave a Hound's Tooth Halloween Themed Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sun, 20 Oct 2019 00:23:00 +0000

I made this potholder for Halloween. The Hound's Tooth pattern makes it look like it has mini ghosts.

The colors I used are orange and black.

To weave this pattern, first add the column loops using:

orange,black,black,orange,orange,black,black,orange,orange,black,black,orange,orange,black,black,orange,orange,black

Next, weave in the row colors. The first row, which would be orange, starts out weaving under the first column. The second row is black and would start out weaving over the first column. The row colors are:

orange,black,black,orange,orange,black,black,orange,orange,black,black,orange,orange,black,black,orange,orange,black

Order from the Potholder Gallery

Loom Potholder Tutorial

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How To Weave a Striped Potholder

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Wed, 09 Oct 2019 01:37:00 +0000

I made this potholder as a baby shower gift. The pattern is a striped pattern with carnation and silver colored loops.

Setting carnation to color 1 and silver to color 2, the pattern to make this is:

cols: [carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver]
rows: [carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver, carnation, silver],

Add the column colors first and then weave in the rows. The first row is weaved under the first column loop, alternating every other loop.

To make a striped pattern using different colors, substitute a new color 1 wherever carnation appears in the row and column lists and substitute a new color 2 wherever silver appears in the row and column lists.

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Handwoven Loom Potholder Gallery

How To Make A Hand Woven Cotton Loom Potholder Tutorial

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Fri, 19 Jul 2019 01:31:00 +0000

The best way to get started making potholders is to pick up a potholder loom kit. This potholder loom kit has enough loops to make 6 potholders. A smaller version is also available that makes 2 potholders. They both come with the loom, hook, loops and instructions. They are made by Harrisville Designs, a textile company in New Hampshire. They make high quality, 100% cotton loops. The loops are all uniform in material and stretchiness.
The looms have 18 rows and 18 columns.
Start by picking the colors to use for the potholder.

Next, plan the pattern. The easiest to get started with is a checker pattern. This is where 2 colors are used and every column peg is color 1. Every row peg is color 2.

Once the colors and pattern are figured out, take each column loop and hook it onto a peg and stretch it onto the peg at the opposite end of the loom.

When the column loops are in place, the row loops can be weaved in. Start at the top row and weave the loop under and over each column loop until the end peg is reached.

The loops may need to be stretched before weaving it on the loom. For row 2, weave the loop over and under each column loop.

For row 3, weave the loop under and over each column loop.

Continue alternating under and over the column loops until the loom is filled.

Next the edges can be finished. To finish the edges, I usually start at the top left column loop. Take the hook and put it through a loop, pulling the loop onto the hook.

Take the loop to the left of the first loop and pull it onto the hook.

Now take your hand not holding the hook and pull the first loop over the top of the hook and second loop, keeping the second loop on the hook while the first loop comes off the hook and wraps the second loop.

Next, pull the hook through the loop to the left of the second loop onto the hook and off the loom.

Pull the second loop over the top of the hook and third loop, so that it comes off of the hook and wraps the third loop.

Continue working your way around the entire loom. The loop to the right of the first loop will be the hanging loop.
Work slowly and carefully on the last two sides as the loops may start to come off of the loom without the support of the other sides. This was always the toughest part with the old loops I used when I was a kid. The Harrisville loops are so much higher quality and make finishing the last sides easier.

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Harrisville Designs Potholder Supplies

Crafxzen Potholder Pattern Selector

noreply@blogger.com (Ice Princess) — Sat, 06 Jul 2019 00:54:00 +0000

My Crafxzen potholder builder allows a user to choose a pattern from a pattern list. The first 25 patterns are based on known patterns used by Harrisville Designs. At the bottom of the list are two patterns which generate unique patterns.
The first unique pattern is called Unique Abstract. This generates a pattern using a different color for each row and column loop. The colors are based on the colors currently selected.
The second unique pattern is called Unique Single. This generates a pattern using a different color for each row's loop. The same colors are also used for the column loops. The random colors are based on the colors currently selected.
Each time the Unique Abstract or Unique Single option is clicked, a new pattern will be generated. The previous pattern will no longer be accessible.
At some point, I plan on adding the ability to save a list of favorite patterns.

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Crafxzen On Etsy