Loom Knitting Patterns

How loom knitting works

A knitting loom is a frame studded with pegs. You wrap yarn around the pegs, then use a small hook to lift the lower loop over the upper one, which forms exactly the same stitch a needle would make. The fabric that comes off a loom is knitted fabric — it can be ribbed, cabled, striped and shaped like any other. What changes is the ergonomics: your hands do a lifting motion rather than gripping two needles under tension, which is why loom knitting is widely recommended for anyone with arthritis, hand fatigue or limited dexterity, and why it is such a reliable way to teach children.

Round looms and long looms

• Round looms produce a tube. Hats, cowls, socks, slippers, leg warmers and toy bodies all come off a round loom.
• Long or rake looms produce flat fabric, or a double-knit tube if you work both rails. Scarves, blankets and garment panels belong here.
• Peg spacing (gauge) matters more than loom diameter. Widely spaced pegs need chunky yarn; closely spaced pegs suit DK and 4 ply. Using thin yarn on a wide-gauge loom gives a loose, holey fabric.
• Peg count sets the circumference. Count pegs against the pattern before starting, not after ten rounds.
• The hook is the tool that does the work — a loom pick or hook, not a crochet hook, though a crochet hook will do in a pinch.

What to make first

A hat on a round loom is the standard first project and it is genuinely quick: cast on by e-wrapping every peg, work the brim, work the body until it is deep enough, then gather the live stitches onto a length of yarn and pull tight. It teaches the wrap, the lift, and the gathered finish in one evening. From there, a chunky scarf on a long loom introduces flat knitting and turning; a cowl teaches joining in the round without shaping; slippers and socks add the heel, which on a loom is worked with short rows across a portion of the pegs. Blankets are simply long-loom panels, either worked as one wide piece or as strips seamed together.

Stitches beyond the basic wrap

The e-wrap knit stitch is where everyone begins, but it produces a loose, slightly twisted fabric. The flat or "u" knit gives a tighter, neater result and is worth learning early. Purl stitches are made by pushing the loop below the working yarn instead of lifting over the top, and once you have knit and purl you can rib, work garter and produce texture. Cables are made by lifting stitches off two or three pegs onto the hook, swapping their order and replacing them — the same manoeuvre as needle cabling, just with the stitches parked on pegs.

Yarn, quantity and finishing

Chunky and super chunky yarns suit most standard-gauge looms and finish fastest, which is part of the appeal. A loom-knitted hat typically takes around 100 to 150 metres; a scarf 200 to 400; a lap blanket considerably more, so buy to metreage. Bind off with the gather method for hats, or a basic chain bind-off for flat pieces, keeping it loose — a tight bind-off on a loom-knitted scarf pulls the end in visibly. Weave ends along the direction of the stitches, and wash according to the ball band.

Loom knitting questions

Is loom knitting real knitting? Yes. The stitch structure is identical to needle knitting; only the tool differs.

Which loom should I buy first? A round loom set covering several diameters, so you can make hats for different head sizes without buying again.

Can I use any yarn? Match the yarn to the peg spacing. Chunky for wide-gauge looms, DK or 4 ply for fine-gauge ones.

Can I use needle knitting patterns on a loom? Sometimes, if you convert stitch counts to peg counts and work in the round where needed. Purpose-written loom patterns are far easier.

Are there free loom knitting patterns? Yes, and they are collected separately as free downloads.