Admittedly, compared to the Miracle Mac, it’s hard for me to feel like, um, a real knitter. See, I am a slob at math, and though I can remember how to stitch, following a knitting pattern takes all the joy from my life. I can’t keep track of stitches or knits or purls to save my immortal soul, and it’s a good thing the yarn gods don’t require counting, or I’d be in the scrap handbag on my way down. What I do like to do, though, is loom knit. 
No counting. No fuss. Variations as I choose, but the freedom to not think; to just do a brainfloat and let the yarn …work.
These are two hats made for a set of twins out of polyester Italian baby yarn. I love that you can get two good sized baby hats out of one 40 yd. skein. It’s a personal gift, one that doesn’t take too much time, but one that means a lot.
Now, like most ‘real’ knitters, I fully recognize the limitations of the loomcraft – because looming is definitely crafy. It’s like… um… macrame, if we need a comparison. It’s not something you can make anything really fancy out of – you can do baby hats by the bucketload in soft, fuzzy chenilles, and I’ve made some really pretty throws and scarves, but I think socks, hats and scarves are the limit. No sweaters. I doubt if one could make sleeves on a loom – really, you could, but the shoulders would be an absolute bear. It’s probably easier to pick up the knit sticks and just do it… “right.”
Thing is, there’s not a “right” or “wrong, really;” I’ve been hanging around the yarn lady too long. Does it really matter how the you get there? The end result is the proof. I love feeling competent and creating something. Giving a handmade gift to a person for their very own child is priceless. I know people who have knitting machines — surely that doesn’t mean that they can’t knit? I think they should get extra points for figuring out how the machine works. A loom is so lowtech that anyone can get it, which is why I love it.
This orange hat is my first attempt at loom-knitting a hat, made about three years ago now, and I still wear it regularly (although I really should pull myself together and make a scarf — there’s just not enough in my winter wardrobe that matches burnt orange…) I’m 
still very proud of this hat. It’s thick and compact, and I actually like to wear it wrong side out. The right-side out has nice ribs, but 
I like the smooth side, and I really love the mottled color of the chenille. Sadly, this hat is also really, really big! It routinely falls off of Mac, but it fits my large noggin’ just fine. I thought it’d be a good baby hat… obviously I’m not great at sizing things yet. Fortunately, there are an abundance of adults and homeless people who are benefitting from my attempts.
This is my latest loom and project — I made a 10′ wide scarf on a straight knitting loom instead of a circular one, which is what people ususally work with. Using three skeins of 40 yd. chenille yarn, 
I made a six foot shawl/blarf/blanket/scarf that has gotten me a lot of commentary. One woman I met in an elevator said she saw something exactly like it at Nordstrom’s for about a hundred dollars. While I was flattered that she said I had mad skillz (heh), I thought that if what she said is true, it’s really sort of a shame… the scarf/blarf/blanket is made of a really inexpensive yarn, not even remotely a natural fiber, but it’s fluffy and pretty and warm – and really cheap. Which brings me back to why I love loom knitting – because any idiot can do it. I hope people actually take a few and try it instead of trekking out to the mall (o, place of evil!) and buying something. Once you get the hang of it, it really is a lot more fun to do it yourself…
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You know, I must just go on the record here: I have never said that loom knitting wasn’t “real” knitting. Just so we’re all clear.
Oh my…I really think you should check out the looming blogs and the looming groups at yahoo. I’ve seen sweaters, stuffed animals, mittens, and I even have a few patterns at my own blog such as scrubbies, swiffer cover, and more…all done on the looms. Try the brand new ezine, just for loomers: http://www.loomknitterscircle.com/
The possibilities are endless!
You have a really good blog by the way 🙂 Thanks for letting me “drop in.”
Wow! Thanks for the great links, Kansas! Since writing this post, I’ve also become pretty proficient with a needle, as long as nobody throws any changes at me too quickly. I’m learning to do a herringbone knit, and I’ve just done two more baby hats for a set of twins, whose mother is delighted. (They, so far, are underwhelmed, mostly using them as chew toys…)
I’m excited about this!