In the mood for a quick stash-busting yarn craft? The new Weaving Sticks from Clover USA definitely fit the bill! Super-easy and way faster than knitting or crochet, these portable weaving sticks are a fun alternative to more complex yarn crafts, and are a great option for whipping up accessories and simple projects.
Clover USA Weaving Sticks are available in both a fine size and a thick size, and each set includes 6 weaving sticks.
According to the package:
Fun and easy weaving!
Create unique accessories and decorations.6 pcs.
Includes: Tapestry needle for hiding yarn ends and joining seams or units.
What you’ll need:
- Core yarn and weaving yarn (wool yarn, cotton yarn, fabric strips, etc.)
- Scissors
• Instructions included
Retail price: $19.95
What you should know before getting started:
Before I jump into the review, I want to give you a quick overview of how this kind of weaving works.
Weaving with weaving sticks is a very simple technique in which yarn is looped in an over-and-under motion across alternating sticks as you work back and forth in horizontal rows. To keep the weaving from unravelling, a core yarn is attached to the end of each stick. When you reach the end of a project, all of the woven loops are moved down from the sticks and onto the core yarn. Once detached from the sticks, the core yarn remains inside your woven project, allowing it to keep its shape. (You can think of the core yarn as the skeleton of your woven piece.) Full instructions are, of course, included with each set of weaving sticks.
What I loved:
1. Because there is a core yarn attached to each stick, you can make woven pieces any length you’d like, from only a few inches to many feet long.
2. A tapestry needle is included for weaving in ends and joining seams or pieces together, but it also fits through the holes at the ends of the sticks, making the core yarn easy to insert.
3. The weaving process is easy to start–making a slip knot is the only skill required.
4. The basic weaving process is simple, and the illustrations on the instruction sheet are clear and easy to follow.
5. The weaving rows stack up quickly, allowing for fast projects and last-minute gifts.
6. Finishing a woven piece is easy–just knot off around one of the sticks, then tie all off the ends (including the core pieces) together and weave them in with the tapestry needle.
Alternately, the tied ends can be trimmed and displayed as tassels. (I used a contrasting color for my core yarn to illustrate the process more clearly.)
7. You can add color to simple woven pieces using the two-color weaving process illustrated in the instructions. (This is great for using up leftover yarn scraps from other projects.)
8. Woven pieces can be connected by sewing corresponding loops together with the tapestry needle. (You have to be careful to keep track of the number of loops on each stick while you’re weaving so joined pieces will end up the same length.)
9. Each set includes 6 weaving sticks, so you can vary the width of each woven panel to fit your project. (Or, as I showed above, you can join multiple woven pieces together to make an even wider/larger object.)
10. The large sticks can either be used with thick yarn, or to make a looser weave with finer yarn. Likewise, the small sticks can either be used with finer yarn, or to achieve a tighter weave with thicker yarn.
11. If you’ve got scrap yarn to use up, you can make horizontal stripes in your projects by alternating colors. (Unlike in knitting, don’t just weave in the end. Each color should be knotted off before starting the next.)
12. Finished objects have neat, clean edges, and are sturdy and versatile. I made this chunky rectangular piece thinking that it would work well as a large trivet. Turns out, it also makes a pretty cute piece of home decor.
What I didn’t love:
1. If you’re like me and really like to know that you’re “doing it right” the first time you try a new craft, you might find the fact that the instructions don’t suggest specific yarn weights to be stressful. (The weight of the yarn is only suggested by the fine and thick sizes of the weaving sticks.)
For me, this really didn’t turn out to be a problem. As far as I’m concerned, as long as you like how the weaving looks, any stick size can work out nicely.
Overall impressions:
While they certainly won’t replace my knitting needles and crochet hook any time soon, working with Clover Weaving Sticks was a fun and low-stress way to put a much-needed dent in my yarn stash. I really liked how quickly the woven fabric stacked up, and it was definitely satisfying to have a finished item in a matter of minutes or hours instead of days.
Disclosure: Samples provided for review, but my opinions are honest and my own!
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Not for me.
funny in the Netherlands this weaving methode was in the early eithys a big hit.
My mum was a crafting teacher and learned kiddo’s it with just rond sticks with a hole in the end and a point made with a crafting knife or a sharpie.
You can made with this jewels as well by chaning of colours and making holes and crossing the sticks as well like cables.
so if you like it to learn it’s a really fun thing to do. i still have my old ones and some great example books;-D
I have used these and it really is very simple to do. Excellent for making straps to add to totes or as am alternative to crocheted or knitted straps on a crocheted or knitted bag. I also used mine to make belts and matching headbands.
Now I have the bug to play with them and have NO idea where mine are! 🙁
Love your reviews.
Smiles and Purrs!
Kitty!
Please visit my blog at: http://myresultsmayvary.blogspot.com
A bit sturdier than the drinking straws we used in my Campfire club and 4-H groups.
I can’t really see a tremendous use for these. I think I’d prefer using my loom or knitting needles or crochet hooks like you said.
I’m curious about the robot tattoo though! 🙂
Oh yay! So delighted to see todays post. I have been waiting for you to review these ever since you mentioned them after summer cha. I thought they were the neatest things. I’ve been tearing down craft stores trying to find them. Everyone thought I was nuts. I don’t knit or crochet (I’m itching to learn though), so I really like the idea of using these. Thank you for doing the review. Any ideas on where I could buy them?
PS Love you trivet/decor piece. Me too on the tattoo. 🙂
Del Marie Riley: So glad you saw the review! Looks like you can buy them directly through the Clover website–the link’s at the top of the post. 🙂
Caryn S. (Scrapnsing): I’ve got a robot tattoo on each wrist, and they dance if I move my fingers just right. (Of course, they do the robot!)
Teresa K: Indeed, they are!
Kitty: I love the idea of using them to make straps for bags–I’ll definitely have to remember that!
jet: I love how crafting trends seem to come and go through the years–it always reminds me of the fashion trends that keep popping up every decade or so.