Using a wooden frame small enough to fit in your hand, it is surprisingly simple to create a wide variety of patterns and textures.

"What can I do with these little squares and rectangles?"

In addition to connecting them to build a larger woven piece (scarf, vest, bag), the individual pieces can be used for: dollhouse rugs, coasters, decorative patches on sweaters or jeans, pockets on knit items, "lace" collars, background for scrapbooks or shadow boxes, bookmarks, quilt embellishments - can be incorporated into many other crafts.

"What materials can I use with these looms?"

As long as you can fit the "yarn" between the pins, there is no real limit to the type of material that you can use. Possible materials include cotton, wool and acrylic yarns, many novelty yarns (use in initial threading of loom, weave with plainer media), thin ribbons, wire, embroidery floss, raffia, leather strips, and cords.

In addition, other media can be strung, sewn or painted onto the yarns or the woven piece, such as beads, buttons, cross-stitch, embroidery, sequins, charms, stamps, embossing powder, acrylic paints, and feathers. Be creative!

Two really fast projects:

Ornament: Sew or crochet two pieces together, leaving enough room to stuff with polyfill, finish with a loop at the top of one corner. With variegated or two different colors and/or textures, the ornament will add a splash of color. Or cross-stitch a design on one or both sides before you sew them together. Use a really thin fiber (such as embroidery thread or fingering yarn) and back with satin for a lacey look. Add beads or bells to sides or bottom point!

Gift Bag: Sew about four pieces together in one long row. Fold in half and sew up the sides, forming a bag. Thread a cord about an inch down from the top edge all around the top of the bag to form a drawstring. Vary size, orientation and number of pieces to get different size bags. Use eight 4" by 6" rectangles (connect them along the 6" side) and fold up to make a bottle-sized bag (check measurement against your bottle). Vary the sizes and you have a holiday stocking to hang (tuck in the top and bottom corner of the toes).