BLOOMing LOOMing ~ not for me!

I know a lot about knitting ...... and I enjoy passing on my skills. I run a knitting & crochet club for students & staff in the school where I work. It's good to inspire others and I am always looking for something new.
I can knit lacy patterns, cables, Fair Isle, intarsia and ............ lots more!

Isn't knitting GREAT ?

 

But I have never tried loom knitting ~ so I thought it was about time I gave it a go.  

 

 

 

Looms can be circular, square or straight.

 

I got myself a straight loom and settled down with some pretty yarn and a tutorial or two - I found some good instructions at http://lovintheoven.com/2013/02/diy-how-to-use-a-knitting-loom-to-make-an-infinity-scarf.html

 

 

 

And I began ~ full of excitement to be learning a new technique ......

I have seen some lovely garments and blankets made by this method. 

 

I followed the instructions and soon I understood how the loom knitting works ......

 

I wasn't sure about tension, so to tried a practice first - but it seemed to work up evenly so that wasn't a problem.

 

I decided that the yarn I had chosen would make a pretty scarf - and as I did not want it to be as wide as the loom I started for real this time without using all of the pegs.

 

loom knitting

I tried using the hook,

and also tried just using my fingers and found that was quite easy and a bit quicker.

 

BUT ....... it was all so   s - l - o - w

 

I could have knitted 6 times as much using normal needles. 

 

Feeling a bit frustrated I made myself a lovely mug of coffee and had a bit of a think. All new techniques are slow of course but I realised that I would never build up enough speed to make this feel worthwhile.

 

And I recognised too that there was no 'rhythm'. One of the lovely things about knitting for me is that I get into a rhythm and I enjoy it.

 

 

Well - no surprise then -

the loom and yarn are now in a bag in the cupboard.
Goodness knows when, if ever, it will see the light of day again.

 

It was good to learn a new skill ...... but LOOMing is not for me.