Friendly Loom Lotta Loops 7" Traditional Size Bright Cotton Loops Makes 8 Potholders, Weaving, Crafts for Kids and Adults by Harrisville Designs

I've posted photos of three potholders that I've made. These are all made with the Harrisville loops. There's the "6 Color Rainbow", the "Houndstooth", and the "12 Color Rainbow."Here's how to make them. There are 18 posts on each side of the loom. For the "6 Color Rainbow," warp and weave are the same, and the pattern is: 3 red, 3 orange, 3 yellow, 3 green, 3 blue, 3 purple.For the "12 Color Rainbow," you also use groups of 3 of the same color, but the warp and weave are not the same. Also, please note, I used 3 shades of green. WARP: 3 deep purple, 3 royal blue, 3 soft turquoise, 3 of green #1, 3 of green #2, 3 of green #3. WEAVE: 3 yellow, 3 orange, 3 salmon, 3 red, 3 fuchsia, 3 light purple. Six colors each for warp and weave, thus, 12 colors. (I looked up "rainbow" on Wikipedia and found some interesting info, by the way.)For the Houndstooth - this is a basic pattern that came with the metal Harrisvile loom. I used purple and green. G = green and P = purple. Warp and weave are the same. GGPPGGPPGGPPGGPPGG. In other words, 2 loops of one color alternating with 2 loops of the other color. You will have 5 pairs of the color you start with, and 4 pairs of the other color, for the warp and the same for the weave.These loops are the best I've used. In the past, I've used other types of loops that are clearly poor quality. Some are not cotton, and some are so inconsistent in size that they're almost impossible to stretch over the loom. I'm so happy that I discovered these Harrisville loops. These loops are quality cotton, very nice colors and consistent sizes. They're a pleasure to use.I have the metal Harrisville loom - that's the way to go, in my opinion. I don't like the plastic looms. I use my fingers for most of the potholder-making process. When it gets tight at the end of the process I use a crochet hook - about a "J" or "I" size. I recommend a strong plastic crochet hook or, better, an aluminum crochet hook. I don't use the hook that came with my loom.This is a fun, pleasant and relaxing hobby for adults and kids. The potholders make great gifts. I like to listen to music as I make potholders. The Harrisville loops - they're just the best. No complaints at all! By the way you can get bags of individual colors, too. Enjoy! If you like crafts and making pretty things, you'll probably like making these.

We've been making potholders at home and it seemed like we were always running out of the colors we wanted, so we ordered replacements from several different sources to see what worked best. Although these are not the easiest to use, they by far make the best finished product. This is a great big bag of loops with very vibrant colors. The colors are great -- teal, cobalt, lime green, kelly green, pink, red, reddish-purple, yellow, orange -- enough to make some beautiful combinations. Compared to the other loops we've used, these are very thick and less stretchy. Because they are bulkier, they are a little harder to work with. I haven't found any that don't fit, though. On the flip side, the finished potholder is larger and holds its shape better. I've found that the stretchier brands seem to have a lot of nylon, and it doesn't seem like they'd hold up as well to hot dishes. These loops are kind of scraggly, with loose threads hanging off of them, but when you weave them together the loose threads aren't really a problem.Someone commented that her daughter wasn't able to weave the edges with these because they were less stretchy. My daughter hasn't been able to weave the edges with these either, but she's very, very proud of the finished product as it is larger, more vibrant, and more even in shape than the potholders made with the stretchier loops.If you want something that's really easy to use, you might check for the loops made by klutz or others, as these might not be the best bet. If you want to make cool potholders, though, these are a good choice.UPDATE: I'm back a year later to buy more. Glad that I was able to find the good loops again. And now that my daughter is 8, she no longer has difficulty weaving the edges -- most of the time. Also, these are much easier to weave off the edges when you use the metal loom, rather than the plastic ones.UPDATE #2: Almost two years later, and my daughter is back making potholders, this time trying to create her own designs. Need more loops!

These make absolutely the BEST potholders and are fun to use. Highly recommend this (and a loom) for the young person in your life or for yourself if you need new potholders!

We had bought a children's loom weaving kit which came with polyester loops. I learned that cotton loops make for bigger and actually usable potholders. My kids were still interested in doing some weaving, so I bought these as our next loops set. The potholders were about 1/3 the size bigger than the polyester loop potholders - quite a difference. I haven't actually used them under hot pans but other reviews have said it worked fine. The only issue (and I'd actually give this 4 1/2 stars) was the loops do have too many loose threads. My 7 year old found it pretty annoying to have to clip a lot of threads before weaving. Me too. If the maker could tighten the weave of the loops, it would be really a stellar product. They came in a nice variety of colors. I recommend, with scissors close by.

Way too expensive for what it is, but they kind of hook you (no pun intended, ugh god sorry) in that they’re pretty much the only game in town. You’ll end up with 40 blue ones and no other colors so you’ll buy another bag and then another.. but what are you gonna do? Cough it up. That said, they make the best potholders—seriously. I love them and that’s what everyone got this year for Christmas because I thought my 3 year old and I could make them together (bahahahaha!!! WRONG.) so I would just sit there at night watching Schitts Creek and bang them out. Somewhat meditative and creative, felt good to be productive.. long story long, I don’t know. If you need potholders or want to spend $20 on a pair, then go for it.

The loops are fine, great colours, but the picture is deceiving, this set does not include the loom. Pricey!

I like it but my daughter don’t like it