The Kromski Presto Loom is a dream to weave on. It’s cute, compact and yet with the choice of 10” or 16” width, it’s large enough to make a variety of projects. There is even a choice of Unfinished or the Color of the Year. Mint is the 2023 color and I love it!
As I said, you can make a variety of projects on this little loom (have you seen the Weaver’s Choice Heddle?), but I’ve taken the term variety to the next level with this project!
It all started when Kromski posted a video featuring loom woven beaded bracelets using the Presto Loom.
I had been looking at trying some bead weaving myself, so the timing for this was perfect.
I dove right in and made a beaded cat face which I plan to put on the front of a purse one day.
The beads in both projects are 11/0 Delica beads. I used the 12 dent heddle for the cat and it worked fabulously.
The heddle itself is not used in the usual sense. It does not rise and lower to open the shed for weaving when using this technique. It’s used instead as a spacer for the warp and the beads are sort of sewn on. The video mentioned above can explain this better.
I was hooked!
I wanted to make something spectacular and test the Presto’s ability to handle a much larger project.
I settled on replicating a photo of one of my orchids.
There are several free photo converters for cross stitch that I think would work for this, but it was helpful to have the bead count, so I used the one from a well known bead company. I had some issues with color and ease of use, so I won’t mention any names here.
In the end I had a pattern that suited me.
Initially I attempted to use the heddle again, but soon realized that the spacing was not exact and therefore would play havoc with my tension as the pattern grew. The heddle worked great on the smaller project, but with the added width, I found that I was pulling the side threads in too much as I added rows to the weaving.
In order to solve this, I strung a length of the same sized beads and taped it to the metal bar of the Presto, front and rear. Now I could lay my warp threads between the beads and they would be spaced perfectly. As a side note, I realized that now I could use any sized bead I wanted to with the same results.
I organized my beads according to the pattern and got to work.
I ended up putting some additional tape on the spacer beads so that they were extra secure.
It worked so well that it was able to travel in my suitcase, along with its older sibling, the Harp Forte, to the Yarn and Bead Fest in Milwaukee.
I’m thrilled with the final result and excited to plan the next one! This one measures 6″ x 9″. With the Kromski Presto I have the option to make it even larger!
For more information about the Presto Loom and all the other fantastic Kromski products, visit www.kromskina.com in North America or www.kromski.com for Europe.