For folks who are looking for 19-peg looms, or who would prefer a wooden frame, we found one being sold on Amazon that worked out pretty well.
There are multiple vendors selling these as “knitting looms,” but I think they’re all coming out of the same factory. The quality is pretty decent, especially given the price: you can have a 19-peg loom delivered tomorrow for $25, or for $18 if you don’t mind waiting a few weeks for it to ship from China. (The same factory is also making a 30-peg loom that might fit pro loops, but we haven’t tested it yet.)
Background
A couple of months ago I put together a list of sources for potholder looms by reading through multiple conversations in Facebook groups, which kept rehashing the same half-dozen vendors, and having done so I figured the list was complete — but then Piglet announced that she’d found an affordable new loom on Amazon that looked like it would work, even though it wasn’t explicitly labeled as for woven-loop potholders.
We had to wait two weeks for it to ship from China, but now that it’s here it’s turned out to be totally serviceable. I’m always a little cautious about ordering unbranded products from low-cost overseas vendors, but in this case it turned out fine, so I figured I’d write up some notes for anyone else who’d like to give it a try.
The Looms
Looking at the listings on Amazon is confusing, because there are numerous vendors all selling similar-seeming items with confusing descriptions, but after studying them for a while, I think I’ve confirmed that there’s a single factory turning these out (in three different sizes) and then a dozen different middlemen are listing them on Amazon with slightly-different awkwardly-phrased names and varying selections from the same set of promotional photos.
The looms are available in three sizes, equivalent to the “mug rug,” traditional, and “pro” sizes we use for woven-loop potholders. In addition to the pins along each side, these looms also have pins in the corners, which are generally not useful for potholder weaving, so I’ve counted them separately:
- 10cm (4″): 8 pegs per side plus 4 corners: 36 total.
- 20cm (8″): 19 pegs per side plus 4 corners: 80 total.
- 30cm (12″): 30 pegs per side plus 4 corners: 124 total.
Our Experience
We ordered the middle size, and confirmed that the distance between the rows of pegs was just a little bit over 7″ — perfect for traditional potholder loops. We have not yet tried the large size to confirm it fits pro loops — it might be slightly too wide. If you do decide to roll the dice and test this, please let us know how it works out![Update, April 22:] Thanks to Pamela for posting about her experience; she ordered the 19-peg and 30-peg looms and reports that the 30-peg loom is wider than the Harrisville Pro loom — around 11″ between pegs rather than 10.25″ — but confirmed that the “pro” loops do still fit across it, albeit with a bit of extra stretch which can make weaving slightly awkward.
The wood frame feels nice; well-rounded edges and solid-seeming joints. The pins are solid and have round ball heads that help to keep the loops in place. The placement of the pins is not perfectly precise — a few are angled just a little bit askew — but they’re still entirely usable. (I used a pair of pliers to nudge a few of them into better alignment with their neighbors, but this was more for aesthetics than any practical benefit.)
Product Links
As noted above, all of the below Amazon listings appear to be for the same product line, being produced in three sizes by a single factory but sold under multiple names and at different prices. They were all added to Amazon over the last couple of months starting in February.
Most of the items ship in 2-4 or 4-6 weeks. Most vendors ship for free, but one charges $3 for shipping. One vendor has shipped their products to Amazon warehouses in the US, so theirs are available via next-day Prime delivery. [Update, April 14:] The handful of looms that were in stock at Amazon warehouses have now been sold, so next-day delivery is no longer an option.
The table below is likely incomplete, and is just a snapshot of a particular moment; as with all such offerings, the prices, availability, and shipping times are all subject to change without notice, so be sure to verify the details before placing your order.
Note that I don’t have any special knowledge about these products beyond reading the Amazon website, and I can’t guarantee that they’ll suit your needs, but hopefully if you do run into any problems, or if one of the vendors turns out to be unreliable, Amazon’s refund policies should protect you.
| Vendor | 10cm/4″ | 20cm/8″ | 30cm/12″ |
|---|---|---|---|
| Fosa | $12 | $18 | $26 |
| Pssopp | $12 | $18 | $26 |
| Fockety | $13 | $18 | $28 |
| Heepod | $14 | $18 | $26 |
| Syrisora | $20 | ||
| Chunheng | $20 | $28 | |
| Btseury | $16 | $21 | $29 |
| Zerodis | $16 | $21 | |
| Eastalolo | $16 | $21 | |
| Gfrgfg | $17 | $23 | |
| Asixxsix | $25 | ||
| Diydeg | $19 | $27 | |
| Aroyel | $24 | $33 | $43 |
| Pinsomm | $24 | $33 | $43 |
| Ahohos | $24 | $33 | $43 |
[Update, April 22:] Thanks again to Pamela for pointing out that these same looms are available through Ali Express at even lower prices. Shipping is generally not included in the price, although several vendors will waive the cost of shipping for your first order, which keeps the total price under $20.
All three sizes are available from these vendors, and probably others:
As far as I can tell, all of these vendors are selling the exact same product, probably all coming off a single factory line.
As with all such purchases from unknown overseas vendors, there’s less assurance than from buying at a reputable local supplier, but I suspect that more than 99% of orders are filled successfully, and at these prices it’s worth taking a bit of risk.