Loom knitting is a simple introduction to knitting that helps you create beautiful garments.
Compared to traditional knitting, loom knitting is much more beginner-friendly because it provides a structure for your garment, mistakes are easier to fix, and it’s especially useful for bigger projects like afghans or blankets.
With loom knitting, most smaller projects – like hats or leg warmers – only take a day or two to make even if you are a novice. Knitting with a loom is also kid-friendly, so if you want to get your child into arts and crafts, there’s no better way to introduce them to the art of knitting.
So what are the best knitting looms for beginners? The best knitting looms for beginners come as a set, with a hooked tool for manipulating the yarn, instructions, and perhaps multiple sizes or shapes as well. However, most knitting looms are beginner-friendly already.
If you’re new to the world of loom knitting, below is a complete guide to select a perfect knitting loom for your first project.
How to Buy Knitting Looms for Beginners
Choosing the correct knitting loom for your project is one of the most important factors deciding how your project will look. When starting a new project, you should consider the type of project, the type of yarn, and choose a loom with the right shape, size, number of pegs, and distance between the pegs.
If this sounds daunting to you, below is a complete buyers’ guide to help you choose the best loom for your project.
Loom Shape
Looms come in a diverse range of shapes and sizes, and it can be overwhelming to decide which one is the best for your project. In most craft stores, you can find round, rectangular (long), S-shaped looms.
Round looms are useful when you knit in the round to create hats or socks. You can also work back and forth to create a flat piece of single knitting, so the possibilities are endless. You won’t be able to double knit on round looms, however.
Rectangular, or long, looms can be used to double knit and single knit. Double knitting will create a thicker fabric with stitch patterns on both sides, so it’s perfect for knitting scarves. You can also use long looms to create long, flat pieces similar to round looms.
S-shaped looms are typically used for much bigger projects that require a lot of stitches and pegs, such as an afghan. You will be able to create a long continuous strip with these larger looms.
Material
You can buy looms that are made of wood, plastic, or metal. These materials do not affect how your final garment will look, and it’s really a matter of personal preference which material you choose. For example, plastic looms tend to be lighter, while wooden or metal looms can be heavier to work with.
Number of Pegs
Each peg will hold one stitch, so the number of pegs will affect how many stitches your project will have. You don’t have to use every peg on a loom, but if you want to make larger garments like blankets, you will need to use a loom with many pegs, which are usually S-shaped.
Some looms allow you to adjust the number of pegs on your project. These looms are handy when you work on smaller items like socks or baby hats, or larger items like afghans or blankets.
If you are only making hats and scarves, you don’t need to invest in a customizable loom, as most standard-sized looms can accommodate these projects.
If you’re knitting with a pattern, make sure that the number of pegs will accommodate the pattern as well. For example, if you are making k1, p1 ribs in the round, make sure the number of pegs is even to create one continuous loop to avoid interrupting the pattern.
Gauge
Just as knitting needles come in different sizes that will give you different sized stitches, the gauge of the knitting loom will determine the size of your stitches. Gauge is decided by the spacing between the pegs in your loom – the larger the space, the bigger the stitch.
Gauge, when combined with the right yarn, will decide the design of your garment – whether it has a loose, chunky or even lacy look, whether it is heavier or lighter.
For beginners, we recommend using a larger gauge with a chunkier yarn, which makes knitting a lot faster and mistakes are easier to spot and fix.
Yarn Weight
The gauge will also decide the weight of the yarn you should be using for your project. Most patterns will recommend the loom gauge and yarn weight for your project, but the general rule is that the larger the gauge, the chunkier the yarn.
For blankets and chunky scarves, you should be using chunky yarn on a loom with a large gauge. For hats and smaller garments, you can use DK or worsted yarn on a loom with a medium gauge. Alternatively, you can use a lighter yarn with a larger gauge to create a lacy garment.
Seven Best Knitting Looms For Beginners
Now that you know the basics, let’s look at some of our top picks for knitting looms for beginners:
| Rank | Product | Loom Type(s) |
|---|---|---|
| 1. | Readaeer Round Knitting Looms Set | Round |
| 2. | Tidy Crafts Long Knitting Loom | Long |
| 3. | Authentic Knitting Board Flexee Loom Links | Adj. links |
| 4. | Authentic Knitting Board Adjustable Multi-Knit Loom | Adj. links |
| 5. | Authentic Knitting Board Afghan Knitting Loom | S-shaped (afghan) |
| 6. | Frola Knitting Loom Craft Kit | Round+long |
| 7. | Mira Handcrafts Round Knitting Loom Kit | Round |
We’ll go through these awesome knitting looms in more detail, so you can be sure to pick the one that will work best for your needs and project goals. So keep reading and happy loom knitting!
1. Readaeer Round Knitting Looms Set
The Readaeer round knitting loom set is very similar to the Mira Handcrafts set with one key difference: these pegs do not come out.
The Readaeer set comes with four different sizes: 5” (24 pegs), 7” (31 pegs), 9” (36 pegs), and 11” (41 pegs) – and the gauge is perfect for worsted or chunky yarn. Additionally, this set also comes with four pompom makers, a hook, and a tapestry needle.
With the Readaeer set, the pegs are very well attached to the loom so you don’t have to worry about adjusting the pegs for your project. The pegs have a dented design that makes it easier for you to grab the yarn with your hook, and the smooth plastic ensures that your yarn won’t snag.
The looms are lightweight but still durable, suitable for all kinds of projects, big or small. This set is another good option if you are hoping to involve kids in your craft project because it’s super easy to use to create quick and fun projects like hats or leg warmers.
2. Tidy Crafts Long Knitting Loom
If you want a set of knitting looms that can accommodate both double knitting and single knitting, this set of four rectangular (long) looms is perfect. The set comes with four looms sized 22.5” by 2” (62 pegs), 18” by 2” (50 pegs), 13” by 2” (38 pegs), and 9.5” by 2” (26 pegs), as well as a hook and tapestry needle.
The gauge for these looms is smaller, only ½”, so they would work well with worsted or DK yarn. The pegs are not removable, they’re quite sturdy so working with them is very easy, especially if you are a complete novice. The tips of the pegs are smaller in size, so make sure that you wrap the yarn carefully so the strands don’t slip off while you work.
Some people prefer working with long looms rather than round looms because its thin design allows you to easily maneuver the work, compared to round looms where you constantly have to rotate the piece.
The lightweight material also allows you to easily pick up the loom as you work, especially as your work gets bigger and heavier.
This set is also a nice addition to your collection of looms if you are already familiar with round knitting looms. The rectangular design of the looms also makes it really easy to double knit, perfect for making two-sided scarves or blankets.
3. Authentic Knitting Board Flexee Loom Links
This loom from Authentic Knitting Board comes as links that you will need to construct before making your project. The set comes with 36 links that you can construct to create round or long looms that have up to 72 pegs.
The links snap together and hold tight, so you don’t worry about the loom coming apart while you work.
We love that it’s easily adjustable and customizable to accommodate any sized product, but the gauge is bigger (5/8″) and more appropriate for chunky yarn, so it’s better to make bigger garments.
For large projects like a blanket, you can even buy two sets and combine them to create one large loom for your project.
The best feature is when you work on a larger project like a blanket, the loom can bend easily, so you don’t have to lift the whole loom while making heavier objects. Compared to traditional looms that come in one piece and can be difficult to maneuver as the garment gets heavier, this is definitely a big plus.
When you finish your project, you can simply disconnect the links, which makes storage much easier. If you are looking for a more versatile option that can transform to suit a wide range of projects, this is the perfect loom kit for you.
4. Authentic Knitting Board Adjustable Multi-Knit Loom
Another set from the Authentic Knitting Board, the Multi-Knit Loom is another adjustable loom that can transform to suit every type of project.
The 18-piece set, which comes with 14 straight rails, two U-shaped edges, and two round edges, can snap together to create a number of configurations that are so versatile. The set also comes with a knitting hook.
There are 220 pegs in total which come in two smaller gauges, 3/8″ and 3/4″, so it would work best with lightweight yarn to create lighter garments like socks, hats, or shawls. We love how easy it is to transform the pieces into every kind of loom you would need for a wide range of projects.
Despite being fully customizable, including removable pegs, the loom is strong and will not come apart while you work once you snap the pieces together. The pegs are smooth, so you don’t have to worry about snagging yarn. The tips are designed to hold the stitches in place while you work on your project.
Due to the smaller gauges, you will need to have some knitting skills when working with these looms. However, they are still very beginner-friendly and would be a perfect starter kit that can adapt to any kind of project, big or small.
5. Authentic Knitting Board Afghan Knitting Loom
At first, this S-shaped knitting board can look a bit intimidating. This shape is popular for bigger projects because it can hold a bigger number of pegs, which means more stitches.
The gauge is about 2/7”, so it would work well with DK or worsted weight yarn. With 198 pegs, you can knit a large blanket up to 60” (5 feet) with this small tool, so you don’t have to sew the pieces together if you are creating a large garment.
Thanks to its lightweight size and compact design, you don’t have to do any heavy lifting when making a big project.
You can certainly use it to make smaller pieces of knitting like a scarf or afghan by simply working back and forth and skip the pegs you don’t use. Note that working around the inside of the S-shaped can be a bit tricky, but if this is your first time making a bigger garment, there is no better tool to use than this S-shaped loom.
6. Frola Knitting Loom Craft Kit
If you are looking to buy your first loom, this kit has everything that you need to start your very first project.
The kit includes two long looms size 9.5” and 13.5” (3/4″ gauge), four round looms size 5.5”, 7.5”, 9.5”, and 11.5” (5/8″ gauge), four pompom makers, two hooks, and four tapestry needles.
Compared to other starter kits, we love that this kit includes both round and long looms so you can explore single knitting and double knitting as you practice and create.
This kit is enough to help you make almost any garment you can imagine, but note that the larger gauge means that it will work best with worsted or chunky yarn.
The pegs on these looms are not removable, so you don’t have to worry about adjusting the pegs when starting a new project. The pegs are very smooth and easy to work with, so your yarn won’t snag on any edges.
These looms are highly rated by beginners thanks to the ease of use and lightweight yet durable design. Overall, this set is comprehensive enough to help you establish your first collection of tools for loom knitting and make a wide range of projects.
7. Mira Handcrafts Round Knitting Loom Kit
The Mira Handcrafts kit comes with four knitting looms in four sizes: 5.5” (24 pegs), 7.5” (31 pegs), 9.5” (36 pegs), and 11.5” (41 pegs). These handy options will help you make a wide range of projects.
The gauge is perfect for bulky yarn, and the plastic material of the loom means that there will be no yarn snagging anywhere. On these looms, the pegs do come out so you can adjust the gauge for your project. If you are knitting a flat piece of work, you don’t need to adjust the pegs but simply work back and forth and ignore the pegs that you don’t use.
We love that it comes with a soft grip knitting hook, which is perfect to maneuver the yarn while you knit. Additional accessories that come with the kit include three tapestry needles and four pompom makers, although you won’t be using all of them in every project.
This is the perfect starter kit, especially for children as young as six years old who are just getting into arts and crafts thanks to its bigger gauge and its light construction.
Up Next: How To Make A Flat Scarf On A Round Loom
