I have loomed on round looms for many years now. They’re great. My round looms will serve me for many years if my laundry list of projects is any prediction. However, I have several long looms and have only used them in a limited way. So I decided finally to learn how to use them. I am glad I did.
These are quite versatile. You can use both sides, single sides and partial looms with the aid of special attachments. They come in various sizes and gauge. Of course, there are sock looms that function for socks (but are not limited to them!). There are afghan sized looms. I made a cowl on a 24-peg loom simply by knitting the honeycomb stitch in stripes for 60 rows and knitting off and then seaming the ends shut. It turned out pretty and warm. I added a yarn flower at the throat to cheer it up a bit.
Long looms have different stitches depending on how you use them. I get bored easily, so I enjoy the opportunity to try different stitches. With the double rake, I learned to do knit, a fake purl stitch, box stitch and honeycomb stitch. The key is in how the the e-wraps are placed on the double rake. On a single rake, or knitting in the round, I found I could complete regular e-wraps, knits, purls and even cables and bows. Of course, because of the gauge, I found I needed doubled strands of the yarn that I was using when I knitted on the single rake.
The double rakes can make soft stretchy fabric. They can make squares, rectangles or triangles.
I work quickly on the long looms. This is not due to my expertise, but the ease of working on the loom. I found I could either wrap and knit a few stitches at a time or wrap all the way down the rake and then knit fairly quickly.
There was one downside to working on these looms. With a longer 22-inch loom I struggled a bit to work all the way down the length of it. It was a bit awkward working in my lap. I have read of some loom knitters laying their looms on a table before them and knitting. That seemed awkward to me as well, so I made due with adjusting the loom in my lap. It was a small inconvenience.
In less than two weeks I have made a wrap, several square coasters, a pair of potholders, a hat, a pair of leg warmers and a striped cowl all on long looms. This has been a good experiment and one that I want to continue. Learning to use these looms has expanded my options considerably. I am glad I did it. If you have only used the round looms, I encourage you to try long looms as well. It will expand your options and is fun.