Guide
How to Start Loom Knitting
Cast on, wrap, lift, repeat. The only real choice is how you wrap, and it changes everything about the fabric.
By Sawyer V. · Published September 12, 2026
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The short answer
Cast on by wrapping every peg, wrap a second time, lift the lower loop over the upper one with the hook, and repeat. That is the whole technique. The one decision worth making early is which wrap you use: the e-wrap is taught first and makes the loosest fabric, and switching to a flat wrap is what makes loom knitting look like knitting.
The four steps
- Cast on. Anchor the yarn tail, then wrap each peg once all the way round the loom. This first layer is your cast-on row.
- Wrap again. Go round a second time so every peg has two loops on it.
- Lift. With the hook, lift the lower loop on each peg up and over the upper loop and off the peg. You have just knitted a stitch.
- Repeat. Wrap, lift, wrap, lift, until the piece is the length you want.
There is no tension to learn, no needles to hold and no dropped stitches to chase. That is the whole appeal, and it is why loom knitting is the easiest entry point into making knit fabric.
The three wraps
How you put the yarn on the peg decides how the finished fabric behaves. This is the one genuine technique choice in loom knitting.
| Wrap | How | Fabric | Speed |
|---|---|---|---|
| E-wrap | Full loop around each peg | Loosest, most open, stretchiest | Fastest |
| Flat / u-wrap | Yarn laid across the front of the peg | Tighter, closest to needle knitting | Slower |
| Purl | Yarn below the loop, hooked downwards | Purl side; used for ribbing | Slowest |
Getting the gauge right
A loom's gauge is set by its peg spacing and cannot be changed. So instead of choosing a needle size, you choose a yarn to suit the loom.
- Wide pegs (1/2in and up) want bulky or super bulky, or two strands of worsted held together.
- 3/8in pegs want worsted weight.
- Fine gauge looms (1/4in and under) want DK or lighter.
- If the fabric looks like netting, the yarn is too thin. Hold two strands together - this fixes it immediately and costs nothing.
- If the loops will not lift, the yarn is too thick.
Weight bands are on the yarn weight chart, and best knitting looms covers which gauge to buy in the first place.
Finishing: the gather and the bind-off
A loom project comes off the pegs with live stitches, so it has to be secured. There are two ways, and they produce different things.
- The gather removal. Thread a long tail through every live loop with a blunt needle, lift them all off, and pull tight. This closes the piece into a circle - it is how every loom hat's crown is made.
- The chain bind-off. Work the last loop along the loom peg by peg with the hook, producing a flat, stretchy, finished edge. This is what you want on a cowl, a scarf or the open edge of anything.
- Never just lift them off. Live stitches unravel.
Then weave in the ends properly - how to weave in ends applies exactly as it does to needle knitting.
First projects that actually finish
| Project | Loom | Technique | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hat | Round, adult size | E-wrap, gather removal | An evening |
| Cowl | Round, large | Flat wrap, chain bind-off | An evening or two |
| Scarf | Long loom, flat | Flat wrap, chain bind-off | A few evenings |
| Baby hat | Smallest round | E-wrap, gather removal | An hour or two |
| Blanket | Long loom, in strips | Flat wrap, seamed | Weeks |
Make the hat first. It uses both the wrap and the gather removal, it finishes in one sitting, and it is the project that teaches whether your yarn suits your loom.
Common problems
- Loops too tight to lift. Your wrapping tension is too high, or the yarn is too thick for the pegs. Wrap more loosely - the loom sets the gauge, not you.
- Fabric stretched and floppy. E-wrap plus yarn that is too thin. Switch to a flat wrap, or hold two strands.
- Gaps at the start of each round. Normal on a round loom. Tug the first stitch of the round snug as you pass it.
- The loom moves around. Brace it against your body or the edge of a table. Plastic looms are very light.
- Hat too shallow. Loom hats are knitted as a tube; make it longer than you think before the gather.
Where loom knitting fits
It is genuinely useful for hats, cowls and anything tube-shaped, it removes the tension problem that discourages most new knitters, and it is far kinder on the hands than needles.
It is poor at shaping, limited to one gauge per loom, and awkward for anything fitted. Most people who stay with yarn crafts eventually add needles or a hook for those - types of yarn crafts sets the whole family side by side, and a crank knitting machine is the faster, less flexible step past a loom.
What you need to start
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Boye Round Knitting Loom Set (7 piece)
Seven pieces: four looms at 5.5in, 7.5in, 9.5in and 11.5in, plus a hook, a needle and instructions. Nothing else needed for a first hat.
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Authentic Knitting Board Premium Round Loom Set
If you already own worsted weight yarn: three looms at 64, 72 and 80 pegs with 3/8in spacing, which is the gauge worsted wants.
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Lion Brand Wool-Ease Thick & Quick
Super bulky, 106yd per 170g. On a wide-peg starter loom this is what closes the gaps into fabric instead of netting.
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Clover Chibi Darning Needle Set (Bent Tip)
Three bent-tip blunt needles. Every loom hat is finished by threading the live stitches off the pegs - this is the tool that does it.
Questions people actually ask
How do you start loom knitting?
Wrap every peg once to cast on, wrap a second time so each peg has two loops, then lift the lower loop over the upper one with the hook and off the peg. Repeat wrap-and-lift until the piece is long enough.
What is the difference between e-wrap and flat wrap?
The e-wrap takes the yarn in a full loop around each peg and is the fastest and loosest. The flat or u-wrap lays the yarn across the front of the peg and produces a tighter fabric much closer to needle knitting. Most instructions teach the e-wrap first, which is why beginner loom fabric often looks stretched.
Why is my loom knitting full of holes?
The yarn is too thin for the peg spacing. A loom's gauge is fixed, so the fix is a thicker yarn or holding two strands together - not a change of technique.
How do you take loom knitting off the loom?
Two ways. The gather removal threads a tail through every live loop and pulls tight, closing the piece - that is how a hat crown is made. The chain bind-off works the last loop along peg by peg for a flat, stretchy finished edge. Never just lift the loops off.
What should I make first on a knitting loom?
A hat. It uses both the wrap and the gather removal, it finishes in one sitting, and it tells you immediately whether your yarn suits your loom's peg gauge.