Low Budget Loom for Card Weaving

	Imagine, you have made a bag in tapestry crochet and you are thinking of making a strap with card (or tablet) weaving. But you have some doubt. * You might not like it * It is only for one bag * You don't have much budget
You don't have to buy anything - or not much - if you are a handy person who always keeps stuff-wich-could-come-in-handy. The most important is a piece of shelf so you can create your own Low Budget Loom.
Get some sturdy carton for the cards. On the Internet you can also find examples of making them from playing cards.
*Cut square cards. *Make holes in the angles. Be sure to align them as neat as possible. *Cut the corners to avoid yarn getting stuck when you turn the cards. *If you want to follow a pattern like the "Ramshoorn" (Dutch text) you can put some colored paper on the cards (top and bottom). *For the weft make a cut on all four angles, wrap around the yarn a few times, then fix it in an angle-cut. When your card slips out of your hand it will stop to unroll on a fixed point.
	For the basic of the loom take a shelf of about 50/60 cm. Fix another piece of wood on the back. A flat shelf doesn't work well since the cards are difficult to turn and tend to fall. Be sure to fix the back piece tight enough. There is a lot of tension on the yarn when you turn the cards. The little white triangle on the picture is normally used to strenghten a rickety cupboard.
When your strap grows use a round piece of wood or cut some pieces of cane.
	If you use cane, cut it close to the connection points. Shed or file the pieces, be careful not to hurt yourself! You can use screws, brackets or nails to fasten your work. Just watch the images and your collection of 'stuff' to get some ideas.
	When I start a strap I attach a piece of wood with some hooks on the frontside of my loom. For the next part to weave I change it for a piece of cane (see pictures). Use supplies like a kitchen s-hook and rubber band to attach yarn to your loom.
To keep the tension on your strap you can attach two pieces of cane with a rubberband somewhere on the backside of your shelf/loom.
	On the backside you can also use a s-hook and rubberband(s). Other usefull items could be paper clippers or clothespins.
More usefull stuff: *Tape to make sure your strap stays about the same width. *A wide pin to secure your cards. You can also put a crochet hook through the holes and secure it with a rubber band. *A smooth piece of wood to tighten the wefth. I use a bamboo crochet hook.
	Left: an extensive version of the Low Budget Loom Right: And when you finished your strap... Pull the yarn in small bundels through some of the stitches of you bag. Regroup them and braid the yarn.