Design & Print Your Own Knitting Looms

Why settle for store-bought knitting looms when you can create your own?

With 3D printing, you can design a custom loom perfectly suited to your projects. In this Instructable, I’ll walk you through how I designed and 3D-printed a knitting loom to craft a pair of cozy fingerless gloves—perfect for keeping warm while staying hands-free. The best part? This method allows you to tailor the loom’s size and shape for future creations, unlocking endless possibilities.

Let’s get started!

1. 3D printer
2. Filament (PLA recommended)
3. Methylene chloride or strong adhesive (e.g., super glue)
4. Wool yarn
5. Loom knitting needle
6. Crochet hook
7. Measuring tape
8. Scissors

I previously experimented with 3D-printed knitting looms in different shapes—circular, rectangular, and figure-eight. However, the pegs kept breaking under tension. I tried reinforcing them with adhesives like methylene chloride and super glue, but they still snapped.

Realizing that the issue was due to how 3D-printing layers interact with tension, I decided to redesign the pegs so that the layers aligned vertically. This way, lateral force wouldn’t cause breakage.

My new design proved successful, and now I'm excited to share this custom-made blue knitting loom with you!

I modeled the pegs in Autodesk Inventor, ensuring they had a flat base for better printability.

1. Started with two overlapping circles (like a crescent moon).
2. Extruded the shape.
3. Added another larger circle on top and extruded it.
4. Smoothed the edges
5. Added a rectangular base for attachment.
6. Finalized the shape with additional curves.

Previously, I made a wool hat using a circular knitting loom. To determine the peg spacing for my new loom, I measured:

1. The peg spacing on my old loom.
2. The total number of pegs.
3. My hand width for the fingerless gloves.

Using this data, I calculated the required number of pegs using a simple ratio.

1. Created a polygon with 18 sides (based on my peg calculations).
2. Set the side-to-side spacing to match my old loom (15mm).
3. Drew a rectangle matching the peg’s base size and placed it at one of the corners.
4. Added two concentric circles around the polygon for structure.
5. Extruded the circles and created a hollow extrusion for the peg slots.
6. Used the circular pattern tool to repeat the peg slots 18 times.
7. Smoothed the top edges for comfort.

This method can be adapted for any loom size or shape, including square or figure-eight looms.

Printed the base in one piece for better stability.

Printed the pegs in sets using three different colors (9 blue, 8 green, 1 yellow). The color-coding helps keep track of stitches and rounds.

In my old wooden loom, I had to mark sections with a marker, but this new method makes counting stitches much easier.

Poured a small amount of Methylene chloride into a small glass container for easy application.

The base of each peg was dipped into the adhesive and inserted into the loom base, alternating between green and blue pegs. The yellow peg serves as the starting point.

Although this tutorial is about making the loom, here’s a quick rundown of the knitting process:

1. Tie a slipknot and place it on the yellow peg.

Wrap the yarn around each peg in a continuous loop.

I used two stitch types:

1. Basic stitch: Loop the yarn around a peg and pull the bottom loop over it with a loom needle.
2. Ribbed stitch: Place the yarn in front of the peg and pull the bottom loop over it.

After 20 rounds doing exactly the same, I inserted a thick green yarn marker to track my thumb hole. Then, I alternated knitting one round to the right and one to the left to create an opening.

1. Completed 20 full rounds.
2. Knitted 7 additional rounds with the thumb hole.
3. Finished with 10 more full rounds.

Using a crochet hook, I pulled each stitch over the next to create a chain-like edge, then tied a final knot and tucked in the excess yarn.

or a cute detail, I crocheted small paw prints and stitched them onto the gloves.

I hope this Instructable inspires you to create your own custom knitting looms and design unique knitted accessories! This method frees you from store-bought loom limitations, making it easier than ever to craft stylish and comfortable handmade items.