Sometimes its good to let nature do the designing for you so remember when you are out in the garden on a sunny day to take lots of pictures which you can use later on for reference. Not all scarves need to be woolly and this one is made from cotton yarns along with a viscose boucle and a rayon ribbon yarn. This makes an attractive scarf for spring wear and is ideal for people who are allergic to wool.
Sometimes a few spring inspired colours can get us through the grey days.
Three or four fine threads in varying shades of green, white and lemon were combined to make one thread for each pick of the warp. The weft was a light yellow mohair yarn beaten down very gently. Although each individual warp thread is very fine their combined strength will allow you to keep the warp nice and tight. The better the tension on the warp the neater your selvedges will be and the easier it will be to weave.
This very cold and frosty morning here in the UK really calls for an extra long scarf to wrap around your neck several times. This pink and green scarf is made from handspun alpaca fibre and is especially cosy. If you are a spinner, new to weaving then these scarves are a great way to try out your handspun yarns. The plastic reeds that come with all the new rigid heddle looms are very kind to the warp threads, so using your handspun for both the warp and the weft is quite possible. Just remember to beat gently to allow the yarns to breath.
Even doggies need warm scarves in January!
These spaced dyed, slub yarns work well in the warp as well as giving beautiful results in the weft. Just put the slub yarn through the slots and not the holes to give the threads plenty of space to move around. This way they won’t come under too much friction as you move the heddle up and down. Wind the yarn on in pairs in the usual way and then wind the warp onto the back beam. Then when you start the threading you can move the slub yarns around and put them through the slots in what ever order you like. This is one of the reasons why the rigid heddle loom is such fun to use as it gives you lots of opportunities to make changes to your design as you thread up your warp.
Even Buddha’s need to keep warm on this bright, chilly morning!
This soft boucle wool yarn makes an ideal weft combined with a 4ply wool warp and an acrylic shiny accent yarn to give it sparkle.
A 10dpi (40/10cm) reed suits the 4ply yarn used for the warp. The boucle yarn will give the weft plenty of breathing space and allow the scarf to drape comfortably around the neck.
If you are new to weaving and not sure what sort of yarn to use for these first, simple projects then look at the many knitting yarns that are available to use for both your warp and weft. These yarns have been tried and tested by the many manufacturers and designers to be nice to wear, easy to use and colour fast. Try to choose natural fibres such as wool, alpaca, cashmere, silk and cotton as well as some of the newer fibres like Tencel, ramie and yak. These will all be lovely to use and nice to wear close to the skin. Try to avoid anything 100% manmade as it will not weave up as well or stand the test of usage.
Faced with so much choice try using one of the many spaced dyed yarns in a colour way that you love for both the warp and the weft. The results are both pleasing on the eye and also exciting to use as the colour combinations change rapidly as you weave, holding your interest and giving you some very unexpected ideas for later projects. Learning how the warp and weft colours interact with each other in plain weave is one of the tricks to weaving beautiful handwoven fabric. All possible on your rigid heddle loom.
