plaid provides endless opportunities to play with color. This scarf uses two purples close in hue to provide subtle color play that stands in contrast to an analogous blue with a brighter value. Now if this sentence sounds like gobbledegook, it’s because the terms “value,” “hue,” and “analogous” are words we used to describe color (see Color in Weaving, page 19). Said another way: Pick two similar purples and add a bright blue and see what happens! This scarf uses another nifty trick—a whipstitch is worked along each selvedge edge as the cloth is woven to visually balance the colors while masking potentially messy selvedges.
About 8¼" (21 cm) wide by 53½" (136 cm) long, plus 2" (5 cm) fringe at each end.
Balanced plain weave.
10-dent rigid heddle with 9" (23 cm) weaving width; three stick shuttles; tapestry needle.
Sett (epi)
10.
Weaving Width
9" (23 cm).
Picks per Inch (ppi)
6.
Warp Length
100" (256 cm; includes 30" [76 cm] for yarn waste and take-up, and 10" [25.5 cm] for sampling).
Number of Warp Ends
90.
Warp Color Order
10 dark purple;10 light purple; 10 ice blue; 10 light purple; 10 dark purple; 10 light purple; 10 ice blue; 10 light purple; 10 dark purple.
Weft Color Order
8 dark purple [6 light purple; 6 ice blue; 6 light purple; 6 dark purple] 15 times, end 8 dark purple.
Warp
Bulky singles in a wool/mohair/cashmere blend (1,097 yd [1,003 m]/lb): 85 yd (77.5 m) dark purple, 115 yd (105 m) light purple, and 60 yd (55 m) ice blue.
Shown here: Harrisville Designs Orchid Yarns (70% fine wool, 25% mohair, 5% cashmere; 184 yd [168 m]/100 g): #255 Amethyst (dark purple), #256 Wisteria (light purple), and #257 Tibetan Blue (ice blue).
Weft
Bulky singles in a wool/mohair/cashmere blend (1,097 yd [1,003 m]/lb): 27 yd (24.5 m) dark purple, 50 yd (45.5 m) light purple, and 30 yd (27.5 m) ice blue (7 yd [6.5 m] included here for whipstitching selvedges and hemstitching ends). Additional yarn will be needed for sampling.
Shown here: Harrisville Designs Orchid Yarns (70% fine wool, 25% mohair, 5% cashmere; 1,097 yd [1,003 m]/lb): #255 Amethyst (dark purple), #256 Wisteria (light purple), and #257 Tibetan Blue (ice blue).
Plaids require a lot of color changes (see page 30). Because there are an odd number of picks in each weft stripe, each stripe will end on the opposite side from where it started. When starting a new weft, be sure to start on the opposite side of the previous tucked tail to evenly distribute the extra bulk caused by the tucked tails.
To mask messy selvedges and visually balance the colors in the plaid, use ice blue threaded on a tapestry needle to whipstitch (see page 121) along each selvedge. For simplicity, thread 3 yards of ice blue on each of two tapestry needles. Using one needle at each selvedge, stop to work whipstitches along the edges after every few inches of cloth have been woven.
Wind each color of warp separately.
Warp the loom (see page 24), following the specifications on page 65.
Weave an inch or two of header to spread the warp ends (see page 40).
Weave a sample to determine the degree of fulling you want. Leave 4" (10 cm) of unwoven warp between the sample and the beginning of the scarf.
Leave a 5" (12.5 cm) weft tail at the selvedge, then using a soft beat, weave one pick. Change sheds, tuck the 5" (12.5 cm) tail into the shed, allowing 1" (2.5 cm) to poke out. Weave another pick in the same shed and beat. Continue weaving a few inches with weft yarn according to the weft color order on page 65, adding whipstitches of ice blue along each selvedge (going around one warp and two wefts) as you go. Thread 25" (63.5 cm) of ice blue on a tapestry needle and use it to hemstitch (see page 120) around two warps and two wefts at the starting end of the scarf. Continue to weave and add whipstitches along the selvedges until the scarf measures 61" (155 cm; to produce a finished length of about 53" [134.5 cm]), ending at the right selvedge. Cut the weft, leaving an 6" (15 cm) tail. Needle weave (see page 120) this end back into the cloth. Thread 25" (63.5 cm) of ice blue on a tapestry needle and use it to hemstitch as before.
Remove the fabric from the loom (see page 46). Remove the scrap yarn in the header. With sharp scissors, cut the sample section from the fabric.
Full (see page 55) the sample to the desired thickness, then full the scarf to match. Allow the fabric to thoroughly air-dry.
Trim the fringe to 2" (5 cm) using a rotary cutter on a self-healing mat.
