the trick to weaving with variegated yarns is to use them in such a way as to bring out their beauty without combining too many colors so that they end up looking muddy. One trick is to grab a skein of beautifully variegated yarn and find a coordinating solid that will complement the variegated colorway, as in this scarf of subtle beauty. Simple hemstitching allows the variegated yarn to show in the fringe. For a different look, use the solid color in the warp and weave with the variegated.
About 9" (23 cm) wide by 58½" (148.5 cm) long, plus 6" (15 cm) fringe at each end.
Plain weave.
10-dent rigid heddle with 10" (25.5 cm) weaving width; one stick shuttle.
Sett (epi)
10.
Weaving Width
10" (25.5 cm).
Picks per inch (ppi)
8.
Warp Length
90" (229 cm; includes 20" [51 cm] for loom waste and take-up; this does not allow for sampling).
Number of Warp Ends
100.
Warp
4-ply wool/silk blend (1,150 yd [1,051.5 m]/lb): 250 yd (228.5 m) variegated.
Shown here: Mountain Colors Twizzle (85% merino, 15% silk; 1,142 yd [1,044 m]/lb): Indian Corn.
Weft
2-ply alpaca/wool/metallic blend (1,250 yd [1,143 m]/ lb): 135 yd teal.
Shown here: Nashua Handknits Ivy (50% alpaca, 45% merino, 5% estellina; 1,252 yd [1,145 m]/lb): Blue Teal.
Warp the loom (see page 24), following the specifications on page 69.
Weave an inch or two of header to spread the warp ends (see page 40).
Leave a 30" (76 cm) weft tail at the selvedge to use for hemstitching later, then using a soft beat, weave a few inches with weft yarn. Thread the weft tail 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 until the scarf measures 60" (152.5 cm). Cut the weft, leaving a 30" (76 cm) tail. Thread the tail on a tapestry needle and use it to hemstitch as before.
Remove the fabric from the loom (see page 46), using the loom waste for fringe. Remove the scrap yarn in the header.
Handwash in lukewarm water with mild soap, rinse. Roll in a towel and squeeze out excess water. Lay flat to dry. Trim the fringe to 6" (15 cm) using a rotary cutter on a self-healing mat.
What is a Variegated Yarn?
I’ve seen the term “variegated” applied to yarns that are simply multicolored (for instance, two different colors plied together). “Variegated” refers to a yarn that has repeating bands of color along the length of the yarn. There are a bevy of beautiful handpainted, variegated yarns on the market. When you weave with these yarns in the weft, “pooling” occurs if the bands of color stack upon one another. It is all too easy to lose the great colors when a variegated weft yarn interlaces with the warp yarn. Use the tips in the Two-Skein Scarf on page 69 and Piping Hot Pillows on page 73 to weave with these yarns for smashing results.
