Maybe I haven’t been paying attention, but I have never seen bead leno used as effectively as Deanna Deeds used it in her Bead Leno Scarf in the Loom Theory Four-Shaft Scarf Collection. By changing bead leno’s typical setup, she was able to get more patterning than usual and highlight two luscious silk/wool yarns, one that is variegated and another that is solid.
Designer Deanna Deeds’s Statement
WHEN I THINK OF WOOL AND WOOL/SILK BLENDS, I picture warm, soft, snuggly fabrics to keep me warm. For this project, I wanted to make these fibers into a lightweight, drapable, soft, and warm scarf. A leno weave structure seemed just right for this, but I usually weave leno in cottons, silks, and rayons. How would it perform in wool yarns?
Bead leno is usually done in a 4-thread unit, with a beaded thread on either side of 2 central threads, but to get the most pattern from a 4-shaft loom, I used a 3-thread unit instead: 2 threads flanking a single central thread. The 3-thread bead leno unit looks balanced if the 2 beaded threads are finer than the central thread. In this scarf, these finer threads are Jagger Spun Super Lamb 2/24 in a dark color, which forms a background to show off the featured warp yarns, Zephyr and Kokadjo, in lighter shades.
The result? The airiest of scarves in a lacy allover pattern, with warmth provided by the wool and silk fibers surrounding the pockets of air in the lace. Instructions are given for 2 different colorways. Give patterned bead leno a try; I think you’ll love it!
If you are looking for something lacy and fun to weave, this is the scarf for you. Try it in either colorway or develop your own using Deanna’s approach to highlight the wool/silk yarns in the warp.
Weave well, Susan
Project at a Glance
PROJECT TYPE: 4-shaft.
STRUCTURE: Bead leno.
EQUIPMENT: 4-shaft loom, 12" weaving width; 6- or 12-dent reed; 1 shuttle.
YARNS: Jagger Spun 2/24 Super Lamb (100% superwash wool, 5,960 yd/lb). Jagger Spun Zephyr (50% wool/50% silk, 5,040 yd/lb). Jagger Spun Kokadjo (90% superwash wool/10% silk, 1,960 yd/lb).
OTHER SUPPLIES: 72 seed beads, size 6/0; 1.15 mm/#10 crochet hook or size to fit bead hole.