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Well-chosen contrasting colors make the Bronson lace sing in this new exclusive project.
Well-chosen contrasting colors make the Bronson lace sing in this new exclusive project. <a href="https://handwovenmagazine.com/colorful-carapace-wrap-exclusive/">Continue reading.</a>
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The Colorful Carapace Wrap, by Rachel Simmons, is woven in soft (and pocketbook-friendly) bamboo. Photos by Matt Graves
Color-and-weave teams up with Bronson lace to make motifs that are reminiscent of striped beetle shells in the Colorful Carapace Wrap. The blocks of lace along one side of the warp are interspersed with sections of plain weave in solid colors or tiny checks, for a lively and wearable result.
Read on to learn more about this project, developed exclusively for the Spring 2026 issue of Handwoven, or head to the library to access the project PDF. Please enjoy this subscriber bonus project from the Spring 2026 collection.
—Handwoven editors
About the Colorful Carapace Wrap
Butterflies are the obvious choice when a weaver considers beautiful insects, but there is also a whole world of truly spectacular shiny-shelled, striped ground beetles. While sampling some Bronson lace, I noticed a particular combination yielded a wonderfully striped oval shape reminiscent of a beetle’s exoskeleton. After I added the subtle shimmer of bamboo, a fiber I have found to be a pocketbook-friendly alternative to silk, my ode to the ground beetle was born.
I crammed the dents on the outer edges to give my soft and drapey wrap a bit more structure. I chose blue and green as my core colors because many ground beetles showcase this palette; however, other combinations would be beautiful, too, including browns,
blacks, reds, and oranges. Because there is some color-and-weave at play here, I recommend choosing colors with contrasting value, no matter which hues you fancy. After wet-finishing, the right color combination will make the already beautiful Bronson stand out and sing.
Get a closer look! Click any image in the gallery to open it in full-screen mode.
Weave it Yourself: Project Overview
STRUCTURE
Bronson lace and plain weave.
EQUIPMENT
4-shaft loom, 24" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 2 shuttles; 3 bobbins.
YARNS
Warp: 16/2 Bamboo (6,720 yd/lb; Maurice Brassard), #BB8026 Bordeaux, 282 yd; #BB8019 Navy, 858 yd; #BB4269 Limette pale, 378 yd.
Weft: 16/2 Bamboo, #BB8026 Bordeaux, 17 yd; #BB8019 Navy, 712 yd; #BB4269 Limette pale, 600 yd.
WARP LENGTH
506 ends 3 yd long (includes floating selvedges; allows 10" for take-up, 29" for loom waste; loom waste includes fringe).
SETTS
Warp: 20 epi (2/dent in a 10-dent reed).
Weft: 26–28 ppi.
DIMENSIONS
Width in the reed: 23 8⁄10".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 69".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing) 20" x 62" plus 6½" fringe.
Weave it Yourself: Project PDF + WIF Link
Visit the Handwoven library to get the PDF and WIF for the Colorful Carapace Wrap.
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Color-and-weave teams up with Bronson lace to make motifs that are reminiscent of striped beetle shells in the Colorful Carapace Wrap. The blocks of lace along one side of the warp are interspersed with sections of plain weave in solid colors or tiny checks, for a lively and wearable result.
Read on to learn more about this project, developed exclusively for the Spring 2026 issue of Handwoven, or head to the library to access the project PDF. Please enjoy this subscriber bonus project from the Spring 2026 collection.
—Handwoven editors
About the Colorful Carapace Wrap
Butterflies are the obvious choice when a weaver considers beautiful insects, but there is also a whole world of truly spectacular shiny-shelled, striped ground beetles. While sampling some Bronson lace, I noticed a particular combination yielded a wonderfully striped oval shape reminiscent of a beetle’s exoskeleton. After I added the subtle shimmer of bamboo, a fiber I have found to be a pocketbook-friendly alternative to silk, my ode to the ground beetle was born.
I crammed the dents on the outer edges to give my soft and drapey wrap a bit more structure. I chose blue and green as my core colors because many ground beetles showcase this palette; however, other combinations would be beautiful, too, including browns,
blacks, reds, and oranges. Because there is some color-and-weave at play here, I recommend choosing colors with contrasting value, no matter which hues you fancy. After wet-finishing, the right color combination will make the already beautiful Bronson stand out and sing.
Get a closer look! Click any image in the gallery to open it in full-screen mode.
Weave it Yourself: Project Overview
STRUCTURE
Bronson lace and plain weave.
EQUIPMENT
4-shaft loom, 24" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 2 shuttles; 3 bobbins.
YARNS
Warp: 16/2 Bamboo (6,720 yd/lb; Maurice Brassard), #BB8026 Bordeaux, 282 yd; #BB8019 Navy, 858 yd; #BB4269 Limette pale, 378 yd.
Weft: 16/2 Bamboo, #BB8026 Bordeaux, 17 yd; #BB8019 Navy, 712 yd; #BB4269 Limette pale, 600 yd.
WARP LENGTH
506 ends 3 yd long (includes floating selvedges; allows 10" for take-up, 29" for loom waste; loom waste includes fringe).
SETTS
Warp: 20 epi (2/dent in a 10-dent reed).
Weft: 26–28 ppi.
DIMENSIONS
Width in the reed: 23 8⁄10".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 69".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing) 20" x 62" plus 6½" fringe.
Weave it Yourself: Project PDF + WIF Link
Visit the Handwoven library to get the PDF and WIF for the Colorful Carapace Wrap.
