Want to weave a shawl that shimmers and shines? Look no farther than Nancy Dunlap’s delightful Fusion Sparkle Shawl from the January/February 2019 issue ofHandwoven. Woven with a mix of metallic yarns, Tencel, and a wool/silk blend, Nancy’s scarf is both sparkly and a delight to wear next to the skin. Here’s what Nancy says about her design:
Nancy Dunlap’s Fusion Sparkle Shawl is the perfect accessory to any outfit because glitter, as everyone knows, goes with anything and everything.
Designer Nancy Dunlap’s Statement
Every weaver has a stash of yarns. Eventually, this stash must be used, or the pile can grow out of control. I believe that some of the most-interesting fabric is created when a weaver decides it is time to decrease their stash and discover the masterpieces hidden within. I recently went through my stash to see what I could bring to a project by combining different fibers. My stash contained rayon, Tencel, wool, silk, and decorative metallic yarn—what potential these fibers could have together!
I examined how much of each of the yarns was on hand and thought about how I could combine them all in a project. From my calculations, I determined that there was enough in my stash to create a shawl—I just needed to decide on a weave structure, one that would show off the sparkle of the metallic yarn while still highlighting the other yarns. I decided twill would work and then thought, “Why not combine two types of twills for this project?” I chose point twill and undulating twill, keeping in mind how each thread would react with the others. With my stash of natural and synthetic fibers combined into two twill structures, my shawl was born. I call it “Fusion Sparkle.”
Happy Weaving! Christina
Project at a Glance
PROJECT TYPE: 8-shaft.
STRUCTURE: Twill.
EQUIPMENT: 8-shaft loom, 20" weaving width; 15-dent reed; 1 shuttle and bobbin.
YARNS: Rayon metallic yarn (85% rayon/15% metallic; 1,098 yd/lb; Blue Heron); Findley (50% merino/50% silk; 3,619 yd/lb, 798 yd/100 g skein; Juniper Moon Farm); Astra-Glow (Lurex; 3,000 yd/lb, 250 yd/mini cone; Halcyon); 8/2 Tencel (3,360 yd/lb; WEBS).