Birds of a Feather Scarf | Project PDF + WIF

This scarf uses a simple method of adding extra dimensions to handwovens: combining a fiber that shrinks (nonsuperwash wool) with one that doesn’t (in this case, bamboo).

About this Project

Years ago, designer Alison Stewart-Guinee was lucky enough to take a workshop on texture in weaving with Liz Williamson, in which they explored a variety of techniques for adding extra dimensions to our weaving. One of Alison’s favorite methods was also the simplest: employing differential shrinkage by combining nonsuperwash wool with nonshrinking fibers. Introducing occasional stripes of wool in the weft causes a flat scarf to become ruched and ruffled after wet-finishing. She designed two versions of this scarf: The six-shaft threading alternates plain weave and twill. Because the edges are woven in plain weave, this version has no need for floating selvedges. The four-shaft draft has a twill threading, so she added floating selvedges to that one for tidy edges.

Contents

• Birds of a Feather Scarf Project Instructions PDF
• Scarf WIF (4-shaft)
• Scarf WIF (6-shaft)

Details

Structure
Twill and plain weave.

Equipment
6- or 4-shaft loom, 12" weaving width; 12-dent reed; 2 shuttles.

Yarns
Warp: Bambu 7 (100% bamboo; 2,100 yd/lb; Silk City Fibers). 6-shaft version: #360 Onyx, 96 yd; #333 Cloud, 576 yd; #028 Persimmon, 120 yd. 4-shaft version: #360 Onyx, 102 yd; #333 Cloud, 564 yd; #028 Persimmon, 135 yd.
Weft: Bambu 7, #360 Onyx, 305 yd. 2/18 Superfine Merino (100% merino wool; 5,040 yd/lb; Jaggerspun), Black, 60 yd. Note: Jaggerspun is no longer in business. Any laceweight 100% nonsuperwash wool can besubstituted. (Superwash wools are not suitable as they resist fulling and shrinking during wet-finishing and will not create the desired texture in this scarf.) Hinchliffe Merino Lambswool is a similar 100% merino yarn. At 4,540 yd/lb, it’s also a bit heavier, likely resulting in slightly fewer ppi and a slightly longer finished size.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 6-shaft version, 11"; 4-shaft version, 11³⁄₁₂".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 68".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing and hemming) about 7"–10" × 56" (scarf flares so width varies). Final length and width depend on the degree of fulling during wet-finishing.

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