Sometimes you want a weaving project with complex repeats that go on forever, and sometimes you want to weave something that just looks complicated—a project where you can get sit back and enjoy the process. Laura Fry’s Silk Wall of Troy 8-shaft scarf from Handwoven Loom Theory: Eight and Over Eight Scarf Collection_ is the perfect project for when you want to relax at the loom and still produce something spectacular. Here’s what she has to say about her design:_
Laura Fry’s Wall of Troy 8-shaft scarf is a joy to weave.
Designer Laura Fry’s Statement
There is nothing quite like silk, especially when worn next to the skin. Halcyon’s 2/12 Gemstone 100% silk yarn is lustrous, produces great drape, and comes in a variety of beautiful colors.
To design an elegant scarf with a little bit of interest in the texture and pattern, I chose the 4-shaft twill variation that Marguerite Porter Davison calls Wall of Troy but expanded it to eight shafts. The pattern increases in complexity when expanded to eight shafts but still produces a beautiful allover pattern. Twill has good drape and, when combined with silk, creates a scarf that feels soft and molds itself around the neck.
I like to use one color for the warp and another close in value for the weft, and Gemstone 2/12 Silk comes in several different hues that work for that combination. When I am designing a variety of scarves, I frequently put one color on the loom as warp and then change the weft for each scarf. In the case of a luxury yarn such as silk, white or natural is quite often less expensive than the dyed yarns, so it makes good sense to use the undyed yarn for warp.
The Wall of Troy pattern is an asymmetrical point twill with one “leg” of the twill point extended. For this scarf, I threaded and treadled the same 20-end/20-pick repeat, but you could use another treadling sequence. Try putting on a longer warp and use other twill treadling sequences to produce different-looking scarves with either the same or another color of weft.
Weave well, Christina
Project at a Glance
PROJECT TYPE: 8-shaft.
STRUCTURE: Twill.
EQUIPMENT: 8-shaft loom, 11" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 1 shuttle; 1 bobbin.
YARNS: Gemstone 2/12 Silk (100% silk; 2,800 yd/lb).