Handspinner and knitter Sally Papin often finds herself with balls of leftovers. This little painterly scarf was inspired by a piece of vintage fabric she saw online. For freestyle weaving, Sally uses handspun yarns that have not been superwash treated so that the yarns will full together in finishing. The scarf is long enough to wear around the neck and hang down as wearable art.
In addition to smooth yarns, this handspun scarf includes inlaid textures such as silk roving, wool roving, Angelina fibers, sari silk, and recycled yarn. Let your eye guide you, and put texture in as much or little as you like. To add a length of yarn as an inlay, place a small length of textured yarn or fiber inside an open shed.
Leftover balls of handspun yarn are the perfect medium for freeform weaving on a rigid-heddle loom.
Instead of hemstitching, Sally ties two groups of warp yarns together with two half hitches, then finger-twists a fringe. She finishes the scarf by filling a bowl with hot water and dish detergent and soaking the scarf. After 30 minutes, she gently swishes and squeezes the fabric, allowing the fibers to interact. After rinsing, wringing, and rolling it in a towel, she lays it out to dry like blocking a sweater. If desired, you can opt to press the near-dry handspun scarf under a damp cloth. Then you will have a truly one-of-a-kind piece of wearable art from scratch. Find it today in Easy Weaving with Little Looms 2018.
Project at a Glance:
Equipment needed: Rigid-heddle loom, 10" weaving width; 7.5-dent heddle; 4 or 5 stick shuttles.
Yarns: 2-ply handspun DK-weight wool yarn; handspun wool yarn in different colors and textures.