One of the many joys of weaving is the ability to impress your non-weaving friends and family with quick-and-easy projects. One of the easiest ways to have everyone ooh and aah at your skill and talent is to weave up a rigid-heddle scarf in a variety of fancy-pants yarns (such as the Over the Mango Moon scarf pattern, which you can download for free). A scarf woven in simple, plain weave or hopsack lets the yarns do most of the aesthetic heavy lifting, so you can casually say, “Oh, this? I wove it yesterday afternoon,” as your friends marvel at your talent.
To weave such a scarf, you need to know how to balance the colors and textures of your yarn and figure out how to make them all play nice. I like to think of a good rigid-heddle scarf like a Caprese salad. Sweet umami tomato counters the rich mozzarella, both of which are accentuated by some earthy basil. Maybe you simply add a bit of olive oil to tie it all together or you go for some extra-bright tartness with a balsamic drizzle. BAM! Simple ingredients quickly thrown together are suddenly more than the sum of their parts.
Over the Mango Moon Scarf by Sara Goldenberg. Idea Gallery Project featured in Handwoven January/February 2019. Photo credit: George Boe.
Designing and weaving a rigid-heddle scarf is much the same thing. You want something with interesting texture (boucle, ribbon yarn, ladder yarns, etc.); something with a splash of color; something to be the soft and stable workhorse; and, finally, something variegated and/or something shiny. You can double up any of these elements in a single yarn by choosing, for example, a slubby yarn that’s variegated or a metallic ribbon yarn.
The real key is to balance your elements. One way to do this is to design as you warp your rigid-heddle loom. As you sley your heddle, really look at the warp as it develops and, if you need to, move yarns around. After the warp is laid out, you might find that you need a bigger stripe on one side or maybe a splash of color on the other. It’s a bit like tasting as you go when you cook, and it’s not something that’s as easy to do on a floor loom. Also, don’t be afraid to go asymmetrical—indeed, I suggest it!
If you want an example of a beautifully balanced scarf, check out Sara Goldenberg’s Over the Mango Moon scarf. In her project, Sara achieves a beautiful balance of shimmery, variegated ribbon yarn, bright-pink wool, and a solid—and extra-soft—wool/silk blend to tie it all together. Sara then wove it in hopsack to ensure maximum warp visibility.
The design was featured as the idea gallery project in Handwoven January/February 2019, and be sure you get your free copy of the Over the Mango Moon pattern. Simple and stunning!
Happy Weaving!
Christina