Autumn Leaves 16-Shaft

Warm wools combined with warm colors make Deanna Deeds’s 16-shaft Autumn Leaves scarf the perfect autumnal accessory. Woven in cozy wools and featuring just a hint of differential shrinkage, this statement scarf from Handwoven Loom Theory: Eight and Over Eight Scarf Collection is sure to make you smile on a chilly autumn day. Here’s what Deanna had to say about her scarf:

Deanna Deeds’s Autumn Leaves scarf is a delight to weave and wear.

Designer Deanna Deeds’s Statement

My goal for this project was to create thick and warm scarves with pockets of air between the layers for extra insulation. To achieve that effect, I decided to explore differential shrinkage using networked doubleweave for both the 8- and the 16-shaft versions. I used the drafting method outlined in Network Drafting: An Introduction by Alice Schlein and started with one of the design lines in the book, a simple S-curve. This 16-shaft scarf started with the same design line as the 8-shaft version.

Differential shrinkage in yarns of varying fibers can create exciting effects. For example, wools, depending on how they’re processed, can react very differently when washed. The Jagger Spun Superfine Merino in this scarf fulls and felts like a dream, in contrast to the nonfelting Super Lamb superwash wool. This 16-shaft version has more areas where the 2 doubleweave layers are not “stitched” together for a more dramatic, puffy effect.

RESOURCES Schlein, Alice. Network Drafting: An Introduction. Greenville, South Carolina: Bridgewater, 1994.

Weave well,

Christina

Project at a Glance

PROJECT TYPE: 16-shaft.

STRUCTURE: Networked doubleweave.

EQUIPMENT: 8-shaft loom, 27" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 2 or 3 shuttles; 3 bobbins.

YARNS: Jagger Spun 2/24 Mousam Falls Super Lamb (100% superwash wool; 5,960 yd/lb) Jagger Spun Superfine Merino 2/18 (100% wool; 5,040 yd/lb).

OTHER SUPPLIES: Synthrapol textile detergent.