City Chic Scarf

Designer Susan Capehart has recently spread her weaving wings to include creating her own designs. When her initial idea for this project didn‘t work out as she hoped, she adjusted some details and tried again. The elegant scarf you see here is a result.

City Chic Scarf by Susan Capehart

My weaving journey began many years ago, when a fiber-art student repaid a favor by teaching me how to weave. Whatever small favor was repaid, its reward by that gracious student is ongoing. I have been weaving and experimenting with Handwoven projects for many years, learning, exploring, and challenging myself. It‘s only recently that I branched out to design my own cloth based on the rich collection of patterns available to weavers. Trial and error can be hit-or-miss, but that is how I learn. Trusting my gut—and the experience I have under my belt—and knowing when to pivot in a different direction served me well in this weaving project.

For this project, I used the threading and tie-up for the Wheel and Cross draft in Marguerite Porter Davison’s A Handweaver’s Pattern Book, but the original treadling wasn’t turning out as I’d imagined. I switched the treadle sequence to another from the draft (with minor changes) and was thrilled with the result. It took one more tweak to allow the Cayenne border to stand out, and I had my draft.

The sheen of Tencel, the overall pattern grid in shades of gray, and the white fringe give this scarf a sophisticated look. Other color combinations would be equally lovely—such as a red-wine weft on a periwinkle warp, or a birch weft on a navy warp. Have fun!

A close-up look at the City Chic Scarf‘s patterning and fringe.

Project at a Glance and PDF Download

Visit the Handwoven library or log in below to access the PDF download for the City Chic scarf, available to Handwoven magazine subscribers.

STRUCTURE Crackle.
EQUIPMENT 4-shaft loom, 9" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 1 shuttle.
YARNS
Warp: 8/2 Tencel (100% lyocell; 3,360 yd/lb; Brassard), #8000 Naturel, 517 yd; #5213 Cayenne, 59 yd.
Weft: 8/2 Tencel, #4275 Charcoal, 503 yd.