Silk Linen Scarf

Newer weavers often ask weaving teachers or more experienced weavers what yarn would make a good scarf, towels, blanket, or rug. They also often ask whether a yarn they already have would work well as warp and/or weft. Those are both really hard questions for anyone to answer without a caveat. I tend to answer with my opinion but then add, “It would be a good idea to sample.” Mostly, that last part is self-preservation. If I didn’t do that, I’d find myself staring at the ceiling at 2 a.m., wondering whether I had led someone down a path that wasn’t going to be fun or successful.

Those exchanges are part of the reason I love Yarn Labs so much. Yarn Labs take some of the stress out of trying a new-to-you yarn. They have been a regular feature of Handwoven for quite some time.

Here are some of the different yarns showcased in 2021 and early 2022:

• January/February 2022 Yarn Lab: A Luscious Blend from Sanjo Silk

  • Visit the library to get your exclusive free PDF download of Liz Moncrief’s Silk Linen Scarf pattern using Sanjo Silk yarn. Liz’s version used 10 shafts, two shafts more than many weavers have, so we also developed an 8-shaft draft that will deliver similar results (you'll get both in the PDF!)

• November/December 2021 Yarn Lab: A Fine Line: Linen 14, Nature’s Way 2/30 Merino, and Wool Crepe Deluxe 80/20 from Silk City Fibers

• September/October 2021 Yarn Lab: Shanta Eri Silk from Treenway Silks

• May/June 2021 Yarn Lab: Camilla Valley Farm’s 2/16 Worsted Spun Wool

• March/April 2021 Yarn Lab: 5/2 Stonewashed Cottons from WEBS

• January/February 2021 Yarn Lab: The Singles Scene: Maxima and Fino from Manos del Uruguay

You can find out about the Yarn Labs in other years by looking through our indices.

More on the Silk Linen Scarf

Lately, we’ve been asking the designers to weave us a project using the yarn with which they sampled. Although samples give you a lot of information, it isn’t until you warp and weave a full width and length, and then finish and wet-finish, that you know exactly how a yarn is going to behave, and whether you are going to like the end results.

For our January/February 2022 issue, Liz Moncrief sent us a beautiful scarf that she wove using the yarn she was sampling with for the Yarn Lab, Silk Linen by Sanjo Silk. You can read about Liz’s other sampling in the issue, but if you want to just cut to the chase, visit the library for your FREE PDF download of the scarf’s pattern. Liz’s version used 10 shafts, two shafts more than many weavers have, so we also developed an 8-shaft draft that will deliver similar results.

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Originally published Dec. 15, 2021; updated Aug. 26, 2024

Weave well,

Susan