Spanish Mosaic Scarf

Deflected doubleweave is such a delightful, versatile structure. You can use it to weave up circles, flowers, and even bubbles. When she wanted to weave a scarf inspired by the beautiful mosaics she saw during vacation in Spain, Anu Bhatia turned to deflected doubleweave. The result is her simply stunning Spanish Mosaic Scarf from the January/February 2019 issue of Handwoven. Here’s what Anu says about her design:

Anu Bhatia’s scarf was inspired by a vacation the designer took to Spain.

Designer Anu Bhatia’s Statement

Spanish Mosaic Scarf in Jaggerspun’s Zephyr is a woven memoir of my travels. In the spring of 2017, I traveled to southern Spain. The Andalusian region is abundant in history and beautiful sights. Greek, Roman, Moorish, Byzantine, and Christian cultures influenced Spanish architecture and arts, including the making of ceramic tiles. Over the centuries, Spaniards mastered this art, which beautifully showcases their rich culture in pattern and color. These bright enameled-tile mosaics—old and new—were almost everywhere in Andalusia! Impressed by this colorful artistry, I wanted to capture the essence of Spanish tilework in my weaving.

I decided that deflected doubleweave would give me the mosaic effect I wanted. I took a slightly unconventional approach by surrounding my deflected doubleweave areas with “frames” of plain weave, both warp- and weft-wise, and by weaving the whole design using a single color for the weft. Due to the tight sett and large bands of plain weave, I didn’t get as much deflection as I expected. However, the finished scarf does resemble a tiled mosaic—so, mission accomplished!

Happy Weaving!

Christina

Project at a Glance

PROJECT TYPE: 8-shaft.

STRUCTURE: Deflected Doubleweave.

EQUIPMENT: 8-shaft loom, 12" weaving width; 15-dent reed; 1 shuttle and bobbin.

YARNS: 18/2 Zephyr (50% merino/50% tussah silk; 5,040 yd/lb; Jagger Spun).

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