Scarf 61: Another Adventure in Ruffling

Well, that didn't take long, did it? I suppose once I say I'm going to do something, it's easier to get around to doing it. Having a beautiful sunny day to take photographs didn't hurt either.

So now, at long last, I'd like to introduce you to Scarf 61. Do you remember when I mentioned buying a little bit of red yarn at Dallas' White Rock Weaving Center back in January? Well, here it is, all woven in! It was specially picked from among the hundreds of yarns by the friend who commissioned this scarf. The red yarn is a shiny cotton; the black is a soft and strong wool/alpaca/nylon blend , which was used in Scarf 59 and Scarf 23. Together they make a lightweight scarf with a subtle ruffle.

Scarf 61 is a custom order, so it's on reserve in my Etsy shop.

Scarf 59: Classic in Black

It's hard to tell from the photo, but those stripes are silver, offering a subtle shimmer to Scarf 59. The black is a smooth alpaca blend, making it classic, lightweight, soft, and chic. It's a secret special order for a dear friend of a dear friend. Let's hope she likes it!

The Mystical Energies of Scarf 34

Remember Scarf 34? It was a custom design for a yoga student of mine who wanted an extra-wide, extra-long scarf with jewel tones against a dark background. He is very tall and has had difficulty in the past finding scarves that fit his frame. I found this yarn and took it from there, even buying a new accessory for my loom (a 5 dent heddle, for those of you who know what that means) to accommodate the extra chunky yarn.

I was so pleased with how it came out and was excited to introduce it to its new owner, but then he got sick and wasn't able to come to yoga class for several weeks. We emailed back and forth - him sending notice that he wouldn't be in class, me sending back photos of the finished scarf - until he was finally able to return to class this week.

This scarf had had quite the build-up and many weeks of anticipation to live up to, so I was thrilled when I took it out of the bag and saw its new owner's eyes go wide in delight. Success! He jauntily wrapped it around his neck and immediately two women standing nearby lunged towards him to feel it, saying "Wow!" He responded, "It works! I'm never taking it off!" And we all laughed and laughed.

Amidst the laughter and spin-off jokes, he continued to admire it and tell me how much he loved it. My heart grew three sizes! Making something that makes someone so happy is just not a gift we get every day. He even called it an "heirloom" as he walked out the door.

This morning he sent me the following message, with the subject "My Scarf Now Probably Wants to Be Named":

My scarf seems to be able to be glow in the dark; I suspect the presence of mystical energies.

Thank you again for creating it. I look forward to wearing it across the next several decades.

Does it make sense to you if I tell you I feel like I should be thanking him rather than the other way around?

Funnily enough, another very tall former-yoga-student of mine recently purchased a scarf and inquired whether or not it had magic powers. Perhaps I should just tell him yes.

Scarf 17: Rrrruffles have Rrrrridges

Ooh to the la to the ooh-la-la. Scarf 17 is so glamorous I can't even stand it. It's all soft and squishy and shiny and ruffle-y. But let's start at the beginning, shall we? Like all her brothers and sisters, Scarf 17 started life flat, as a series of long threads. I decided to try some asymmetrical striping, as you can see here, on the loom. That's black cotton and silver/gray acrylic. You can't see the sparkles now, but just wait.

The weft yarn (side to side) is the same supersoft white and black handspun cotton that you met in Scarf 4. Let's take a closer look.

Can you see the sparkles now? Sometimes they're hard to see when the photo is small - feel free to click on it to make it larger if you'd like to get a better sense of the silver winding through what appears to be a wide gray stripe.

After coming off the loom, Scarf 17 was subjected to the ruffle treatment, but she didn't mind. I created an off-center ruffle running the length of the scarf, much like Scarf 10 but without the felting.

I'm so super pleased with the result (can you tell?). Scarf 17 just seems to have it all - softness, texture, stripes, sparkles, and those lovely ruffles. I love the ruffles because they add such a lovely three dimensional quality without adding extra bulk. The result is a scarf that looks great no matter how you wrap it - ta da!

Scarf 17 is available in my Etsy shop.

(Blogger is being so buggy today. I hope they fix it soon, but in the meantime I'm sorry for things looking all wonky.)

Scarf 4: Luxury Defined

If a scarf could make me drool, I'd drool all over Scarf 4. It's just so indescribably soft, it makes me want to make clothes and bed sheets and everything I own out of it.

Don't get me wrong - I take a lot of care in choosing yarns and treating scarves with special washes to make them all soft. I'm very picky about what goes against my neck so I don't want to make anything remotely scratchy. But Scarf 4 takes the cake. I could wax nostalgic about the softness of Scarf 4 all day, but instead I'll tell you the story of how it came to be.

Once upon a time, in a small village in northern Scotland, there was a small white cotton yarn who dreamed of one day becoming the softest scarf in the world . . . . Okay, no, not really. Here's how this story really begins:

Yep, just the same as other scarves: with a lot of threads that go one way and a lot of threads that criss-cross them going the other way, back and forth, left to right and right to left, until it's done.

I love all the little flecks of black and gray. It's so subtle and sophisticated. And soft. Did I mention that?

I'm seeking a good home for this little pet of mine. It's currently for sale here, in my Etsy shop.