Manipulating Warps

I will start planning a project in my head when working on a previous project. I had two hand painted Blazing Shuttle warps which I thought would work well together and then I found three other dyed solid tencels that might work. I will often lay them out on the table to see how the colors will align.

After threading the loom, I’m ready to beam. This is perhaps one of my favorite parts of weaving! In the case of this project, I was planning on an asymmetrical look. While beaming, I found there was too little color change in a few areas of the warp. So I unwound and carefully planned a few areas to shift by cutting. I ended up cutting 4” off two sections at the borders. This will mean that my shifted warps will be offset by 4”. To see the shift, follow the placement of the orange portions.

Shifted Warps

This scarf is one of the most eclectic pieces I have woven. Lots of color changes going on and movement after washing. There are long sections of different woven blocks in charcoal gray Tencel making for long floats in this deflected double weave. Because of the long blocks before changing weft colors, I carried the yarns up the side as I wove.

Off the Loom - Ready to Wash

If you ever visit Fort Wayne, please visit the Orchard Gallery of Fine Arts. You may see my work there along with 70 artists. The painting behind my scarf is painted by Dawn Gerardot.

Streamers Shifted Scarf