A Scarf of Another Colour

Turns out the jag may not be about green, or leaves- but actually scarves in general, because lo and behold, here I am with another blog post and… surprise!
Another scarf.  This one has a bit of a story, and isn’t even knitting, but weaving. A while ago I was at Lettuce Knit and they had this really cool yarn. 

The whole ball is one repeat, where the colour changes by way of one strand of the four ply (but it’s not really plied, there’s no ply twist)  being swapped out at a time. In the one I got it starts out with four strands of the dark pink, then after a while it’s three dark pink and one medium, then two dark pink and two medium and so on, until it’s made it’s way charmingly through dark pink to light pink.  (It’s Color Changing Cotton from Wolle’s Yarn Creations and she’s got a blog here that shows off what she does.  My colourway is Triple Berry.)

Now, I don’t much care to knit with cotton, but this yarn was so charming to me that I gave it some thought, and moments later was standing at the cash register with two balls in my hand and a big weaving plan.  I thought that if I warped with one and wove with the other that things might get interesting fast.  The yarn sat around the house for a while, being moved from table to desk to counter, and the night before I left for Squam, completely on impulse, I tossed my Cricket loom and the yarn in the trunk in case there was time to work on it.  (If anyone’s interested, I used my 12 dent reed.)   There was, and one afternoon while Denny (resident weaving expert) and Megan and Natalie were out, I started. 

My plan was to warp the loom so that the colour changed across the warp – dark to light.  Problem one?  Too much yardage.  (I know. Nice problem.) I started at one side with the dark pink, and quickly found that if I just went straight ahead and warped, that I wouldn’t get through the whole repeat.  I needed less of each colour.  I worked out how many sections of the repeat there were (4 dark pink, then  3 dark pink/1 medium, then 2 dark/2 medium,  1 dark/3 medium, 4 medium, 3 medium 1 light… etc)  and figured out how wide I wanted the scarf, and then how much room I could give each section.

I’d warp along, then when I had the width I wanted from that section I’d cut the yarn, wind off the excess, then retie it to the loom at the beginning of the next colour. 

It worked pretty darn well, and at some point in the process Denny came home, cracked a cold cider and watched me do it.  It all seemed to be running like a charm, except for one thing that the experienced weavers among you (I would not be one of them) may notice. 

I warped the loom backwards. Totally backwards.  Faced the wrong end of the loom towards the peg, bolted that bad boy down and then warped it completely wrong. Absolutely wrong.

More than that, I even finished warping it wrong.  Yup.  Cut the yarn from the peg, wound it onto the wrong beam and then sat down and pulled the yarn through the holes in the heddles completely backwards, all the while complaining to Denny that it really seemed harder to warp the loom than it ever had.  (I blamed the yarn.) Denny, used to my complaining about yarn problems, hardly cast a look in my direction, but sat knitting and murmuring comforting things.  It was only when I went to her and asked for her help tying the warp on at the end that she noticed what I’d done.  After I’d sworn for a good long time (I was eloquent, if repetitive) Denny helped me rewind the whole thing through to the other beam. This is, I understand, pretty much absolutely not done, but there seemed no other way out at that point.

I wove along then, starting with the dark of the second ball, and weaving along taking bits of the repeat out as needed to get it the way I wanted.  About halfway through this process the whole thing developed tension problems that I couldn’t overcome (this was entirely due to having to wind the warp onto the right side of the loom) and I took drastic steps.  I unwound the whole thing, untied the warp from the beam and wound the whole thing on again, then retied the warp.

I have since been advised that you can’t do that with a warp, and that it’s a very bad idea, but there was nobody there to tell me that when I did it, and it worked anyway.  (I bet now that I’ve been told that it can’t work that it will never work again, but for that one time it would seem that my ignorance of what was possible worked for me.)  I kept weaving, kept modifying the length of the repeat as needed, and when I was done I had this:

Which is, pretty miraculously, considering that I warped the loom backwards, a very pretty scarf. 

The warp changes colour right to left, and the weft changes colour bottom to top, which means that on the bottom right there’s solid dark pink, and on the top left there’s solid light pink. 

One big diagonal shift, and the whole thing was one heck of a weaving lesson- and resulted in what I think of as a  Very Interesting Textile. In a lot of ways I got just what I wanted, in exactly the hardest possible way to get it.

The next one is going to go way better.  Less swearing. I hope so, anyway.

210 thoughts on “A Scarf of Another Colour

  1. that is beautiful… and it’s comforting to know that I am not the only person who insists on doing everything the hard way!

  2. Soooo…I know nothing about weaving, but, you set this up while traveling. Is this an investment (I mean ‘risk’) in that you need to finish all the weaving before you leave? Can you pack it up halfway through? Seems like that would be a bad idea. I’m impressed (as usual). Very pretty scarf!

  3. OK, are any other Final Fantasy Nerds reminded of the dialogue boxes in Final Fantasy VII – how you could select the color at each corner and they’d fade along the diagonal?
    Very pretty idea for a scarf, and a very beautiful scarf!

  4. Absolutely lovely results from a less than absolutely easy process. You give me hope!

  5. I don’t even like pink and I’d definitely buy that scarf! You’re tempting us non-weavers again.

  6. Such a lovely scarf! A wonderful use of that very interesting yarn. If anyone could do it, you could. Beautiful

  7. weaving rocks! Great lesson in perseverance. Good to change things up once in a while. Now where are my needles?…

  8. I’m working with this yarn right now, too. I’m double stranding it with Diaketo Dia Santa Fe and I’m geting a really fab colorshifting tweed fabric. I’m no cotton fan, but this stuff provides some fantastic options for creating great items. I like it a lot!

  9. Absolutely beautiful. Oh, and a late Happy 42nd to you! It truly IS cool getting older. And better. And Better. We finally are beginning to know all those things we used to THINK we knew, huh?

  10. That’s just gorgeous! I got myself a Kromski 24″ Harp as an end-of-school-year present, and am now contemplating what to do with it. I have a couple of books, and as that’s how I taught myself knitting, spinning, and crochet, I’m fairly confident I can teach myself weaving, but right now I would just like to be able to jump right in an weave something as lovely as you’ve made.
    Did you take any weaving classes, or did Denny show you the basics? How did you learn is basically what I’m asking. 🙂

  11. I’m totally clueless about the forward/backward warping thing but that is one damn fine scarf!!

  12. That is gorgeous! I’m very impressed. And I particularly love the fact that you successfully achieved a feat that was not possible; ignorance can be a very useful tool, I think.

  13. Now this is why I don’t weave. I don’t say I wouldn’t (ultimately) enjoy the process, but then again I might hate it. And it would be sad to hate the end product, because it blooms. Love the photos.

  14. its beautiful…no matter how you warped it. AWESOME color too. GREAT JOB!!

  15. I have a Cricket too – got it just before you got yours – and have been making all kinds of messes on it while experimenting! It’s fun though eh? I do love your scarf design.

  16. Well, I understood what you were trying to do, but got totally lost when trying to follow the part about warping backwards and wrong. However, the photos of the warp and loom and yarn are nifty! And the final product is totally cool. Where are you? At a cottage in the woods? Looks like a cottage-type porch where the loom is set up. Are those tree outside the window? Enjoy!

  17. Gorgeous! I have a theory that fibre supplies with ‘berry’ in the name are destined to greatness. Your scarf, after all it’s terrible start, seems to prove this!

  18. You created a beautiful fabric. Made me wish once again that we still had my mother’s small loom and that I had time to learn to weave without giving up any knitting time.

  19. That is awesome! I want one…looks like I’ll have to learn how to weave now.

  20. Beautiful. The last time I warped my Cricket I did it backwards and haven’t touched it since cutting all the yarn off. You may have given me the push I needed to try it again. Love how your scarf turned out.

  21. My attempts at weaving have been somewhat less than spectacular, and if I had warped the loom wrong, I’m quite sure I would have thrown the whole mess in the trash, but that’s me. patience is not one of my virtues. Your scarf is lovely and I’m inspired to pull by RH loom out from under the bed and give it another go! Keep up the good work, and as my father always says Ignorance is Bliss! 🙂

  22. You always were one who did things the most difficult way possible. In this case — it worked! Fabulously. Now I want to set up my loom too!!

  23. You are so talented! I’m so inspired to buy a Cricket now! That yarn if fabulous too – thanks so much for sharing!

  24. Dead brilliant! I’m with Whitney, I may have to learn to weave now. (Like I need another fibre-related addiction.)

  25. I’m not usually one to jump on the bandwagon, but every weaving post you have has had me drooling. I asked for a Cricket for my birthday and got one, and now I’m about to buy some Color Changing Cotton. Thanks for enabling me. I love you for it!!

  26. I have some of the rainbow in that yarn…the 130g ball. I wonder how that would work with the rainbow? Alas, I do not have a loom so I likely won’t be the one to find out. Very pretty scarf though.

  27. Wonderful! There is no wrong way, just different ways to get to the same point. When I wove an ikat scarf (dyed the warp in 1″ increments for a chevron) I pulled threads to get a good effect on the loom. It takes time. You just took a longer route, and it was a scenic one! Brilliant! Good job.

  28. This post made my brain hurt. I know nothing of weaving, except for the time when I built a loom out of tinker toys when I was in the third grade. I don’t know where that idea came from, but I wish I still got ones like that.
    Anyway, this is brilliant, really. Like, you should have lied and said that is was really easy because I never would have thought otherwise. Bravo!

  29. I’m glad I’m not the only one who warps backwards and doesn’t realize it until it’s actually time to weave. Heartbreaking, isn’t it? But what perseverence, and what a gorgeous scarf! Good on ya, girl.

  30. Absolutely gorgeous! This is something I must learn to do someday – the weaving that is!

  31. Nice job!! I tend to do it all back-ass-wards, and then still not get what I wanted! This is both beautiful, and a slap in the face of Murphy’s Law!

  32. Scarf? no, table runner for excessively long table – to show off your impressive abilities in their full splendour. Great photography Stephanie. Great photography.
    Tell us about the bike, is it sort of, ‘something better’ for those interested in their carbon footprint, in the same way that some people who like cars would forget about the carbon footprint and buy a Hummer? (Me, I drive a Toyota Corolla, the same one for the last 14 years, we bought it second hand – I think you could categorise me with that.) Nice weather to be cycling round Toronto. Enjoy.

  33. That is a GREAT scarf and I know my scarfs!! what a beautiful and unique garment..I have scarf envy! (but in the best way)

  34. See, this is what happens when you cheat on Knitting. It (we’re being gender-neutral here) doesn’t like it, and will subsequently put a curse on your new lover. Spending nearly four hours cleaning up puddles of semi-hardened beeswax and having only a misshapen blob with a wick in it to show for my efforts was enough to end my little affair with candlemaking.
    Gorgeous scarf though. The new lover may be frustrating at times, but damn, those abs!

  35. It’s lovely!
    I’m terrified of weaving. I know that if I ever went down that road I’d end up like my mom – a member of Complex Weavers. It’s better that I stick to knitting, spinning, and dyeing.

  36. That is the most interesting and beautiful scarf I’ve seen in a long time. Way more interesting than anything i’ve knit…oh, ever. I am strongly tempted to look into weaving beyond the cardboard loom stuff I’ve done in the past.

  37. great looking scarf…good things come to those who wait in this case good things come after much hard work

  38. That. Is. Gorgeous. For the first time since I began following this blog, I almost want to learn to weave.

  39. Absolutely beautiful woven scarf! If I could even do what you accomplished with a loom I would be in heaven. I need to learn to use a loom.. Hope things are well!!

  40. So are you going to try it with Kauni. You could full the finished fabric for yet another texture.

  41. Stunning. Just lovely. Hope to see it in July. I’m trying to convince Tina to bring her loom. Silk is lovely stuff to weave.

  42. It looks like the flower that belongs with all of your leaves.I love how the colour is variegated (I’m a sucker for that stuff though.) There’s a good lesson there somewhere-determination(and a little ignorance) does pay off.

  43. Lovely yarn! I am not cotton person either, but I totally see the appeal with this. Although, after checking out the website am wondering, what with your green/leaf obsession lately, how the Shrubbery colorway didn’t jump into your hand?!
    Also, any reference to Monty Python begs to be bought and have something done with it, yes?

  44. That’s a lovely scarf! And don’t let Denny steer you wrong – as best as I can tell, every weaver, on every project, does something they absolutely oughtn’t to, and it usually turns out fine.

  45. This is so cool, I can’t even believe it! I really, really wish I knew more about weaving and wish I could understand more than 0.1 percent of what you wrote about warping the loom wrong, correcting, etc. Maybe tomorrow I’ll go back and re-read it! In the meantime, congrats on a beautiful woven loveliness.

  46. “Denny helped me rewind the whole thing through to the other beam”.
    Wow. Denny is a Very Good Friend.
    Turned out super purdy! If for any reason you decide that pink’s not your thing… I’d be happy to help you out! 😉

  47. You are a clever girl!!! (and you make me feel better when you warp backwards like I do sometimes) I like the way you made the colours graduate on the warp!!

  48. WOW! I didn’t know there was another weaver at SAW and I didn’t hear any thing down at Mapleshade. (although we were been a bit loud) I recently have started weaving – rigid heddle and a 4 harness, along with knitting to help get rid of my stash( and I found out you just get more stash) thanks for the inspiration and method for working with too much yarn! Your scarf is beautiful. Loved hearing you at SAW!

  49. I can totally relate to feeling like one has to bushwack with a machete to get where you want to go, but now that all of the ‘inventing’ is done, the next one should be a much smoother pleasure to make–provided you’ve made (at least mental!) notes on the tricky bits!
    Reminds me of the colour variations you see in apple blossoms… =)

  50. Gorgeous, and since I know nothing about weaving I’m blissfully ignorant of just how hard it was.

  51. Gorgeous! But I really don’t need encouragement to add another form of fibre craft to my life and crowded little house…

  52. This is way awesome. I love the color and the way the color changes along the scarf. Very pretty. Enjoy it. You have earned it.
    By the way, that sounds just like something I would do. The next one will be easier.

  53. The colors remind me of peony pinks (or maybe it’s just my monitor.) Either way, I want one. I really, really want one. Imagine those colors but in silk—-ooooh-that yarn-gasm was good for me. Was it good for you, too??

  54. O………MI…………GOD! that is GORGEOUS!!!! i suddenly see “weaving” finding its way onto my “to learn” list…

  55. Nice! I may have to find some of that yarn and do just that. You can also bet that I will make at least one (and usually) more than one, fey mistake while planning, warping, tying up or weaving. I’m thinking of creating my own check list that combines others that I got in class.

  56. This is gorgeous! Weaving is one more fiber art that I may be enticed into trying at some point.

  57. Beautiful. Absolutely beautiful. Like wandering through a garden of beautiful roses.

  58. Don’t you know we count on you to do things in the hardest possible way?!!??
    Ab. Solutely. Coveted.

  59. Ok, I do not weave (oooh I sound like a lily of the field, you know – I toil not, neither do I spin) (I don’t spin either, do toil though) ANYWAY so it’s like you’re speaking a foreign language eg “My plan was to warp the loom so that the colour changed across the warp ” … see? But I LOVE what you’ve done and I think it looks beautiful! 😀

  60. wow. that’s pretty impressive if you (or anyone else) makes something that is in the pink/berry/red and i like it. i think it goes to show that if we know it’s not normally done that way it generally is hard to try a different way. but if we’re not in the know (i don’t want to say ignorant or clueless, b/c we’re not, we just weren’t told) we can often come up with some pretty awesome stuff. your scarf rocks. enjoy it in good health. see, 42 is once again the answer. You rock!

  61. I’m so excited to see this yarn get “Harlotted!” She’s local to me and I bought some of the Strawberry Hershey at our local fiber festival. It’s such a unique way of getting the loooong color changes!

  62. why? why are you tempting me toward another fiber art? i’m just getting into spinning. i dont have the energy, time or (more importantly) the funds to start thinking about LOOMS.
    or warps.
    or wefts.
    i dont even know what they are and i want them in my life.
    why stephanie, why?
    you’re the best/worst kind of harlot,
    by which i mean, you spread your harloty ways to those of us within the realm of your influence.
    ps if i buy the yarn, can you make me one?

  63. I am in awe. Weaving, like beads in my knitting, is something I dare not get into just yet. STOP IT! My husband is not going to like you for turning me on to new obsessions!
    Although, I must admit, I have been dreaming about weaving for years….

  64. Your blog is always one interesting read. I don’t know anything about weaving, so I can only imagine the frustrations, but you always persevere and overcome! Gorgeous scarf, thanks for sharing.

  65. Ha ha for something that was done back arsswords it sure turned out to be a beauty.

  66. I need a resident weaving expert too! And someone to help me put the loom together – I got it in a box in pieces. Maybe after my move next week – your scarf is pretty inspirational, and I have discovered, while packing, I have a rather extensive stash……

  67. Stunning. Positively Stunning. And you have more tinking – er – evaewing – tenacity than anyone I know. Bravo for sticking it out and getting what you wanted…

  68. One of Virginia’s finest..Elisabeth does such a lovely job with this yarn. The scarf is beautiful.
    Elisabeth was one of our vendors at The Spring Sedalia Fiber Festival.

  69. Isn’t it amazing what CAN be accomplished when one doesn’t know that something “can’t be done”? That’s really a beautiful scarf, and you made it work. You are the boss of your weaving. Look, another Christmas gift completed!

  70. It’s only when I read some technical bits about another craft, like spinning or weaving, that I realize how much I have learned about knitting. Because I can’t follow the technical details here, and if it were knitting, I’m sure I could. Interesting anyhow, though. And a lovely scarf!

  71. Stephanie, I’m not sure who told you you can’t or shouldn’t unwind a warp, I won’t say I do it all the time, but there have been many times it has been necessary, like for a change of sett, (obviously this would be on a loom with a changeable reed), and if you are careful, it should just work fine. I guess it did!

  72. When I was pregnant with my first (of three), I couldn’t attend birthing classes because my car had broken down and I didn’t have the money to get it fixed until long after the classes were over. So, even though I had read just about ever birthing book I could get my hands on, I didn’t know that just because you were 10 cm dilated, you could still push for HOURS. So, when they told me it was okay to push, my daughter was born 15 minutes later. (Even after finding that out in class when I was pregnant for my second, I still never had to push for very long, thank Goodness)!

  73. I actually took two semesters of weaving in college and miss it so much. I don’t have room for a floor loom in my apartment–it was my favorite to work on–but just found out that my friend Margaret has one that she is willing to share.
    That scarf is gorgeous. Can I have it?

  74. I love this yarn! A woman in my knitting group uses it a lot and has made the most beautiful shawls with it. Each color she pulls out is more gorgeous than the last. I’m definitely going to have to try it and soon. It’s just a matter of deciding which color!

  75. It’s gorgeous. Truly gorgeous. I could only wish. But the agony of getting there illustrates what stops me from weaving: with knitting, if it’s not perfect, you just rip, the yarn has no choice but to behave and do as it’s told. (Yeah, I hear you laughing.)

  76. Sounds like something I would have done, but it would not have turned out into such a stunning scarf.

  77. Now I really want to weave. On the eve of my city’s fiber festival, to boot. And tomorrow’s payday. I am royally screwed!
    Still, lovely scarf.

  78. This is lovely! I wish I could do something like this. One question: is it soft? It looks like the beautiful scarves you see in shops that turn out to be disappointingly rough, but I bet handmade makes a difference!

  79. A beautiful result – very pretty scarf – but i am even more impressed with your patience and tenacity. Well done!

  80. that is beautiful! have been dreaming of a cricket loom for a while, but i guess they don’t come with a denny to fix my stupid mistakes.

  81. What a great scarf! You’re definitely not the only one who has to learn things the hard way when it comes to weaving because I do the same darn thing. For the record yes, you aren’t supposed to to do that to a good warp but I’ve done it too. I’m always struggling with my tension after I warp my loom. I’m really fortunate to have some very talented weaving friends who have watched me wind a warp and helped me set up my loom only to be totally bewildered by my tension difficulties after I’m done. I just have a really hard time maintaining even tension when I wind a warp. On some of my past weaving projects, the back of my loom has looked like a Christmas tree filled with ornaments because of all the various things I’ve had hanging off it to even out the tension in my warp. In spite of this I’ve turned out some very nice and useful things. After my projects were finished, no one could tell that I had problems with my tension being even. I’m sure that your scarf is the same way. If you hadn’t told us I would never know that you made a mistake when you were warping. I really like the way you designed the colors on your scarf. It’s very cool. I guess you’ve finally succumbed to being bitten by the weaving bug!

  82. Mistake my ass, that’s your subconscious saying I WANT THIS SCARF NOW PLEASE.
    Lucky woman. My subconscious usually just sends me out for midnight chocolate runs.

  83. Gorgeous!! No matter how many “mistakes” you may have made, that scarf doesn’t look any worse for wear. Lovely!

  84. Oh boy! That is one pretty scarf! I like to imagine I would like to weave, but the prospect of all the prep involved just intimidates the snot out of me (I have similar imaginings and misgivings abut spinning).
    And there’s another little bother. I’m the farthest you could possibly imagine from wishing anything evil or difficult on you, but every time something evil or difficult happens to you (or your house, or a dear one), the way you write about it is just so…..funny….. It really is a good thing you produce such wonderful items in spite of the various hiccups as that seems to alleviate at least some of the guilt about laughing out loud here behind my desk at your tales of fibrous frustration.
    But seriously, that scarf is totally worth the war of the warp you had to wage to get it, totally….

  85. If I give you my address will you send me that scarf? It’s beautiful and I love that pink.

  86. I know it’s hard to “give away” such a beautiful monument to Another Learning Experience but, you could bring in ALOT of money for Breast Cancer Research in October with that scarf. I would totally bid on it.

  87. Very pretty scarf.
    Altho I have to admit, I’ve been weaving for years and years and didn’t see what you did wrong with the warp until you pointed it out. I think it has to do with how you warp the Cricket, not warping in general… Then again, there are as many ways to weave as there are ways to knit and it’s possible I do it “wrong”. (Also, I use a Jack loom with a sectional warp beam, so that makes it very different from a small, rigid heddle table loom)

  88. That is a gorgeous scarf. Makes me want to learn to weave… I love the power of not knowing you can’t do something!

  89. That is a beautiful scarf!!! Well done! Perhaps this will serve as inspiration for me to get out my backstrap loom and finish off the rather pathetic little bookmark I was weaving as my first ever piece ….

  90. I wove a scarf similar to this, but I determined the dimensions of the scarf first, and then dyed the yarn myself to make it happen. Much easier that way!
    Your result looks stunning!

  91. LOVELY scarf! I’m going to maintain, for my sake as much as yours, that if you haven’t sworn vehemently at a project, you’re not experiencing the full range of joy offered by fiber artistry. And what fun would that be?

  92. It occurs to me that if I stopped weaving baby blankets and started weaving scarves, I’d finish things a lot sooner. This is lovely.

  93. I knew exactly what you wanted when you first started describing the color changes, and my heart started doing weird things when you said how it was more difficult than previously (warning bells!!! unheeded), especially when you were having to cut to get the right placement of color, but when you ever said it was backward I almost choked. Tell the truth now. If Denny hadn’t been there would you have taken a pair of scissors to the whole thing while you were having your vocal fits of 4-letter words? I’ve been sitting here for 5 full minutes and I still feel like I’m choking. Temper, temper! But how absolultely beautiful it turned out. Is there a way to mark the loom, like with a permanent sharpie pen, about where you SHOULD start so you couldn’t possibly do that to yourself again?

  94. Wow. I often want to swear when I’m warping, which is probably why I almost always do the warping when no one is around, well except for the cat who requires constant shooing.

  95. I don’t think there is a wrong way to warp (if you end up with a warp on a loom!) There actually appear to be two schools of thought, warping front to back, and warping back to front. Seems like most people will find one way works better for them, and stick with it. I recall that I did it ‘wrong’ my first time, but now I can’t even remember which way was considered ‘wrong’, and until the next time I sit down to do it, I probably wouldn’t be able to say which way I use. It’s just auto-pilot now.
    v

  96. No, there probably won’t be less swearing. It’s the nature of the beast. Uninformed observers of me probably think that s$%# and f$#% are types of knitting stitches. 🙂

  97. I guess that it is just “Monkey See, Monkey Do,” for me. I have some lovely handpainted yarn that I’ve been saving for weaving….guess that I’ll get that loom out today! Thanks for the motivation!

  98. One big plus to making a really Colossal Boo-Boo–it is burned in one’s memory forevermore, and thus not likely to be repeated:D. And I say that in all humility, having done so many things bass-ackward I’ve lost count.
    And I disagree that one “can’t” take off the warp and re-wind it the correct way. More difficult, but not impossible. If your length were REALLY critical, it might be a problem, as I imagine you lose some of it in the process of re-adjusting the tension. In any event, you ended up with a lovely scarf.

  99. The scarf is absolutely beautiful, and weaving is a complete mystery to me. Backwards, forwards…who can tell? You did a great job!

  100. Steph, that is just the most beautiful thing! If I come packing some beer would you teach me to weave? Don’t panic, just kidding. I do wish I could learn, however. Make some more! L.

  101. OMG..how gorgeous is that! She knits, she writes, she teaches and yes, she weaves too!! Is there no end to your talents!!?? Thanks, as always, for sharing!!

  102. At my apartment, it would be the piano versus the loom, but the piano would win.
    I’ll pretend I’m not thinking about how cool it would be to weave, and instead get to that beaded River Rock scarf!
    Your creation is a dream of beautiful color. Amazing.

  103. Once again, I am struck dumb by your project! Wow! I thought about taking up the whole weaving thing at one point, only to look at it and go “nah, too hard.” and now, looking at your scarf, it makes me want to pick it up again!
    Bad Stephanie! Lol!

  104. I really love it! I wish you would stop though, I have no time (or money) for another fiber obsession! Well, maybe. Someday.

  105. I’ve done it! On purpose. Terrible thing to do to a warp. I had a 15 yard merino warp that was disastrously tangled (see, there’s the original sin). Unwilling to give up all that lovely yarn, I loaded the loom back to front, and my teenage son helped me slowly crank all 15 yards through while we gently untangled it with a hairbrush, then reeled it all back through to the back beam for even tension. The warp survived, and made beautiful things, but now I ALWAYS tie a second cross on the tail end of a warp, just in case I lose the first, and I never unchain a warp until it’s through the heddles.
    Lovely scarf!

  106. Seriously beautiful scarf…and you are a seriously great teacher doling out gems of wisdom in the guise of a humorous blog post.

  107. BEST weaving lesson, ever!,
    and a scarf luscious enough to eat (it does remind me of strawberries).

  108. Wow…i’m in love. how pretty! I don’t weave, so the problems didn’t register so much with me..but i love the end result!!

  109. I believe in “once upon a time…” and “happily ever after” great story! great scarf! Everything coming up roses (or berries as the yarn may be.) Thanks for the tail and travail.

  110. That scarf is AMAZING. It was probably not worth quite ALL that work, but the end result is breathtaking- thank you for sharing.

  111. That is one very attractive scarf!! But no, I will not start weaving. I’ve only just started spinning. No, I won’t start weaving. I won’t. I won’t. I won’t. Start. Weaving.
    Sure is purdy.

  112. Sorry, just one more thing.
    Isn’t wonderful the things you can do when you don’t know that you can’t do that!? Perserverence and good friends? You can’t go wrong! What’s next?

  113. That is absolutely beautiful. I have never woven before. I don’t know if you ever respond to comments, but if you would like to share how I could get started to do that, I would love some info / advice. If not, I’m not offended if you don’t reply. (I’m not a hater, and I won’t bad mouth you or anything. I understand too busy, for sure…)

  114. So incredibly lovely, even if it was a bear to make. And you’ll never warp backwards again, I bet.

  115. Lovely job. Worth all the frustration and extra words.
    My first weaving teacher told me one never tells a beginner he or she can’t do something, because he or she will usually pull it off. It seems once one knows the weaving rules, they apply. When one is naive, they don’t. Which is why she didn’t tell me I wouldn’t be able to use the yarn I did in the way I did. Yes, I had some technical difficulties, but I ended up with a wonderful loom shaped garment out of yarn I wouldn’t want to ever weave again.
    By the way, my brother-in-law wouldn’t let my sister knit him a pair of socks until she could knit them without swearing. She had to make him much simpler socks than she had been making.

  116. Wow! You lost me for a moment with the repeat math and the calculations for the warp and ???. But the scarf is beautiful. Obviously, ordinary people cannot even aspire to such crafty greatness. Plus I’ve taken a vow; no additional crafts, until I retire or finish my husband’s socks. Just kidding about the socks; serious about the retire; although the beads are calling; and the sewing machine.

  117. wow, it’s beautiful! you deserve it after all that work. I think only you could make something turn out this nicely after all that 🙂

  118. That is probably the most awsome, woven scarf I have ever seen. And, not being a weaver, I would have had no idea that it was created incorrectly…in fact, as I was reading your post today I had not clue what you were talking about. And the way I look at it: nothing is wrong until someone tells you it is…so I find the it is sometimes better to be blissfully ignorant if I need to get something done. Well done!

  119. You got there the hardest way possible (I tend to do that too) but that is one extraordinarily beautiful scarf. Bravo!

  120. I have to hold myself back, I think I could develop a weaving addiction. LOVE LOVE LOVE the way the colors all blend and flow together. WANT LOOM! Must resist, have. no. money.

  121. That is so lovely (and worth all your difficulties IMO). I don’t know if it’s being an art director or what, but I do love those kinds of color shifts. So cool that you got it to do what you wanted it to do!

  122. You won’t believe this. I pulled out my Cricket tonight after your inspiration and got all ready to make a beautiful scarf. Visions of weaving a dozens scarves by the end of the weekend danced in my head. I was so pleased with how well everything was going.
    Guess what? Turns out I made the same mistake you made. A little too inspired, I guess. Any chance you took pictures of how to fix it? Pretty please? I have no weaving friend to come to my rescue.
    Wish me luck.

  123. That is really gorgeous! You are definitely an enabler! (I had a cricket on my Christmas wish list last year, but opted for sewing machine accessories instead.) Can I move in next door and rent your Cricket when you’re not using it?

  124. This is just lovely.
    As always, we learn best and most from our mistakes. Just wish it weren’t so darn hard sometimes!!

  125. Hi Seph…
    Well….now you’ve gone and done it! I saw that yarn showcased in Lettuce Knit’s Newsletter, and was enthralled! I am allergic to wool, and had always drooled over Zauberball with the loooonnng colour changes. When I saw this, I was ecstatic. I am coming to Toronto in late July to pick up my son, and planned a trip to Lettuce Knit to scoop up some of this cotton-y loveliness. But now, since your entry, there will be NONE to be found! I saw it happen with Origami. It will be even worse with this. And, to top it off, I may have to start weaving again…something I haven’t done since 1984, when I sold my big loom. Grrr! You enabler…you!
    LOL…save some for me!

  126. You absolutely gave birth to that scarf, and she is just lovely!
    From another weaver;)

  127. i use this lady’s yarn! isn’t it gorgeous? i met her at a fiber festival in va and she is sooooo nice! i’m almost finished clapotis in the ‘leaf pastels’ colorway. the non-plied yarn is a tad daunting at first, but you get used to knitting with it. can’t wait to do more!

  128. Oh my gosh – how did you get it SO GOOD (I did read it, but oh my goodness it’s just so good)! I think that is simply amazing – I’ll have to pull out my loom, buy one of those skeins, and try it myself!!

  129. Not being a weaver I’m afraid I didn’t understand a single word you said but the result is absolutely beautiful. Congratulations!

  130. This has totally blown my mind – here it is several days later and I am still trying to understand how you acheived this scarf! The amount of thought & time that went into it is amazing & the results are stunning! I love the way you process your work & make it a reality. You give me – a moderate knitter – hope for creating new ideas & interesting work. Thanks!

  131. Oh, that came out beautifully! You are so talented, don’t be so hard on yourself!

  132. darn it. I’m trying to hard to resist the call of weaving (I don’t need another hobby!!!) and you go and post such a lovely, wonderful scarf that my willpower is seriously straining. grrr, must. resist.

  133. Wolle’s yarn is so beautiful! I had a wonderful time knitting a very narrow stole (or very wide scarf, depending on how you look at it) with it last fall. It’s such a soft cotton, too. I’d love to see what kind of fabric you got from weaving it!

  134. Beautiful! Great that you kept your vision in mind and worked it till you got just what you wanted!

  135. Don’t feel bad – I have done it too. I own a weaving, knitting and spinning shop and I should know better but in the flurry of hurry to get it on the loom, we sometimes don’t pay attention, especially for a frame loom. Good Job, do whatever it takes to get weaving, I say! Looks lovely! I use the Knitter’s Loom and Love it, it folds up to take with you, just like knitting.

  136. In weaving, as in most of life, whatever works, works. I’ve done many unconventional things in my weaving, and only once (in many years of weaving) have I cut the whole mess off and thrown it away–that at the urging of a man who didn’t want to listen to the cursing any more. It’s so much harder without someone to tell you how it “ought” to be done. I learned from an old library book in a very small town.

  137. Lovely scarf. Did not realized you weave as well. I have a Ashford and a Julie loom.. love them both. The Julie is a floor loom…much different than the Ashford…Kudos to you on a darn fine scarf!

  138. Wow! I haven’t used my loom since 1982. And I’ve been thinking about trying a project. Now I KNOW I’ll read the directions carefully about set up. Thanks for the warning… it could go wrong so easily.
    Also your creation is very different than what I would have chosen. Would the color be uniform (and thereby defeating the purpose of the color change) if you started weaving the dark part of the warp with the light color?

  139. Very, very lovely – and an educational experience on top of it. Love the fact that you’re weaving – and since your blog- (and nick-) name is Yarn Harlot, it works both with knitting ADN weaving! Keep up the weaving, we want to see more!

  140. I’ve not been able to read the blog for a good long time, but today I got a break from work and decided I’d check in. (Love the beautiful green sweater, all the leaves, and happy 42nd birthday, by the way, but I always knew you were the answer.)
    Lo and behold – this is THE SCARF! I have been DREAMING about this scarf for over a year! Except in my dreams it’s usually green, but STILL!
    AWESOME! (And only the teeniest bit creepy…)

  141. Wow. Wow. Wow! I’ve seen something similar in my head, only in green. I doubt if I could pull it off, since, you know, I don’t weave. But wow!

  142. Next time 🙂
    why not just buy 4 colors of a fine yarn that you would like to mix and then mix them yourself while winding the warp (and weaving it off)?

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