Diamonds and Rust

So, here is another one!  I knew I'd been hard at work doing something this past year.  Now that all the publications are finally hitting the press, it feels really good to have something to show.  It makes sense that that fiber art publications are not an instant thing, but sometimes the wait is hard!  This particular weaving project was for the curated Loom Theory collection for rigid heddle looms.  I was honored to be invited to design for this e-book publication and delighted to use Lunatic Fringe Yarn.  Specifically, I used their American Maid yarns, which are natural cottons in their surprising natural colors.  (Who knew cotton grew in green?)

At first, I was a little apprehensive about the yarn choice.  Not because I don't LOVE Lunatic Fringe Yarns, but because I usually use them for things like dish towels.  That just goes to show, I was only limited by my own bias and lack of imagination because the yarn was a delight and even packed a little surprise- the colors darken after a bath with baking soda!

The scarf itself was a combination of plain weave clasped weft and overshot.  The clasped weft was between the dark green and dark brown cotton colors, as you can see in both the picture of the warp threads and the weaving.  I did not want such a stark straight line of color down the side of the scarf, so I tried keeping the blend of clasped weft organic, never passing more than an inch on either side of the color change in the warp, but allowing the clasped weft to fall in different places as the scarf progressed.  Perhaps a straight color line would have been better?  I like the back and forth play, but I can see peoples' tastes leaning for a cleaner line, too.

The overshot was throughout the solid green portion of the scarf, creating subtle diamonds in the scarf body.  The scarf was finished with a twisted fringe (which looked AMAZING with the American Maid cotton). 

If you are interested in the pattern for this scarf, is is available in the Loom Theory scarf collection for rigid heddle looms linked earlier in this post.  The ebook clocks in at $12.99, which is not bad considering the number of quality patterns it contains.  There are a total of seven different scarf patterns.  And even if this scarf does not strike your fancy, if you enjoy rigid heddle weaving, you should check out this book.  Every scarf in the collection is designed with a specific, curated yarn by a different artist and the end result is a beautiful and diverse collection of both aesthetics and skills.  I think there actually might be something in there for every type of rigid heddle weaver.  I'm going to try my hand at Tammy Bast's "Rambling Rosepath." I had no idea you could do that on a rigid heddle loom!