Project: Voyager Scarf

So named in honor of my trip to Plessisville to pick up my new 8S Voyageur table loom, I made this scarf out some Orlec I picked up on the same trip. Orlec is 100% acrylic, and though I generally hate using it in most fiber projects, I didn’t mind it so much here. The result does not look bad at all and I wanted to practice a new draft and my own design without using any fancy weaving yarn. I think this would be great to redo sometime with natural fibers. The draft is something I came up with on my own:

• Equipment
  8-shaft loom that has a weaving width of 10″ or greater; 12-dent reed; shuttle; bobbins; warp sticks or suitable roll of paper for winding the warp.
• Yarns
  Warp and weft: 8/2 Orlec 100% acrylic (3360 yd/lb) in Rust (450 yards) and Gold (650 yards)
• Warp Length
  217 ends (that count is including 2 floating selvedges), each 3 yards long. (this accounts for about 7″ of take-up, a 5″ fringe on each side and 24″ of loom waste) Note: Its probably a generous warp I am giving here: I had left-over, and I’m trying to recall after the fact how much of it I measured, so you could get away with less but 3 yards should surely do it)
• Sett
  Warp: 24 epi (2/dent in a 12-dent reed)
  Weft: ~22-24 ppi
• Dimensions
  Width in reed: 9″
  Woven length (under tension):  about 80″ (approximation). This is not counting the fringe, which is of course not woven.
  Finished size after washing: 82″ including fringes (5″ long each), 8″ wide

 

1. Wind the warp with the two floating selvedges in the following color order: 3 ends in rust, 211 ends  in gold, 3 ends in rust. Secure the warp and remove from warping board, forming a chain.
2. Sley the reed putting 2 ends in each dent, centering for a weaving width of 9″. I left the floating selvedges in their own dents.
3. Finish dressing the loom using the provided draft.
4. After spacing the warp, weave 5 to 6 picks in plain-weave using Rust by alternating between treadles 9 and 10. Change to Gold and weave 2 more picks of plainweave.
5. Changing back to Rust, weave following the treadling sequence until the woven cloth measures around 80″.
6. Change to Gold and weave 2 picks of plain-weave. Change to Rust and weave 5 to 6 more picks in plainweave.
7. Remove from loom. I used a braided fringe, braiding two sets of 4 ends in one direction, twisting both braids together in the opposite direction, and then securing the braid in a knot.
8. Wash in hot water, let dry, and trim all woven in ends.