I just pulled a scarf off the loom in a 4-color 4-harness shadow weave pattern done with 16/2 cotton. I am still a newbie (weaving only for about 4 months), but am absolutely crazy about shadow weave. Everything turned out better than I expected except that the drape was not what I would hope for in a scarf. I hand washed it briefly in the bathroom sink to wet finish it but wonder if a machine wash would make it softer and more supple. Or is the lack of drape due to the "plain weave" nature of shadow weave? I assume a twill would be more drapey. Has anyone done a shadow weave scarf in bamboo? Would that work better? I know chenille is supposed to be a good match for this structure but I am not quite ready to take on that challenge yet. Thanks for any suggestions! Also, I have some 5/4 bamboo yarns. Can I pair this up with a cotton yarn for shadow weave? Has anyone tried this? Or is the answer simply sample, sample, sample. :)

 

Comments

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 01:02

sally orgren

And what kind of 16/2 cotton? Mercerized, unmercerized, homestead?

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 01:08

sandra.eberhar…

In my experience, cotton doesn't have very much drape unless it is very fine.  You can get an idea of how different fibers will drape by going to a fabric store.  Cottons tend to be stiffer unless very fine (lawn).  Rayons are more flexible with better drape.  The bamboo that you have is a rayon and will drape better, but is fairly large, compared the 16/2 cotton.  Twills do drape better than plain weave.  Sample, Sample, Sample!

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 01:33

Ann A

Sally, It was unmercerized cotton from Yarn Barn and the sett was 36. Would it make a difference with mercerized? Or even Perle Cotton? As I recall, I couldn't find anything other than unmercerized in that yarn size. 

BWSD, Is the 5/4 bamboo too big for a scarf? What if I paired it with a 3/2 cotton. Or should I stick with one fiber?

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 01:36

Joanne Hall

You will probably be happier with the scarf if you press it.  It will make it feel smooth and will improve the hand.

Joanne

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 02:14

laurafry

36 is perhaps a bit firm for that yarn. Try again with fewer ends/picks per inch. Cheers Laura
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 03:33

Ann A

Laura, You make a good point. I adapted the draft from a project for an evening bag without thinking about adjusting the sett for a scarft. There is so much to learn! What sett would you recommend? I still like the idea of using cotton for scarves.

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 04:31

laurafry

I use 32 for twills so 30 or maybe less. You might want to put extra length on your warp and 'sample' a few different densities to find the quality you want for a scarf. Cheers Laura
Mon, 05/05/2014 - 14:15

sally orgren

Unmercerized cotton should have been soft and drapey. I have been using 30 epi for 16/2 unmercerized cotton from Camilla Valley, and that has a nice hand for a dishtowel. Since a scarf won't receive as much wear and tear as a towel, you might consider 24-28 epi, as Laura pointed out.

Shadow weave is lovely with many different yarns. Can this scarf become a table runner, since it is stiffer than planned and would hold up to lots of  washing with the tighter sett?

If you choose to use bamboo, tencel, or chenille, all of those fibers need to be set tighter than you would think. I would search around the projects here at Weavo or in the magazines to get a ball park on sett. Next, I would allow extra warp on your project to assemble a few samples. Cut them off and wet finish them. Measure for take-up and then shrinkage. 

Taking that little bit of time now to sample will save you tons of time in the future when you want to continue to work with these fibers and different structures. (It also makes you a popular member in your guild if you keep good records!)

Mon, 05/05/2014 - 16:52

Ann A

It also gives me ideas of how to sample: weave a bit and then cut it off and see how it finishes. I love this forum! Yes, it looks like this will be a table runner now! :)