Valley Yarns #214 La Neige Scarf

Valley Yarns La Neige Scarf: Woven Alpaca Silk and Merino Lace Scarf

What Is Being Made

The La Neige Scarf is a lightweight yet warm woven scarf designed by Anita Thompson, created in neutral gray tones suitable for any wearer. The finished scarf measures 73 inches long by 10 1/8 inches wide, making it an elegant accessory that balances lofty texture with practical wearability. The design combines luxurious fibers and an open lace structure to achieve both visual interest and comfortable warmth.

Weaving Technique and Structure

This scarf is woven using the Bronson lace weave structure, a classic technique that creates an open, airy pattern while maintaining fabric integrity. Bronson lace is known for producing a springy, lofty feel that makes the scarf feel lighter than its warmth would suggest. The pattern is described as easy to weave, making it accessible to weavers with basic loom experience.

The weaving process requires a 4-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 14 inches. The warp consists of 237 ends arranged over a 3-yard length and is threaded according to a specific threading draft that distributes the heddles across four shafts: 118 heddles on shaft 1, 32 on shaft 2, 42 on shaft 3, and 45 on shaft 4. The warp is spaced at 20 ends per inch using a 10-dent reed with 2 threads per dent, resulting in a width in the reed of 11.85 inches.

Striping Technique

The scarf features a striped color arrangement in the warp that creates visual depth and interest. The warp color order alternates between Light Gray and Dark Gray sections, with the pattern repeating in specific intervals: five sections of 25 ends each alternate with single sections of 7 ends, creating a balanced striped effect across the width of the scarf.

Weaving Process and Picks Per Inch

Weaving begins with plain weave using shafts 1 and 2, with several picks of scrap yarn thrown to spread and settle the warp before beginning the main pattern. The weft is beaten gently to achieve 20 picks per inch, with emphasis on pressing picks into place rather than beating firmly—a critical consideration for lace weaves that can easily become too dense. Two bobbins are wound, one with each weft color, and care is taken to wind yarn loosely onto bobbins to avoid unwanted stretching.

Materials and Yarns

Warp Yarn: Valley Yarns 2/14 Alpaca Silk, a blend of 80% alpaca and 20% silk with yardage of 3472 yards per pound. The warp requires 468 yards of Light Gray (color 468) and 243 yards of Dark Grey, drawn from 1736-yard cones.

Weft Yarn: Lana Grossa Cool Wool Lace, 100% Merino wool with 437 yards per 50-gram ball. The project uses 516 yards of #27 Silvery Grey and 30 yards of #26 Grey for weft color variation.

The combination of alpaca and silk in the warp creates a smooth, lustrous foundation, while the springy Merino wool weft adds elasticity and warmth. This fiber pairing produces a scarf that is both luxurious to the touch and practical for everyday wear.

Equipment Requirements

• 4-shaft loom with minimum 14-inch weaving width
• 1 shuttle
• 2 bobbins for weft
• 10-dent reed
• Heddles for threading (total 237 across four shafts)