Valley Yarns #215 Playing with Fire Scarf

Valley Yarns Playing with Fire Scarf

What is Being Made

The Playing with Fire Scarf is a woven accessory measuring 6.5 inches wide by 73.5 inches long (excluding fringe). This scarf is designed as a comprehensive sampling project that explores the visual possibilities of Deflected Double Weave structure when created without shrinkable yarns. The finished piece features three distinct woven designs: two border designs and a center design, creating a sophisticated striped composition.

Weave Structure and Techniques

Primary Technique: Deflected Double Weave (DDW) is the foundation of this scarf design. This advanced weaving structure creates dimensional, textured fabric by deflecting threads in specific patterns across the loom. The designer, Joanne Wood Peters, experimented with how Deflected Double Weave appears when woven entirely in non-shrinkable yarn, departing from traditional DDW applications that often utilize shrinkable materials for dimensional effects.

The scarf incorporates striped patterning throughout, achieved by the strategic arrangement of colored warp yarns and the consistent use of black weft. The color order in the warp alternates between Ruby, Fuchsia, and Burnt Orange sections with Black accents, creating visual interest through both color blocking and the structural variations of the DDW technique.

Plain weave is used as a foundational element, particularly in the preparation phase where several picks of plain weave with scrap yarn separate the warp before the main weaving begins. This plain weave section becomes part of the fringe area.

Equipment and Specifications

This project requires an 8-shaft loom with a minimum width of 10 inches. The loom is dressed with 210 ends at a sett of 27 ends per inch (epi), set in a 12-dent reed using a 2-2-2-3 threading pattern. The finished weaving width in the reed is 7.8 inches. A single shuttle and bobbin are needed for weaving.

Materials and Yarn Specifications

Yarn Type: Valley Yarns 8/2 Tencel, composed of 100% Lyocell fiber. This yarn is sold in approximately 1-pound cones with a yardage of 3360 yards per pound, providing excellent drape and a smooth, lustrous finish characteristic of Tencel fiber.

Warp Yarns Required:

• Ruby: 347 yards
• Burnt Orange: 200 yards
• Fuchsia: 134 yards
• Black: 20 yards

Weft Yarn Required:

• Black: 515 yards

The total warp length is 3⅓ yards of 210 ends, which includes 2 floating selvedges for finished edges. Approximately 8 inches of warp is reserved for fringe after the scrap yarn separation area.

Heddle Distribution

The 8-shaft loom threading requires the following heddle counts per shaft:

• Shaft 1: 34 heddles
• Shaft 2: 34 heddles
• Shaft 3: 20 heddles
• Shaft 4: 20 heddles
• Shaft 5: 20 heddles
• Shaft 6: 20 heddles
• Shaft 7: 30 heddles
• Shaft 8: 30 heddles

Finishing Details

The scarf is finished with fringe created from the warp ties and the scrap yarn separation area. Spacers may be added during loom dressing to ensure adequate warp length for fringe development, targeting approximately 8 inches of fringe material.

This project serves as an excellent educational piece for weavers interested in exploring advanced weave structures and understanding how material choices affect the visual outcome of Deflected Double Weave techniques.