Valley Yarns #226 Stairway to Heaven Ruana

Valley Yarns Stairway to Heaven Ruana

What is Being Made

The Stairway to Heaven Ruana is a woven shoulder wrap designed by Mary M. Jones and distributed by Valley Yarns. This garment is a draped cape-style piece measuring 32.5 inches wide by 39 inches long, sized to fit most wearers. The ruana is constructed as a single woven cloth specifically engineered for elegant draping around the shoulders, making it a versatile layering piece suitable for various occasions and seasons.

Weaving Structure and Techniques

This ruana is woven using a tied summer and winter structure, a traditional weaving technique that creates dimensional fabric through the strategic interlocking of warp and weft threads. The design employs striped patterning created through the interplay of different yarn weights and colors in both the warp and weft directions. The tied summer and winter technique allows weavers to produce reversible, textured cloth with excellent draping qualities—ideal for a garment meant to flow gracefully when worn.

The inspiration for this draft emerged from a workshop on turning drafts at the Hartford Artisans Weaving Center, where designer Mary M. Jones experimented with combining threads of different thicknesses within the tied summer and winter structure. The successful sampling of mixed Tencel and Merino Tencel blend yarns led to the final design, which produces a cloth with superior draping characteristics.

Weaving Equipment and Setup

The Stairway to Heaven Ruana requires an 8-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 20 inches. The project uses two shuttles and two bobbins to manage the different weft yarns, along with spacers to maintain consistent spacing during the weaving process. The warp is threaded according to a specific threading draft, centered for a 19-inch weaving width, and dressed using a 4-yard warp consisting of 380 ends.

Warp Specifications

The warp is entirely composed of Valley Yarns 8/2 Tencel in the Hummingbird colorway. This yarn is 100% Lyocell fiber, a sustainable cellulose-based material known for its lustrous appearance and fluid drape. The 8/2 Tencel is sold on approximately 1-pound cones at 3,360 yards per pound. For this project, 1,520 yards of Hummingbird warp yarn are required.

The warp is set at 20 epi (ends per inch), achieved by threading 2 ends per dent in a 10-dent reed. The total warp length measures 4 yards and includes 2 floating selvedges for finished edges. The width in the reed is 19 inches, which finishes to the garment's final width of 32.5 inches.

Weft Specifications and Striping

The weft yarns create the striped visual interest and textural variation in the finished cloth through the use of two distinct yarns:

• Valley Yarns 2/10 Merino Tencel (Colrain Lace) in Lilac: This yarn is a 50/50 blend of Merino wool and Tencel, sold on 8.8-ounce cones containing 1,540 yards per cone at 2,800 yards per pound. The project uses 948 yards of this yarn, which is woven at 22 picks per inch (ppi).
• Valley Yarns 8/2 Tencel in Silver Gray: This pure Lyocell yarn matches the warp fiber content and is woven at 10 picks per inch, using 477 yards total.

The combined weft density totals 32 ppi (picks per inch), with the heavier Merino Tencel blend creating denser areas and the lighter 8/2 Tencel creating more open sections. This variation in weft density and yarn weight produces the striped effect while maintaining the structural integrity of the tied summer and winter weave.

Materials Summary

The Stairway to Heaven Ruana showcases the beautiful interaction between pure Tencel and a Merino Tencel blend. The warp's consistent Hummingbird Tencel provides a smooth, lustrous foundation, while the alternating weft of Lilac Merino Tencel and Silver Gray Tencel creates visual striping and textural depth. The combination of these fibers—Lyocell's fluid drape with Merino's warmth and elasticity—produces a cloth with exceptional wearing qualities and elegant movement, perfectly suited to a garment designed for graceful shoulder draping.