Valley Yarns #96 Champagne Celebration Shawl

Valley Yarns Champagne Celebration Shawl

What is Being Made

The Champagne Celebration Shawl is a luxurious woven lace shawl designed by Chris Hammel. This elegant accessory measures 27.25" x 76.5" plus 6" fringe when completed, making it a generous wrap suitable for formal occasions or everyday elegance. The shawl is crafted entirely from silk, a fiber chosen specifically for its exceptional qualities in lace weaving.

Weaving Technique and Structure

This project employs huck lace weaving, a sophisticated lace-weaving technique that creates openwork patterns through the strategic manipulation of warp and weft threads. The Champagne Celebration Shawl uses a 6-block, 8-shaft huck lace weave structure, requiring an 8-shaft loom at least 36" wide to execute properly. The complexity of this weave structure creates the delicate, open lacework characteristic of fine shawls.

The weaving process involves careful warp preparation and precise threading. The shawl requires a 4-yard warp consisting of 765 ends, set at 25 ends per inch (epi) in a 10-dent reed. The threading pattern includes mirrored sleying at the selvedges for balanced, professional edges. The finished width in the reed measures 30.6".

Materials and Specifications

The Champagne Celebration Shawl is woven entirely from Valley Yarns 20/2 Silk, a premium 100% silk yarn available on 8.8 oz cones with a yardage of 4,900 yards per pound. The yarn is dyed in shade #603 Beige, a neutral tone that complements the luminous quality of silk fiber.

• Warp requirement: 3,070 yards of Valley Yarns 20/2 Silk
• Weft requirement: 1,770 yards of Valley Yarns 20/2 Silk
• Total yarn needed: Approximately 4,840 yards

Equipment and Supplies

Successful completion of the Champagne Celebration Shawl requires specific weaving equipment and accessories:

• 8-shaft loom, minimum 36" width
• 1 shuttle for weft insertion
• 1 bobbin for weft preparation
• 10-dent reed for proper yarn sett
• Fishing line (6 or 8 pound test) for reinforced selvedges to reduce edge abrasion
• Medium-weight nuts (approximately 1 oz. each) with elastic bands and barrel hitches for warp tension management

Designer Notes on Silk and Technique

Designer Chris Hammel emphasizes the exceptional qualities of silk fiber in lace weaving. The project narrative reflects the designer's personal connection to sericulture—the cultivation of silkworms—highlighting how few fibers compare to silk when creating delicate lace structures. This context underscores why Valley Yarns 20/2 Silk is the ideal choice for this shawl design.

The pattern includes specific guidance for achieving beautiful selvedges, a hallmark of professional weaving. Techniques include weighting the outermost warp ends with nuts to maintain consistent tension, adding reinforcing fishing line to minimize edge abrasion, and adjusting selvedge sleying to counteract draw-in if needed. These refinements ensure a finished shawl with polished, professional edges.

Format

The Champagne Celebration Shawl pattern is provided as a downloadable PDF document, making it accessible for weavers to reference at their looms or print for detailed study.