My Very First Woven Scarf

Jean lit a fire under me, figuratively speaking. She was my host in Sarasota. When I first arrived, she showed me all sorts of fibery things in her extensive studio. One thing that really sparked my interest was a series of scarves that she’d woven from bits and pieces of wild and crazy handspun yarns. She then showed me the loom she used for weaving these scarves: an Ashford “Knitters Loom”. I must say it was the first time I had a serious urge to do some weaving (other than my previously mentioned inkle weaving). It seemed a wonderful way to use small amounts of handspun.

And I have plenty of small amounts of handspun yarns! Currently, they’re just “maturing” in a couple bins.

Over the course of the weekend, I praised Jean for waking me up to the possibilities of such small loom weaving. I told her I would, no doubt, get one of those looms and start making some very cool scarves.

Well! As I was packing my suitcase to leave, Jean came into my room with a canvas bag with “Ashford Wheels and Looms” printed on the outside. She laid the bag on top of my suitcase and said, “Oh good. It’ll fit.” Puzzled at first, I asked what it was. And she told me: she was giving me an Ashford Knitters Loom. Can you believe it!!?? I am so thankful to Jean. And so incredibly excited to start learning a new fiber craft.

I got home from that trip on Sunday. And on Tuesday, I wove my very first scarf. To keep my first attempt on the simple side, I selected two mill spun yarns from my stash: DK weight merino wool singles. One was a solid color, the other a variegated yarn. I used the variegated for the warp and the solid for weft.

Here’s the scarf on the loom.


And here’s the scarf finished, washed, and dried.


I think I’ll make another scarf today….