Category Archives: Alpaca Scarf Series

Another Nine Days (Shawl No.2)

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It is just another one of those striking coincidences, that the days it took me to warp, weave, finish, and photograph Shawl No.2 is precisely the same number of days as Shawl No.1. Despite my best efforts to relax and enjoy the process, I began to focus on speeding up my technique, spending less time fussing at the selvedges, and worked at a frantic pace , and now my whole body is sore, and my arm feels like it is going to fall out of its socket. Abelene models the shawl in a most regal way and was compassionate and quiet today, although she did tell me what great work the wind did for the photos!

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

I wanted to try big blocks of color this time, decided to weave the full length of the warp, not trying to enforce full repeats, so there is a little strip of gold at the end, giving beautiful asymmetry, and a unique folksy touch.

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, 440 y = 50g, in Lydia (rust red), Zadie (gold), Willoughby (warm light grey), and Arabella (dark green).
  • Loom: Ashford 32″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 472
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 30.5″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: 118 ends each of Lydia, Zadie, Willoughby, and Arabella, approx 7.5″ blocks.
  • Color Pattern Weft: Same sequence as warp, weaving each color in blocks, but ended in a little strip bit of gold for a folksy touch.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 96″ long (not including fringe) and 29″ wide, and weighs 275g — approx 68g of each color.
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 2422y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Nine Days (Shawl No.1)

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Hi, its me Abelene,

Nine days ago the newest member of the crew arrived, the Ashford 32″ Rigid Heddle Loom, and Jen waxed the pieces and put them together.  She then spent seven days weaving an impressively voluminous alpaca shawl. Today, the fringes were hand-twisted, shawl washed and quickly dried in the cold winter breeze, loose ends trimmed and lightly steamed. Finally, the excitement began when Jen brought me out of the closet to model this beautiful piece of weaving . . . the shawl makes me feel sophisticated, moody, and quite elegant with the color rich weaving wrapped around me, like I could live forever in this moment! Jen has got much more alpaca, so there’s hope this winter will find more shawls coming into view.

Ta ta, Abelene & The Crew

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

Note from Jen:  Woven in the same lovely alpaca that I have been for many months now, but the weaving width is double of that in the scarf series, and therefore a full sized shawl, at 29 x 84 inches.  I have a lot of ideas for this loom, and I mustn’t be in a rush, but let the hours and days, weeks and months pass by at their own pace; with the awe of a child and the patience of an old woman. Adding to my collection of rigid heddle looms, was inevitable, it was time for this loom, and I know I’ll weave on it a lot! Now, for the tech stuff . . .

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, 440 y = 50g, in Amos (green), Lydia (rust red), and Zadie (gold).
  • Loom: Ashford 32″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 472
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 30.5″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [52 ends Zadie, 52 Amos, 52 Lydia] x 3
  • Color Pattern Weft: Same sequence as warp, weaving each color in blocks.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 84″ long (not including fringe) and 29″ wide, and weighs 241g — approx 80g of each color.
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 2120y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Auld Lang Syne (Scarf No.15)

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A lot of the time I don’t realize the coincidences at play as I bring something to finish. For instance, the Scottish phrase “Auld Lang Syne” evoking the sentiment of “for old times’ sake” and “days gone by” . . . and my attempt at weaving to mimic an “auld Scottish tartan” design that my dear old friend and I planned the minute I got my first loom a couple of years ago (the very loom on which it is photographed) . Posted yesterday drying on the line, today here it is, fulfilling all those sentiments as it will be draped artfully over the shoulder of an old wingback chair which sits facing an old woodstove, in a very, very old cabin. For old times’ sake indeed, not to mention it is New Year’s Eve — happy 2026 everyone!

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

This weight of alpaca is truly perfect for the rigid heddle looms, using a 15 dent reed, because the drape is spectacular and there is enough room for the alpaca to bloom in the simple plain weave. Oh, and about the missing information in the notes; I wrote everything down on a piece of paper as I was calculating the design, then later lost the piece of paper, so it was accidentally thrown away.

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Carson (dark grey), Alfred (medium grey), Arabella (dark green), Elizabeth (red), and Zadie (gold). 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 20″ Knitters Loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: Not available
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 18.5″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp & Weft: Not available
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 89″ long (not including fringe) and 18″ wide, and weighs 175g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1540y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Drying on the line.

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Heavy and dark with water, drip drying on the line out in the woods. I just finished hand-twisting the fringe and in the setting-wash I decided to add some tea bags with some vinegar to fix. I didn’t really “boil it in” so it would be just a slight effect if anything at all, trying to soften the contrasts some, to make it more like an “auld tartan”. Probably later today this will be completely finished, ends trimmed off, photographed, but instead of folding it up and putting it in the drawer of woven scarves, I will then personally deliver it to its new home. It was with me for about ten days; a blink of existence in the weaver’s life, and I am only grateful I got to weave it and give it to a home that will give it the appreciation it deserves, draped invitingly on a chair in front of a woodstove, in a 100 year old cabin just down the road from me, and which I visit often. Yes, there it will be appreciated a lot, even by me when I visit.

Posting tomorrow, the finished scarf with weaving notes, so watch this space!

Scarf No. 14

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Levi came to visit, and as I was showing him my alpaca scarf series, I could tell that he admired them, and that perhaps he even wanted one, but none of the colors I had woven were appropriate for his blue & grey gentlemen’s style. So, the day before he was to leave I suggested he design one with the alpaca colors I had on hand and that I would weave it for him, and so he did, and by the time he was leaving back to Canada, I had already woven one repeat to show him. Then this last week was a determined effort to getting it done, and now it is finished and ready to send in the post. As usual, my technical weaving notes are listed below.

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Carson (dark grey), Alfred (medium grey), Eleanor (light grey), and Bernard (blue). 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 228
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 14″
  • Selvedges: I added 4 extra ends to each of the selvedges, as they tend to get pulled in, and I used a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: 20 ends each of *Carson, Eleanor, Bernard, Eleanor, Carson, Alfred, Carson, Eleanor, Bernard, Eleanor*, Carson.
  • Color Pattern Weft: Same sequence as for warp *thru*, and ending in Carson.
  • Finished: 2″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 76″ long (not including fringe) and 13.5″ wide, and weighs 118g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1040y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

An Auspicious Autumn (Scarf No. 13)

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Hi, its me Abelene,

Jen did not weave on her scarves at all this summer, and now suddenly another alpaca scarf to show for a very auspicious occasion of the beginning of Autumn. Jen rattled through this scarf in the very last days of summer, having left it on the loom since Spring, while frenzied all summer long with other creative textile pursuits, as designing tweed blends, formulating dye recipes, ikat resist patterning and backstrap warp-faced weaving. We (the crew of inanimate objects) came out of the closet for this finishing event, and Señor Mirando and I have come to the conclusion that Jen has got something up her sleeve, finishing this scarf for the Equinox.

Happy Autumn, from Abelene & The Crew

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

Note from Jen: With this scarf and every scarf I have woven on the 16″ rigid heddle loom, I have been using this simple tensioning tool, and if you would like to see the technical information about it, I give more detail in the post Scarf No.12

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Amos (green), Zadie (deep gold), and Molesley (beige), 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 240
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 15″
  • Selvedges: I did not add extra ends to the selvedges, but did use a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [40 ends Amos, 40 ends Molesley, 40 ends Zadie] x 2
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 82″ long and 14.5″ wide, and weighs 133g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1170y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.
  • Note to self, recipient was Eleanor

Unassailable Spring (Scarf No.12)

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Hi, its me Abelene.

It is finally warming up, and all the insects are on the wing, and while the meadow grass grows higher by the hour, the days are rolling on like an enchanted pastoral scene in the mountains. Jen is weaving pensively through the afternoons, and the crew of inanimate objects and I are having our usual philosophical debates in the closet. All is in an easy and unfettered mood, the mood of warmth and days growing longer at long last, a glorious and unassailable Spring!

As for the alpaca scarf, it appears to be a Freudian Slip of weaving, as these colors turned out completely Autumnal, being Jen’s absolute favorite season, none the less, it is exquisite, even to be woven in Springtime.

Abelene & The Crew

Note from Jen: A few months back I made a discovery that I really want to revisit, for it has developed and I want to make sure to bring it to the fore, so that others may benefit from it. The improvised wooden piece that I came up with in the post Ikat No.1 ; I have developed its use in every weaving since, essentially becoming a loom “breast beam” as well as a fine tensioning tool. I wrote —

“When I was more than halfway through the weaving, and the front cloth beam was getting pretty packed with woven fabric and cardboard I found the cloth beam to have a certain amount of “squish”, the selvedges conforming to the curve of the cloth winding on irregularly, and not really producing a perfectly flat weave. This I assume is one of the things about rigid heddle weaving, the cloth beam builds cloth and as it does the woven cloth distorts in shape, as well as effects the stability of the tension.“

I have found several reasons why this simple fine sanded wood slat board has made a difference:

  • It is a fine-tuning for tension I found in rigid heddle weaving very much needed, as the tension changes in the down and up shed of the reed. The board moved forward (toward the weaving) loosens the tension – and moved back (toward the weaver) tightens it. This fine tuning of the tension allows better weaving , but also so that I can position a temple, or add cardboard warp separators, and a pulling back of the board tightens the tension, which helps open the sheds significantly.
  • It offers the crisp edge of a proper breast beam, such that some rigid heddle looms do not have as part of their simplistic design, Ashford being one of them. This is especially necessary if using a temple to stretch the weave the full width of the rigid reed, also I have found is necessary for a well balance weave with neat and tidy selvedges. Without a temple I find the selvedge warp threads get frayed-to-breaking, as the cloth can narrow and the selvedge threads rub against the reed, and it is a disaster when a warp thread breaks, especially the selvedge warp threads.
  • My tensioning board is 1/4″ thick and 2″ wide, it should be as long as the weaving width of the loom, so that it easily can support a maximum width warp. I will be making one of these for all of the rigid heddle looms I have.

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Dashwood (med brown), Zadie (deep gold), Molesley (beige), and Lydia (brick red). 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 240
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 15″
  • Selvedges: I did not add extra ends to the selvedges, but did use a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [30 ends Dashwood, 30 ends Zadie, 30 ends Molesley, 30 ends Lydia] x 2
  • Pattern Weft: Gold & Red dominant pattern: 2″ squares of [Zadie, Lydia, Dashwood, Zadie, Lydia, Molesley] rep length of warp.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 72″ long and 14.5″ wide, and weighs 120g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1056y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

Inescapable Spring (Scarf No.11)

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Hi, its me Abelene.

The Inescapable Spring is upon us, and breaking through the rain clouds are streaming in colors of the most vibrantly rich tones imaginable, the colors of apricots ripening on the tree, the gold sun kissed fruits soon to ripen to perfection before being plucked and bitten into. Señor Mirando and I think the Inescapable Spring weaving is definitely speaking of apricots. March has come in like a lion, and with cool breezy days full of beautiful weather still blowing through, Jen says she is going to warp another in the alpaca scarf series, because the mood is still on!

Abelene & The Crew

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

Note from Jen: What I love most about this piece is that the colors melt into each other, with low contrast on the grey scale. I want to repeat this , the colors really surprised me in the end, I thought it was going to be too much color, but it all gets toned down in the intersection of the colors. This time I was careful to set the loom up correctly for direct warping, and it was easy, and it was the perfect length. The second alpaca lace-weight I have woven on the 16″ rigid heddle loom, and I just love the balanced plain weave, the sett, the drape, and the light buoyancy to the fabric, I still absolutely am loving weaving this series.

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Zadie (deep gold), Bernice (warm pink to apricot), and Amos (moss green), 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot.
  • Number of warp ends: 240
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 15.5″
  • Selvedges: I did not add extra ends to the selvedges, but did use a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [40 ends Zadie, 40 ends Bernice, 40 ends Amos] x 2
  • Pattern Weft: [2.5″ Zadie, 2.5″ Bernice, 2.5″ Amos] repeated length in sequence.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air-dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 76″ long (not including 3″ fringe) and 15″ wide, and weighs 121g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1065y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.

vernal influences

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Number two in my alpaca scarf series, warped and started to weave the first few color changes, just enough that I could photograph the color sequence before March arrives, and obviously in a colorway that is very typical for springtime. The color choice was difficult for me; I was considering gold and green , gold and apricot (it looks pink, but it is more like apricot), or even green and apricot… but all three together? Possibly too frolicsome and feminine. I mean, where’s the calming and staid neutral in the mix? My reason is that I figured I would never improve as a weaver if I didn’t start getting outside my comfort zone and make bolder choices, and so I did. It is evident there is a vernal influence going on here, as I’ve noticed all the wild plum trees have exploded in blossoms, and the intense fragrance of it all is amazing. Weather is high drama this time of year; one day the bees come out and everything is all abuzz with temperature in the 70’s, and the next day it could snow and bring everything to a frigid halt. I absolutely love March, and the last stretch of winter.

Scarf No.10

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Hi, its me Abelene.

I’m wearing the first finished weave in Jen’s latest series of alpaca scarves; she apparently got a lot of lace-weight alpaca yarn to weave a pile of them, in various colors and patterns, so obviously she’s feeling optimistic for a new adventure. Believe me when I tell you that this weave is so sheer and light and lovely to wear, the alpaca creates a depth of richness that cotton, linen, or even wool, simply cannot, and Jen thinks this is because of the natural luster of the ‘hair’ structure of alpaca, and the color saturation of dyed protein fibers. Hopefully there are still a couple of weeks left of winter in Paris, because that is where this alpaca scarf is heading next, as Jen wants to rush this off to her sister-in-law as soon as she photographs it … on moi!

Ta ta, Abelene

♣   Weaving Notes  ♣

Note from Jen: This time I tried placing pegs around the table, so I didn’t have the warp taking up the whole room, which turned the table into a warping board! I believe I could improvise this way for any amount of warp length within reason. As it was, without having the reference of warping this way before, I accidentally made the warp a little too long … oh well, I’ll do better next time. The very fine lace-weight knitting yarn weaves up into a beautiful light and buoyant draping fabric, I absolutely love it!

  • Yarn: Knit Picks Alpaca Cloud lace weight, in Elizabeth (deep red) and Lydia (brick), 440 y = 50g
  • Loom: Ashford 16″ rigid heddle loom
  • Warping method:  Easy direct warp method for rigid heddle, back to front, double threading from back apron rod through reed, then around pegs on table (a warping board). Wound on to back beam and finally tied off on to front for weaving. Rethreaded to have 1 end in hole and 1 end in slot. I forgot to measure the warp…oops!
  • Number of warp ends: 240
  • Reed: 15 dent rigid heddle reed.
  • Width in reed: 15.5″
  • Selvedges: I did not add extra ends to the selvedges, but did use a temple.
  • Sett after finishing: Warp 16 epi, and weft 16 ppi.
  • Color Pattern Warp: [40 ends red , 40 ends brick] x 3
  • Pattern Weft: 5″ red, 2.5″ of brick, repeated length in sequence.
  • Finished: 3″ hand-twisted fringe, then washed and air dried hanging, and lightly steam pressed. Measures 98″ long and 15″ wide, and weighs 140g. 
  • Yardage:  Total yardage used for finished piece = 1232y, figured from weight of finished piece and not including loom waste.