Damselfly Scarf

Designer Sue Anne Sullivan used a turned honeycomb structure in metallic Lurex yarn and shiny pearl cotton to capture the irregularity and shimmering airiness of the veined cells in damselfly wings. She says that when light shines through this cloth, the effect is magical.

About this Project

Sue Anne considered several methods for capturing the damselfly’s colors and semitransparent wings in handwoven cloth. At first, she considered using a crammed-and-spaced denting technique to create a gauze-like cloth and mimic the wing membranes. Then she played with drafts using a classic honeycomb threading/treadling to achieve cell-like areas. Nothing felt right until she happened across a turned-honeycomb towel project by Kate Lange-McKibben. A little experimenting resulted in a warm-weather scarf that captures the beautiful colors of the damselfly’s body, and the delicate transparency and iridescence of its wings.

Contents

• Project Instructions PDF
• Scarf WIF

Details

Structure
Turned honeycomb.

Equipment
8-shaft loom, 12" weaving width; 8-dent reed; 2 shuttles.

Yarns
Warp: 3/2 pearl cotton (1,260 yd/lb; UKI Supreme), #63 Yale Blue, 134 yd. Astra Glow Metallic (Lurex, 3,000 yd/lb; Huntingdon Yarn Mill), #160 Rainbow, 130 yd; #20 Silver, 85 yd; #80 Blue, 111 yd.
Weft: 3/2 pearl cotton, #63 Yale Blue, 6 yd. Astra Glow Metallic, #160 Rainbow, 435 yd.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 11 ³⁄₈".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 73".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing) 8¾" × 64" plus 4" fringe.

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