Trio of Woven Scarves
Our Trio Of Woven Scarves takes you past plain and simple plain weave into surprising textures, lovely patterns, and natural beauty. Seems that good things do come in threes!
Very simple techniques transform these woven fabrics into tactile scarves full of visual interest. One uses a stripe in the warp and the other two employ “floats,” which you make by threading a pick-up stick into the warp and turning it on its edge to raise and lower selected threads… Super easy!
We whipped up our Trio of Woven Scarves on our favorite little loom: the tabletop Cricket Loom, made by Schacht Spindle Company. Big on quality and small in size, this compact rigid-heddle loom is ideal for beginners, weavers on-the-go, and old hats, too!
For really lightweight three-season scarves, we used combinations of our Linen Quill and Field Linen yarns. We love the down-to-earth beauty of the fabric they create, as well as this bread-y palette of warm hues.
To get all the yarn you need to complete all three designs, you’ll need just two skeins of Linen Quill and six skeins of our Field Linen, then weave up your set to build your signature look, or give one or two to some very deserving friends!
Designed for Purl Soho by Carrie Laing.
MATERIALS
To weave your own Trio Of Woven Scarves, the following materials include enough yarn to make all three scarves in the set…
- 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen
- 1 skein of Wheat Flour
- 1 skein of Honey Pink
- 6 skeins of Purl Soho’s Field Linen, 100% linen
- 2 skeins of Wheat Berry
- 4 skeins of Queen Anne’s Lace
You’ll also need…
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch Cricket Loom
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch, 12-dent Cricket Reed
- 2 of Schacht Spindle Co’s Cricket Pick Up Sticks, 15-inch
NOTE: The materials you’ll need to make each scarf individually are listed at the top of each scarf’s pattern, below.
NOTE
USING THE CRICKET LOOM
Cricket Looms come with a very user-friendly instructional booklet that walks you through every step of the weaving process, from assembling the loom to tying the fringe. For even more guidance, check out our Cricket Loom Tips.
PLAIN WEAVE SCARF
MATERIALS
- Warp Yarn A: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. We used Wheat Flour.
- Warp Yarn B + Weft Yarn: 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Field Linen, 100% linen. We used Queen Anne’s Lace.
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch Cricket Loom
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch, 12-dent Cricket Reed
STRUCTURE
Plain Weave
WARP
Warp Length: 96 inches
Warp Ends: 174
Width in Reed: 14 inches
Ends Per Inch (E.P.I.): 13, unblocked/ 14, blocked
Picks Per Inch (P.P.I.): 12, unblocked/ 13, blocked
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 141/4 x 69 inches unblocked/ 133/4 x 68 inches, blocked
PATTERN
Warp the Loom
Set up the warping peg 96 inches from the back of the loom. Note that, at this point, the back of the loom is clamped to the far edge of the table and so is the side farther away from the warping peg.
With a 12-dent reed in place and using Warp Yarn A, begin threading the heddle by pulling the first loop of yarn through the 2nd slat from the right end of the reed.
Working from right to left, thread Warp Yarn A through the next 6 slats. Cut yarn and tie it to the back apron bar. [7 slats total]
*Tie Warp Yarn B to the back apron bar and thread it through the next slat in the reed. Cut yarn and tie it to the back apron bar. [1 slat total]
Tie Warp Yarn A to the back apron bar and thread it through the next 7 slats in the reed. Cut yarn and tie it to the back apron bar.
Repeat from * until you reach the 2nd slat from the left, ending with 7 slats of Warp Yarn B. [87 slats total and 174 warp ends total]
Weave
Wind both of the shuttles with the Weft Yarn.
With scrap yarn, or using the Weft Yarn doubled, weave a couple of inches until the warp threads are evenly spread out.
Beginning with the reed in the up position, pass the shuttle with Weft Yarn through the shed from right to left, leaving a 36-inch tail, which you will use at the end for finishing.
Continuing with the Weft Yarn, weave in plain weave until piece measures approximately 70 inches from beginning, beating each weft twice (linen is a bit slippery and may require two light beats for it to stay in place).
Leave a 36-inch tail of weft yarn for finishing.
Finish
For a complete how-to on this step, visit our Finishing with Hemstitch Tutorial.
Use the 36-inch tails to finish each end of the scarf with a hemstitch.
Make the hemstitch around groups of 6 warp ends across the width of the scarf.
Cut the fringe 1 inch from the end of the weaving.
Weave in the hemstitch tails and gently hand wash your finished scarf in cold water, laying it flat to dry.
WEFT FLOATS SCARF
MATERIALS
- Warp Yarn: 1 skein of Purl Soho’s Linen Quill, 50% fine highland wool, 35% alpaca, and 15% linen. We used Honey Pink.
- Weft Yarn: 2 skeins of Purl Soho’s Field Linen, 100% linen. We used in Wheat Berry.
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch Cricket Loom
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch, 12-dent Cricket Reed
- 2 of Schacht Spindle Co’s Cricket Pick Up Sticks, 15-inch
STRUCTURE
Plain Weave With Weft Floats
WARP
Warp Length: 94 inches
Warp Ends: 164
Width in Reed: 13 inches
Ends Per Inch (E.P.I.): 121/2, unblocked
Picks Per Inch (P.P.I.): 121/2, unblocked
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 12 3/4 x 68 inches, blocked
NOTES
Set Up Pick Up Sticks
NOTE: For visuals of how to set up and use pick up sticks, check out our original Weft Floats Scarf Pattern. The specifics are not exactly the same but the general idea is!
For this scarf you will be using two pick up sticks to create a diamond like pattern with weft floats. Here’s how to set up the sticks…
Place the reed in the down position. Weave the pick up sticks into the warp threads behind the reed from right to left in the following pattern…
Pick Up Stick A (next to the reed): *Under 4 threads, over 2 threads, repeat from * to last 2 warp threads, bring stick under 2 remaining threads.
Pick Up Stick B (behind Pick Up Stick A): Under 1 thread, *over 2 threads, under 4 threads, repeat from * to last 7 warp threads, bring stick over 2 threads, then under 5.
Turn Pick Up Sticks
When the pattern says to turn the pick up stick, put the reed in the neutral position and flip the pick up stick onto its thin side, lifting certain warp threads and creating a different shed than the reed does.
PATTERN
Warp the Loom
Set up the warping peg 94 inches from the back of the loom. Note that, at this point, the back of the loom is clamped to the far edge of the table and so is the side farther away from the warping peg.
With a 12-dent reed in place and using the Warp Yarn, begin threading the heddle by pulling the first loop of yarn through the 2nd slat from the right end of the reed.
Working from right to left, thread the Warp Yarn through the next 81 slats, ending at the 3rd slat from the left. Cut yarn and tie it to the back of the apron bar. [82 slats total and 164 warp ends total]
Weave
Wind both of the shuttles with the Weft Yarn.
With scrap yarn, or using the Weft Yarn doubled, weave a couple of inches until the warp threads are evenly spread out.
Set up pick up sticks (see Notes, above).
Beginning with the reed in the up position, pass the shuttle with Weft Yarn through the shed from right to left, leaving a 36-inch tail, which you will use at the end for finishing.
Weave 12 rows of plain weave, ending with a row of passing the shuttle from left to right.
Weave Floats
Row 1: With reed in up position, weave one row.
Row 2: With reed in neutral position, turn Pick Up Stick A (see Notes, above), and weave one row.
Rows 3 and 4: Repeat Rows 1 and 2.
Row 5: Repeat Row 1.
Row 6: With reed in down position, weave one row.
Remove Pick Up Stick A, and now using Pick Up Stick B, repeat Rows 1-6 one time. NOTE: When using Pick Up Stick B on rows 3 and 5 (passing the shuttle from right to left), be sure to begin the row by going over the first warp thread and then back down into the shed. This ensures that that first warp thread gets incorporated into the weaving.
Re-insert Pick Up Stick A, the same way as before (behind the reed and in front of Pick Up Stick B).
Using Pick Up Stick A, repeat Rows 1-6.
Continue
Leaving both pick up sticks in place, weave 12 rows of plain weave, starting by passing the shuttle from right to left.
Repeat the Weave Floats section followed by the 12 rows of plain weave until the piece measures approximately 70 inches from the beginning, ending with 12 rows of plain weave.
Leave a 36-inch tail of weft yarn for finishing.
Finish
For a complete how-to on this step, visit our Finishing with Hemstitch Tutorial.
Use the 36-inch tails to finish each end of the scarf with a hemstitch.
Make the hemstitch around groups of 6 warp ends across the width of the scarf, evenly spacing out 4 groups of 7 warp threads across the width of the scarf.
Cut the fringe 1 inch from the end of the weaving.
Weave in the hemstitch tails and gently hand wash your finished scarf in cold water, laying it flat to dry.
WARP + WEFT FLOATS SCARF
MATERIALS
- Warp + Weft Yarn: 3 skeins of Purl Soho’s Field Linen, 100% linen. We used Queen Anne’s Lace.
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch Cricket Loom
- Schacht Spindle Co’s 15-inch, 12-dent Cricket Reed
- 1 of Schacht Spindle Co’s Cricket Pick Up Sticks, 15-inch
STRUCTURE
Plain Weave With Warp And Weft Floats
Warp
Warp Length: 96 inches
Warp Ends: 172
Width in Reed: 133/4 inches
Ends Per Inch (E.P.I.): 13, unblocked/ 15, blocked
Picks Per Inch (P.P.I.): 9, unblocked/ 10, blocked
SIZE
Finished Dimensions: 133/4 x 70 inches unblocked/ 13 x 68 inches, blocked
NOTES
Set Up Pick Up Stick
NOTE: For visuals of how to set up and use pick up sticks, check out our Weft Floats Scarf Pattern. The specifics are not exactly the same but the general idea is!
For this pattern you will be using a pick up stick to create both the warp and weft floats. Here’s how to set up the stick…
Place the reed in the down position. Weave the pick up stick into the warp threads behind the reed from right to left in the following pattern:
*Under 1 thread, over 1 thread, repeat from * to end of threads.
Turn Pick Up Stick
When the pattern says to turn the pick up stick, put the reed in the neutral position and flip the pick up stick onto its thin side, lifting certain warp threads and creating a different shed than the reed does.
Slide Pick Up Stick
When the pattern says to slide the pick up stick, put the reed in the up position and pull the pick up stick up against the reed without flipping it on its side. This creates warp floats by raising different threads than if the reed was simply in the up position.
PATTERN
Warp the Loom
Set up the warping peg 96 inches from the back of the loom. Note that, at this point, the back of the loom is clamped to the far edge of the table and so is the side farther away from the warping peg.
With a 12-dent reed in place and using the Warp Yarn, begin threading the heddle by pulling the first loop of yarn through the 2nd slat from the right end of the reed.
Working from right to left, thread the Warp Yarn through the next 85 slats, ending at the 3rd slat from the left. Cut yarn and tie it to the back of the apron bar. [86 slats total and 172 warp ends total]
Weave
Wind both of the shuttles with the Weft Yarn.
With scrap yarn, or using the Weft Yarn doubled, weave a couple of inches until the warp threads are evenly spread out.
Beginning with the reed in the up position, pass the shuttle with Weft Yarn through the shed from right to left, leaving a 36-inch tail, which you will use at the end for finishing.
Weave 15 rows of plain weave, ending by passing the shuttle from left to right.
Weave Floats
Row 1: With reed in up position, weave one row, passing the shuttle from right to left.
Row 2: With reed in down position, weave one row, passing the shuttle from left to right
Row 3: With reed in up position, slide pick up stick (see Notes, above) and weave one row.
Row 4: Repeat Row 2.
Row 5: Repeat Row 1.
Row 6: With reed in neutral position, turn pick up stick (see Notes, above), and weave one row.
Repeat Rows 1-6 until piece measures approximately 69 inches.
Weave 15 rows of plain weave.
Leave a 36-inch tail of weft yarn for finishing.
Finish
For a complete how-to on this step, visit our Finishing with Hemstitch Tutorial.
Use the 36-inch tails to finish each end of the scarf with a hemstitch.
Make the hemstitch around groups of 6 warp ends across the width of the scarf, evenly spacing out 4 groups of 7 warp threads across the width of the scarf.
Cut the fringe 1 inch from the end of the weaving.
Weave in the hemstitch tails and gently hand wash your finished scarf in cold water, laying it flat to dry.
In the warping instructions for each scarf you say to thread the slots without mentioning threading the eyes. Weavers might need this instruction be included.
Hi I’m a new weaver and am trying out the warp and weft floats scarf. I seem to have trouble doing the floats (never did this before) as when I follow the instructions, the outermost warp thread is not included in the weave. Is this normal?
Hello Stefanie,
Thank you for reaching out- I hope I can help! I just have a couple of follow up questions. Are both the outermost warp threads not included? When you say not included do you mean they are not being woven at all and just hanging out on either end?
I look forward to your reply!
Warmly,
Marilla
Hello, I’m new to weaving and wondered how I could adjust the weft floats scarf to an 8-dent heddle. Can I follow the same instructions but just expect a looser weave in the end product?
Thanks!
Hello Angela,
Thank you for reaching out! You are correct, you will get a much looser weave if you weave the Weft Floats on an 8-dent. The only thing about this is that it will be a bit more challenging to maintain consistent tension.
I hope this helps and let us know if you have any further questions!
-Marilla
Lovely scarves!
In the warping instructions for each scarf you say to thread the slots without mentioning threading the “eyes” or “holes”. Weavers might need this instruction be included. Since you are cutting the yarn, how do you thread the “eyes” or “holes”. Do you thread the slots and then the “eyes” and then cut the thread? Thank you.
Hello Victoria,
Thank you for reaching out and giving us this great suggestion! It is true that the warping instructions do not go into much detail, primarily because all the scarves on our site are warped the same way. Detailed instructions on warping your loom are included with your cricket loom. There are also lots of video tutorials to be found online.
I hope this helps and let us know how it goes!
-Marilla
I agree with Victoria, the instructions don’t have Purl Soho’s usual thoroughness. Cut yarn and tie to beam? Please. That is just cutting corners, and very confusing. All each pattern needs is something like “cut yarn and continue warping process as normal”. I’m not a beginner, but for a minute I thought perhaps this was some new way of weaving…
Hello Francesca,
Thank you for writing and giving us your feedback! It is always so helpful for us to hear our customers experience with our patterns and I will pass your concerns along!
Happy weaving!
-Marilla
Want to make the warp and weft floats as a wedding gift. Would Mineral Silk work?
Hi Jessica,
Thanks for reaching out! Mineral Silk is quite a bit thinner than either Field Linen, so it’s hard to say how it would turn out. Thinner yarns used on a larger dent reed will result in a gauzey lightweight fabric, so I would recommend weaving a sample first to make sure you will be happy with the scarf!
Best,
Julianna
Hi Jessica,
I am looking for a beginner weave project and am IN LOVE with these stunning scarves – I love how light, airy and summery they look. For someone like me who’s never even attempted weaving and looking for a very first project to start with, would this be a good beginner weave project? Or is this considered more along the lines of intermediate or advanced?
Appreciate your help!
Vanessa
Hi Vanessa,
Thanks so much for reaching out! Of the Trio of Woven Scarves, the Plain Weave Scarf would be the simplest. We don’t really rate our patterns by level of difficulty – so often just wanting to make something can spur people to try something new, and learn new skills from it! You can also look at all of our free weaving patterns here:
Hope this helps – happy crafting!
Cassandra
hi , I am wondering if I could use the bamboo yarn Burnish for weaving a shawl ?
what would be the set ? the wpi ?
and how much would I need for a shawl like the ones above ?
the colors are beautiful I would want 2 colors at least .
thank you !
Hi Lidwine,
Thanks for writing in! We haven’t tried it ourselves, but you could certainly weave with Burnish! It is a fairly slippery yarn, however, which could make it difficult to tension, so if you’re a beginner, you might want to wait until you have a few more projects under your belt before trying it. You will have to do a bit of testing and weave a sample to determine the set and WPI, but I would recommend trying a 10 or 12 dent reed!
I hope that helps!
Julianna
Hi, I’m a newbie to weaving(anything crafty, really)and I’m attempting the Plain Weave Scarf. What a nightmare! I had heard Mohair stuck to itself but this Linen Quill is horrible. I mean it’s pretty and feels nice, but to weave it …..every time I move the reed I have to pick the threads apart. So annoying. Then there’s the tension, my true problem. Direct warping I did the Quill as I had done 100% wool. I didn’t stretch the Linen tight knowing the Quill would stretch. But apparently I’ve done something wrong. I wove about 15 inches and the tension was looser and looser. tightening the roller makes the Linen tight but the Quill doesn’t get tight enough. Then some of the yarn was looser than other. I decided to roll it to the end and tighten it there individually. Back to weaving it’s still happening. The “hole”Linen will be tight in the one shed but the “slot”one loose. Or the Linen is tight and the Quill is loose. I’ve got my warping pegs stuck all in the roller to tighten places but it’s not really any good. I tried spraying water on it to see if it would separate easier. Nope. Not enough water? If the tension was right, would that help the stickiness? I really want to make the scarf. I like the way the part I’ve made looks. So now that I’ve vented all that, any advice? Short of ripping it out and throwing it away? I really want to make this scarf but I don’t know what to do! Please help! Thank you in advance suggestions.
Sorry. Didn’t mean to write a book!
Hi Suzanne,
Thanks for reaching out, and I’m so sorry to hear how much you are struggling with this scarf! I consulted with our resident weaving expert, and we think your tension was probably uneven during the warping process. Combining two yarns in the warp can be extra tricky, especially when the character of the two yarns is so different! At this point, you could try putting as much tension on the warp as possible to see if you can get the Linen Quill threads tight enough. Field Linen is very strong, so it should hold up through quite a bit of tightening! If you still can’t get the Linen Quill threads tight enough, however, it’s probably time to take it off and start again.
If you end up redoing the warp, I would recommend holding it on the tighter side while you are winding it onto the warp beam, and pausing frequently to smooth out all the threads and make sure everything is winding on at an even tension and that there aren’t any loose threads. We haven’t experienced or received any reports of difficulties with Linen Quill sticking to itself in the warp, so I’m hopeful that if it’s on the loom at the proper tension, the heddle should keep all the warp threads separate and solve this issue as well. I have heard of using a light mist of water on 100% linen warps, but I would not recommend this for Linen Quill, as the wool and alpaca content can felt when exposed to moisture and friction, which would make the stickiness worse.
I hope that helps, and please let us know if you have any other questions!
Julianna
Thank you so much Juliana!
I really appreciate all the help and I’m not giving up! I thought my problem was tension but going back didn’t fix it. So short of un-weaving what I have and taking it all off to start over, I’ll have to deal with it. You’d probably laugh to see how I have it rigged to even out my tension. Wish I could send you a picture! Only 55 inches to go!
I am going to do the same scarf again so I’ll know much better how to deal with the two different yarns.
Suzanne
Hello.
I am struggling with the weft floats pattern. My floats are horizontal – not vertical as the photo implies. It is turning out more like the other weft floats pattern using the Season Alpaca. Am I missing something?
Hi Karrie,
Thanks for reaching out! You can send some photos of your work to our team at [email protected] and they can trouble shoot what may be happening further from there!
All the best,
Gianna
If you look at the fourth picture from the top, you will see the back of the cloth. This is the side with the weft floats, and it is the side you see while you are weaving. If you take a look underneath your loom, you will see the vertical lines shown in the photos.
Do you think that Linen Quill in Kiln Red and Field Linen in Warm Copper would look nice together for the weft floats scarf?
Hi Margaret,
I love that combination and I think the Kiln Red and Warm Copper would look lovely together! The shades are very complementary, and the sheen from the Field Linen would give you some wonderful depth in the finished scarf! When you’re done, we’d love to see photos of your scarf; if you’re on Instagram, you can use the hashtags #purlsoho and #purlsohobusyhands to share with our whole crafting community!
All the best,
Kelsey
I bought the Schacht rigid heddle from you in December….and then life as a cross country move, an Airdale Terrier puppy….plus an earnest invitation to take up residence with a son and his family….
What about weaving these only in field linen? We are currently dwelling in muggy Tennessee, and I am wondering about the wool content in Linen Quill.
Hi Elizabeth,
Thank you so much for writing in! It sounds like you have had your hands full! Congratulations on your big move and your new puppy!
While Linen Quill is one of the most lovely yarns to weave with, I can understand how the thought of weaving and wearing wool in muggy weather is unappealing! These scarves can absolutely be woven using only Field Linen, or if you wanted your project to incorporate different yarn textures, we have a few alternatives that are more weather appropriate even on the muggiest of days!
First, I would recommend checking out Cattail Silk. This beautiful yarn is spun from 100% Silk and is lovely to weave with! The drape and texture of Cattail Silk would be perfect for any spring accessory. It has even been featured in our Watercolor Scarf project!
Santolina, made of 70% organically grown cotton, 20% rayon from bamboo, and 10% hemp would also be a good substitute for Linen Quill. It’s light, soft, and it’s plant fiber content gives it a subtle shine that would look and feel excellent with Field Linen.
I hope these recommendations help! Please feel free to reach out with any other questions!
All the best,
Carly