Lightweight Cotton Scarves

Photo of hand dyed blue and natural cotton fabric on weaving loom
Hand Dyed Cotton, blue and natural, tied resist. Hand dyed and handwoven by Joanne Littler, Pine Ledge Fiber Studio

This is one of my favorite fabrics.  It’s 100% cotton and hand dyed to create a random plaid effect.   And it’s fun to weave because the pattern is so irregular.  Areas of color and no-color seem to appear out of nowhere with each pass of the shuttle.

Finished  dimensions:  78″ x 13  1/2 “.   What I would call a wide scarf.  It works well as a pulled-through-the-loop neck piece and equally well as a narrow shawl.

The same lightweight cotton yarn is also quite beautiful in its natural, un-dyed state.   Against the dark background you can see the thick and thin threads crossing each other –  creating pattern in this plain weave fabric.

Photo of woven fabric, natural cotton, with slub yarn creating plaid effect.
Pattern created by the yarn itself, 100% cotton, woven by Joanne Littler, Pine Ledge Fiber Studio.

I’ve woven two of these  natural color pieces to sample for length.  One will remain as-is and the other I plan to dye.

Joanne, Pine Ledge Fiber Studio

Show and Tell

So why does it matter?  Why bother showing people how fibers turn into yarn and yarn turns into fabric?

My favorite wheel - the Ashford Traditional

My answer?  Because it’s magic.

If you don’t believe me, look around the next time a crowd gathers to watch a spinner.

Check out their faces.

Here’s what I see:  Intrigued.  Entranced.  Mesmerized.  Enthralled.

How amazing that such a simple tool can create an atmosphere of  surprise and delight!

But isn’t that exactly why we spin?

It delights us and inspires us – and involves us in a process  of transformation.

It doesn’t seem fair to keep that a secret.