Scarf #5: Midnight Carnival

Kind of the opposite of the Night Circus

Warp

White Whisker Studios Heirloom Luxe in Sunset Mesa

I love the hand-painted yarns from White Whisker Studios. Reishka puts a lot of thought and design into her skeins, and it makes my weaving feel like a collaboration with another artist.

I bought this as a warp to use with a yarn that was already in my stash. I am learning that doing this might be a mistake, but I’m getting ahead of myself...

• Fingering | 4 ply
• 437 yards / 100 grams
• 50% Merino, 50% Silk
• Etsy | Ravelry

Weft

Starting with a bunch of failed experiments

Years ago I bought this beautiful thing to make a lacy summer-weight scarf with. Then I learned that I hate knitting, especially with counting and tiny needles. So I tried weaving with it.

They look very pretty together, but it’s a bit much to wear. In my head, I hear Michael Kors on Project Runway complaining that the colors aren’t sophisitcated.

Next I tried a beautiful yarn from @theFiberists. I’ve used their Newton Worsted in previous scarves with great results. I thought the grey would cool the warp down while making the colors pop.

It kind of did the opposite, actually.

The light grey washed out the colors and made them look kind of bubblegum. I didn’t feel like this was honoring the work of White Whisker Studios. So I tried something that’s worked for me in the past — a dark value of a color in the warp.

I used Valley Yarns Brimfield, a house brand of Yarn.com, in Navy.

• Worsted | Plied
• 3 balls at 109 yards / 50 grams
• 70% Merino, 30% Silk
• Yarn.com | Ravelry

It felt like this one finally worked. Sophisticated and fun, with the dark blue making the colors shine. But you never really know how it’s going to look until you take it off the loom and wash it. Before that, the warp and weft look like two people sitting next to each other at a bus stop. Washing it marries the yarn: everybody relaxes, gets to know each other, and it becomes one fabric.

I’m happy with the way this turned out. It’s like a riot of colors in the dark night, and feels wonderful on the skin. It’s long and thick and could go with a coat or a dress.

More details on Ravelery. Read more about other scarves I’ve made here and here.