Several months ago I told a friend that I would weave her a silk scarf – it’s finally time to do that!

Friend came over and chose yarns and a pattern. She chose a 4-shaft overshot pattern from Marguerite Porter Davidson – p146 “Primrose in Diamonds” using 60/2 silk (yellow) for the warp and tabby weft and 20/2 silk (orange, red, magenta & purple) for the pattern weft.

I entered the pattern and colours into WeaveIT where I played with the colour striping (size, order and transition). After showing several ideas to my friend, the final design was chosen

I decided that the scarf’s finished dimensions would be about 25cm x 160cm + fringe. I looked for sett suggestions for 60/2 silk and decided to go with 40epi (lace) – plainweave was suggested as 45epi & twill as 60epi. I need mostly plainweave with a pattern floats ducking through it every now and then.

Weave structure = 4 shaft overshot
Warp = 60/2 silk (yellow)
Tabby weft = 60/2 silk (yellow)
Pattern weft = 20/2 silk (orange, red, magenta, purple)
Warp length = 6m (2-3 scarves and sampling)
Total no ends = 482 (includes floating selvedges)**
Width in reed = 30cm
epi = 40
Reed = 10dpi
Sleying = 4/dent (Raddle = 8/slot)

**To calculate number of ends – a single pattern repeat is 60 ends. 60 ends at 40epi = 1.5″ per pattern repeat. I want 30cm (12″), so that’s 8 pattern repeats. 8 x 60 = 48- ends + floats.

I will need 104 heddles on shaft 1, 80 on shaft 2, 136 on shaft 3 & 160 on shaft 4

I wound the 482 ends on the warping mill using 2 ends in my hand and dressed the loom as usual.