Creating a Ocean blue inspired collection of handwoven designer scarves, snoods and a table runner

This blog post outlines a project weaving with cotton yarn to create a small collection of ocean sea blue handwoven scarves, snoods, and a table runner. Inspired by ocean colours, the yarn used a range of blue shades including navy, electric blue, turquoise, teal, sky blue, and pale blue, reflecting the beauty of the ocean waves. The ocean blue collection of handwoven designer scarves and snoods is now available to purchase by clicking here.

Choosing the Yarn for Ocean-Inspired Accessories

I weave predominantly with natural fibres, such as merino lambswool, bamboo, Tencel, silk, or cotton. While my merino lambswool scarves and snoods are common favourites, some people prefer the feel of cotton against their skin. I started this project with the aim of producing a range of cotton accessories. The first step was purchasing some DK cotton yarn in various blue colours. I have woven with this yarn before and knew it would create beautifully soft and cosy fabric, perfect for scarves and snoods. I also thought it would be ideal for weaving a double weave table runner.

The selected colours—deep blue, vibrant turquoise, and soft sky blue—are reminiscent of the ocean. Blue accessories are often popular, perhaps because they coordinate well with navy and denim, which are commonly worn. Cotton's properties ensure that the finished pieces are breathable and durable, making them suitable for any season.

Designing the Double Weave Table Runner

I decided to weave the table runner first. A 10m warp was measured and put onto the loom. To use the double weaving technique, I warped the loom at a sett of 20 epi, allowing each layer to have a sett of 10 epi. I chose to weave a windowpane design with six different colour windows. Each window was planned to have 12 warp threads, surrounded by six warp threads on each side. The total number of warp threads was 240 (120 on each layer), giving a weaving width of 12 inches in the reed.

The image below shows some steps involved in dressing the loom.

Warping the loom with the warp threads going through the raddle on the castle

Threading the heddles

The warp being tied to the front beam

Weaving the Double Weave Cotton Table Runner

Double weave is an excellent design for a table runner. It creates two layers of fabric that can be woven in contrasting or complementary colours. This gives the fabric a firm drape and thickness, ideal for table decoration. I chose to have a background in darker blue shades, with the window panes in lighter shades of blue. The colour arrangement was reversed on the underside of the fabric. The image below shows the weaving of the table runner on the floor loom.

After weaving the table runner length, I took the fabric off the loom, finished it, and created the table runner as shown below. I was pleased with the table runner. After making this one, I decided I would prefer to weave some scarves and snoods with the remaining warp. I was delighted when the following weekend it was sold at a local event.

Weaving the Designer Handwoven Scarves and Snoods

To switch to weaving scarves, I needed to re-thread the heddles and then the reed. I chose to rethread the heddles with a straight 8 design, which allowed for a twill design and a large range of other nice designs. Rethreading the reed at 10 epi was necessary as I was no longer weaving a double weave fabric.

I decided to start by weaving a twill design using a range of blue colours in the weft.

The first scarf length was removed from the loom and finished. I like to finish a small length of woven fabric when weaving a long warp. This allows me to ensure that I have chosen the correct sett. If adjustments are needed at this stage, they can be easily made, ensuring that the remaining warp is woven correctly. The result is shown below, a beautiful scarf that demonstrated no further adjustments were needed to the sett for the remainder of the warp.

The remaining warp was then woven using both twill and straight 8 designs to create three scarves and three snoods—each accessory being unique, cosy, and soft.

A Trio of Ocean-Inspired Designer Handwoven Scarves - Luxury Accessories

The three scarves were woven as shown below. Each of these scarves was woven using the same warp. The first scarf used a twill design with a range of weft colours, while the middle scarf was woven with a zigzag straight 8 design using just a teal blue weft. The final scarf was a combination of both.

Two of the handwoven snoods are shown below, along with the gift box that they are sold in.

a patterned teal and navy twill snood scarf

If you are looking to get someone a handwoven accessory and aren't sure whether to purchase a scarf or snood, my blog outlining the advantages and disadvantages of each might be a useful starting point: click here to read the handwoven scarf or snood blog.

Two of the scarves and the snoods in this collection are now available in my online shop.

If you are interested in knowing what is on the loom, off the loom, and workshop dates, do sign up to receive my weaving news emails by clicking here.

If you are looking for a unique luxury handwoven scarf or perhaps a handwoven table runner, do visit my website shop by clicking here.