Acrylic/Chenille Scarf on backstrap loom

(click on picture to view larger image)
My lovely wife Tracy has a stash of yarns. She asks me to use some of this. The chenille yarn is 41% acrylic/59% viscose. The flat ribbon yarn is 94% viscose. I decide to make a scarf.


I do not have a long warping board, so I hung the loom bars on the chairs and I continuous warped 7 foot long, 12 warps. I used pencils and rubber bands to hold the cross. I figured the chenille would weave at about 3 inch wide and my guess was pretty good. I would try to weave 5 foot long with 12 inch fringe.


Here is the weaving in progress. At first I beat the chenille firmly and found the scarf was as stiff as a carpet. So I loosened up the the weave by pulling it back up the warp and putting it back down the warp with a comb. Then I started weaving again from that point and did not beat it so hard. Much better feel. Kind of a balancing act between beating for a firm weave and having a loose weave/drape by placing the weft, not beating.

By the way, that is a wooden footstool under my leg. I am sitting on our couch which sits kind of low. I have a pillow behind to help support my back. The television is to my right. The remote control is on my left.

I have a new rule for myself. If I find myself watching TV and not weaving, I am to go and warp something so I can weave during TV time.


At the end of the weaving, I hem stitch both ends of the weaving with the chenille weft.


I tied the warps close to the weft with overhand knot (groups of 3) and I tied overhand knot each individual warp 1/4 inch from the end for fringe. Finished weaving length is 51 inch chenille woven plus 12 inch fringe on each end. I used one of those big balls of chenille and 91 feet of ribbon yarn. It took about 3 days maybe 6 hours altogether.

Each project teaches me something new.

Have a good day!

Update 9/18/09: After I washed it I found out that any "loops" on the side edges become very noticeable. Also the knots where I tied on new weft were very noticeable. I was told next time to strip off the chenille fluff down to the core yarn for two inches on each end, then tie a tight knot, and clip ends for a join that is not noticeable.

Have a good day!