Fire Over Water Shawl

The beauty of this shawl lies in its amazing color gradient, whether you weave it on 24 shafts or you follow the 4- or 8-shaft versions.

About this Project

Tien Chiu originally planned to weave this shawl on a solid black warp, with a green, blue, purple, and magenta gradient. After her first sketches, though, she felt that the design didn’t have enough pizzazz.

So she added two contrasting yellow and orange warp stripes to draw the eye up and down the length of the shawl. The design still felt unfinished, so she added a pair of borders: orange and red stripes at top and bottom.

The result is stunning! The fiery yellow, orange, and red stripes—all warm colors—really pop against the cool greens, blues, and blue-purples that make up the background. The subtle shift in the gradient colors are reminiscent of ocean waves.

Contents

• Project Instructions PDF (including 4- and 8-shaft drafts, and 24-shaft lift plan)
• 4-Shaft WIF
• 8-Shaft WIF
• 24-Shaft WIF
• 4- and 8-Shaft Lift Plans

Details

Structure
Twill.

Equipment
24-shaft loom, 17" weaving width; 15-dent reed; 2 shuttles and 8 bobbins.

Yarns
Warp: Tubular Spectrum 20/2 mercerized cotton (8,400 yd/lb; Lunatic Fringe Yarns), Black, 1,947 yd; 5 Yellow Red, 84 yd; 10 Yellow Red, 186 yd.
Weft: Tubular Spectrum, 5 Blue Green, 96 yd; 10 Blue Green, 231 yd; 5 Blue, 270 yd; 10 Blue, 304 yd; 5 Purple Blue, 326 yd; 10 Purple Blue, 163 yd; 5 Yellow Red, 13 yd; 5 Red, 34 yd.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 16⁸⁄₁₅".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom): 64".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing) 16¼" × 60" plus 3½" fringe.

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Photos by Matt Graves

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