In the “What’s on the Loom Now” department, I am experimenting with a new fiber I purchased this summer. Tencel has been around awhile but this is the first project I’ve woven with it.

Tencel is a registered trade name for a type of lyocell, which is similar to rayon. It is made from wood pulp and so is biodegradable and sustainable. Tencel takes dye very well, so the colors are vibrant and luscious. But it’s the feel that makes Tencel stand out. It is soft, silky, and drapable—perfect attributes for a scarf or shawl. You have got to feel this fiber!

The yarn I found this summer is space-dyed. One color blends gradually into another, then into another until it comes back to the original color. There wasn’t quite enough in that one skein to make the length of scarf that I wanted to make, so I combined it with a solid color. The trick then is to accentuate the blending colors and not cover them up with either the solid or the weave structure.

Twills are great for allowing a warp (the lengthwise yarn) to show up. Twills give us that distinctive diagonal line in weaves (think of your blue jeans). Tweak that a little by moving the twill line in segments and you have advancing twill. An advancing twill scarf in space-dyed Tencel just loves to snuggle around your neck. Take a look and tell me what you think! jeanweaves@gmail.com