Clasped-Weft Shawl

This striking shawl from the Spring 2016 issue of Spin Off features a clasped-weft technique, which is an easy way to achieve an attractive tapestry-like pattern using a single shuttle and two weft colors. Although Bobbie chose to use four shafts, this project requires only two shafts and is appropriate for a rigid-heddle loom. —Editor

Spinning for Clasped-Weft Weaving

I wanted the warp to be of a suitable grist and strength to use on a rigid-heddle loom with an 8-dent reed. I sampled with a commercial wool yarn of an appropriate size for that sett, which I used as a guide for spinning the warp. The warp fiber came as carded roving with a staple length of about 3 inches. I spun it Z with a backward, modified point-of-contact draw, then plied S.