Susan Weickum

Ikat Scarf

Ikat has intrigued me for years especially after a friend closed her shop and gave me seven books about Ikat and about 20 samples of different Ikat methods. The guild workshop taught by Mary Zickafoose gave me the challenge and opportunity to try it out. I was intimidated after reading the books, but Mary Z made it seem so manageable. We covered a lot of territory in three days. At the end I thought I would like to try it again. Mistakes are how I learn.

My goal with the class was to keep it simple, learn the techniques first and then try more complicated designs later. I chose a simple chevron design with a dark blue border around a natural (undyed) 5 pick stripe outlined by the maroon. I pulled the warp threads by hand to create the chevron.

My biggest crisis was that I lost the cross in the dye pot. Somehow, I was able to retrieve about 2/3 of it and had to work slowly to untangle the balance. Weaving it was a breeze once I got to that part.
The photo shows how the chevrons goes into the fringe as well as the "ghost" image of the chevron possibly from crowded dye pot.

The Ikat scarf, finished, is 7-7/8 inches wide and 62 inches long plus 7" twisted fringe. Warp is 8/2 natural Tencel dyed during May Zickafoose's class with a dark blue dye she provided, plus four warp threads that are maroon from my stash; weft is 60/2 Navy silk, commercially dyed.
Sett is 24 epi for an airy scarf.
Structure is plain weave.

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