Pullover scarf

Dear Weavers

I hope this blog post finds you well and safe. I don't know about you but now that the cooler weather is approaching it makes me feel more productive and I can't wait to sit at the loom for many hours to come. 

This blog is all about the launch of my new Glui7 product, the pullover scarves. These fancy little scarves are now available to buy on the Glui7 website www.glui7.com

What is a pullover scarf, I hear you asking. Well, there is a story behind this product. My husband Roland rides a motorbike to work every day. It is not a very long drive to work, but he finds it the most practical way to wind himself through the city traffic every day. He drives his motorbike in sunshine or rain. So this means he is wearing good protective clothing and of course a scarf wound around his neck. I used to make him many scarves, fine, short, wide.... but none seems to fit him well enough. They always seemed to fall down or unwind leaving his neck exposed. Or the worst, get tangled in the velcro from his jacket. A couple of years back we discussed this problem and he suggested he would like something he could just pull over his head. And of course he also wanted it to be elastic, that it wouldn't fall down and it could also be pulled up over his nose in cold weather. The scarf would have to be wind resistant. Right and here was my challenge. Weaving a tube is easy, I'll do it in double weave I thought. But finding the right yarn to make it elastic, stay up over his nose, was a rather bigger challenge. I tried many yarns, made multiple samples until I finally discovered a yarn with elité from Silk City (USA). It is a viscose yarn with the elastic quality (10% elité factor) in the core. The yarn feels normal until treated with heat, that is when it starts to shrink and get elastic. Therefore weaving with this yarn is easy and very normal. After the scarves are woven I steam iron them. That is when you can literally see them shrink. Amazing! The elasticity of the yarn is not massive, just enough to pull over your head and stay in place if needed. This leaves the scarf more soft and I guess, stays more in shape. Once I figured this out it was then only a matter of time to work out how wide the scarves have to be to fit Roland's head. 

Of course I then thought someone else would like to use one of these scarves and started producing. This was last year, when the coronavirus came along. Because the scarf can be pulled up to cover the nose, it can now also be used as a protection against any bugs or virus. I have to make this clear, it is not a clinically tested mask and won't give you the full protection. But the pullover scarf will keep at least bugs away and can easily be washed. And it is soft and comfortable to wear, not like some masks!!!

So far I have only produced the pullover scarf for a head size of 56cm. Soon there will be different sizes available. You can now purchase the 56cm size in many different colours. It is made out of 50% cotton, 40% viscose and 10% elité and can be washed in the cold machine wash cycle. It feels beautifully soft, very comfortable to wear around your neck and so quick to put on. For Roland the most positive outcome is, that it doesn't fall down. I have been wearing one of these scarves last winter for testing and I caught myself in the middle of the day still wearing it. Sometimes I left it on because it just felt comforting, but other times I totally forgot it's there. This scarf is so light and soft, that you don't want to take it off.

The scarves are available for $35 each.

Feel intrigued and want to give it a go? Click on the link below or on any picture.

https://www.glui7.com/store/pullover-scarf

This is one thing I really, really love about weaving. You can make anything, no matter what the request and it leaves you thinking "what's next".... bring it on!

Stay safe and happy weaving

Ursula