blanket scarf

Golden highlights add a regal touch to this superlative textile by the Gobah-Tengey family. Created in rich kente cloth strips, its name means "Conference in Angola." Takpekpe was designed in 1950 by the late Atsu Gobah Tengey-Seddoh to commemorate a special meeting called by the colonial governor to discuss an additional tax or levy being imposed on the subjects. The conference raised voices against the payment of the special levy.

Expert weavers, the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family creates this outstanding shawl in 100% cotton. Each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Strips are generally three to four inches wide and seven to ten feet long, and the length of time it takes to complete one strip varies by the complexity of the chosen pattern. The simplest use mostly vertical, or warp patterns, and an experienced weaver can make several of those in one day. But patterns with nearly all weft (horizontal thread) patterns where the warp design is hardly visible can take up to four days to complete an individual strip. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging, and spirituality, while white is purity. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events, or proverbs.

Hand wash in cool water and use a warm iron.

Signifying "woman's heart" in the Mayan Kaqchikel language, Ranm Ixoqi' is an artisan group whose female members have been working together since the 1990s to empower themselves and women like them through the creation of Guatemalan handicrafts. Members of Ranm Ixoqi' live in the Chimaltenango department in the central part of the country; they organize the purchase of raw materials and the division of labor for the group's various projects for which traditional methods such as the backstrap loom are utilized. Here they present a loom-woven rayon scarf with fringe at both ends in soft pastel hues. A wide middle stripe in peach is flanked on both sides by wide stripes in dusty rose to create an accessory appropriate for both casual and elegant occasions.

Fretwork inspired by Incan cultural figures adorns the edges of this bold scarf from Peru's Waldo Berrios. Knit from soft alpaca fleece blended with acrylic and wool, the reversible scarf has the pre-Hispanic motif in crimson against a black background on one side and vice-versa on the other.

This scarf displays various shades of gray in a classic design by Peru's Felipe Berckholtz. The men's scarf is woven with the wool from the season's first shear, termed baby alpaca and much sought after for its soft, lightweight warmth. The ancient Inca discovered the attributes of this fiber, reserving it for the exclusive use of the aristocracy.

Celinda Jaco selects a cozy blend of Andean alpaca for this handsome men's scarf. Classic in style, it features fine stripes of white and black woven through the dark grey textile. Hand-tied fringe completes a distinguished design.

Vinita in Thailand creates a breezy cotton scarf in a pretty melange of desert rose and beige, with accents of white. The open-weave scarf is made from hand-spun cotton yarns of irregular widths for a nubby texture.

Vinita in Thailand creates a breezy cotton scarf in a stormy melange of blue-grey shades. The open-weave scarf is made from hand-spun cotton yarns of irregular widths for a nubby texture.

By Vinita in Thailand, this handwoven scarf reveals the rustic textures of hand spun cotton. Cool green and warm orange combine in an open weave wrap.

A deep blue shade defines this beautiful all-wool shawl from Indian artisan Sajad. The shawl is woven on a traditional hand loom in the classic chasm-e bulbul diamond pattern. The ends of the shawl culminate in a short fringe.

Vinita in Thailand creates a breezy cotton scarf in a pretty melange of lilacs and dusky blue shades. The open-weave scarf is made from hand-spun cotton yarns of irregular widths for a nubby texture.

Dark brown gradually becomes lighter in a warm palette of colors orchestrated by Vinita for this wide shawl. She works with traditional dyeing techniques to create a shawl of bold elegance that is loomed of raw silk.

Purple turns into violet in a delicious palette of colors orchestrated by Vinita for this wide shawl. She works with traditional dyeing techniques to create a shawl of bold elegance that is loomed of raw silk.