Scarves

The only sound is the shuttle crossing a Lao loom. Asian scarves in silk and cotton come from the hand looms of Thailand and Laos, the villages of southwest China and the silk workshops of Japan. Lao weavers work silk in supplementary weft and ikat; Miao and Dong embroiderers stitch borders of birds and flowers; Japanese silks carry kimono patterns. Light enough to wear, a length of silk also lies well across a chair or the end of a bed, its sheen soft against stone or dark wood. It is happy to lounge.