Real Weavers, Real Results: Product Tester Showcase

Back in April, I put out a call for product testers to try the Swirling Snowflake 4-Shaft Weaving Kit—a hand-dyed yarn and pattern combo I’d been excited to share. I asked folks to apply if they were willing to weave with it, document their experience, and give honest feedback.

I selected three testers: Debbie, Donna, and Mary Ann. Each of them received a kit with a painted warp, coordinating weft, and the Swirling Snowflake pattern by Deb Essen. Their job? Weave a finished scarf and let me know what they thought—from how the yarn handled to how the instructions held up.

Here’s what they created—and what they had to say:

Debbie Mahadeo

Warp: Riverbed

Weft: Deep Sea

Bonus Project: Matching cowl with leftover yarn

Debbie’s Results:

Debbie wove a vibrant scarf featuring bold transitions from turquoise and teal to cobalt and golden yellow. The pattern texture shows beautifully across the shifting tones, and her fringe finish ties it all together with polish. She even had enough yarn to make a matching cowl, which turned out just as beautiful.

What Debbie Loved:

• Definitely the colors were my favorite part of the kit, I also like that it included a suggested pattern.  I also like that you printed the pattern on heavier stock paper. 

What She’d Improve:

• Consider removing the plastic form for sustainability, and include a contact for pattern questions.

See the full image gallery here → Open Gallery Folder

Donna Ritter

Warp: Autumn Fields

Weft: Auburn

Donna’s Results:

Donna created a stunning scarf with moody, earthy transitions that highlight both structure and softness. Her use of neutral weft really let the painted warp do the talking—and the result is a soft scarf with gorgeous drape.

What Donna Loved:

• Really liked the draft and felt the dark weft was the right choice, even if the pattern was hard to see at first. The final result looked great off the loom, and she found the bag useful for holding her weft while winding bobbins.

What She’d Improve:

• The packaging was great but found the threading instructions confusing—especially the “+6” notation, which felt unclear. She initially misread the draft and had to rethread. She also noted that the treadling could use clarification on whether to read it from the bottom or top.

See the full image gallery here → Open Gallery Folder

Mary Ann Cheng Pittman

Warp: Peacock

Weft: Deep Sea (with Pesto and Bright Gold weft stripe accents)

Mary Ann’s Results:

Bright, bold, and full of motion—Mary Ann’s scarf shows how fun it can be to lean into expressive color. Her combo of Peacock and Deep Sea created a playful but grounded piece with strong visual movement.

What Mary Ann Loved:

• The lovely gradient hand painted warp!
  

What She’d Improve:

• Larger font size for directions. 
  

See the full image gallery here → Open Gallery Folder

Final Thoughts

All three testers brought their own style to the project, and I’m so grateful for their insight. The feedback was encouraging, thoughtful, and gave me a few things to tweak as I prep the next round of kits.

A huge thanks again to Debbie, Donna, and Mary Ann for weaving with me—and for showing just how much creative possibility lives in a single scarf kit.

🧶 Want to try the kit yourself? Pre-orders open the 1st week of each month.

You can find it here:

Swirling Snowflake 4-Shaft Weaving Kit