cheerful scarves

In all the colors of a fiesta, cotton yarns are handwoven together on a traditional backstrap loom. They create the intricate stripes and X patterns of this shawl from Guatemala. Elena Ixtamer creates this artisanal shawl, which is sure to turn heads wherever it goes. Hand-knotted fringe work accents the ends of this marvelous accessory.

Shimmering shades of blue and cream cover this elegant scarf. Yuni Kristina recreates the parang raja. One of many traditional batik motifs, it symbolizes the ancient Javanese kingdom in general. She stamps the blue patterns in pure silk and adds the red blossoms with the batik motif.

Designed by the Ulloa Family in Peru, this beautiful scarf is hand woven on a traditional loom. The 100% alpaca wool scarf is crafted in avocado accompanied by cheerful stripes of red, orange and yellow. Colorful fringe accents both ends.

Embrace the chill with vibrant flair in Peruvian artisan Ana Fernandez's colorful and fashionable alpaca scarf. With bright hues, rich textures, unparalleled softness and captivating zigzag design, it is a masterpiece of artisanal elegance. Let its cheerful warmth breathe life into your winter wardrobe.

Yellow and turquoise speckles come together in a vibrant design by Ghanaian artisan Veronica Ama Darku. After weaving cotton yarns, Veronica creates a scarf with a printed abstract pattern, adding a cheerful vibe to your outfits. The final touch is in the fringes that dangle gracefully from each end.

A medley of bright and cheerful hues romp across cotton to create colorful gumdrop motifs. Woven by hand on the backstrap loom, this delightful scarf is easy to combine. Elena Ixtamer alternates solid weaves with unwoven spaces for a lightweight fabric that drapes beautifully, and embellishes every fourth row of weft threads with drawn work.

Originated by the Akan peoples of Ghana, colorful kente cloth is the best-known of all African textiles. Kente is woven by hand in strips, which is how it came by its name (kente means "basket" in the Ashanti dialect). Ghana's Rachel Armah creates this colorful cotton blend scarf in cheerful shades of blue, pink and cream. The scarf's width allows it to double as a shawl.

In kente cloth, each color has a symbolic meaning: black symbolizes maturation and intensified spiritual energy; blue signifies peacefulness, harmony and love; green symbolizes vegetation, planting, harvesting, growth, and spiritual renewal; gold represents royalty, wealth, high status, glory, and spiritual purity; grey is for healing and cleansing rituals; maroon signifies the color of mother earth, associated with healing; pink and purple are associated with the female essence and female aspects of life; red symbolizes political and spiritual moods, bloodshed, sacrificial rites and death; silver is associated with the moon and represents serenity, purity, and joy; white is for purification, sanctification rites and festive occasions; and yellow represents preciousness, royalty, wealth, fertility, and beauty.

The legendary art of Madhubani inspires the design of this fabulous turquoise blue shawl by Isha Jain. Depicting cheerful scenes from life in Bihar villages, the images are block printed by hand on a cotton and silk blend shawl with a hand-tied fringe.