colorful scarf

Fresh as springtime, this colorful floral scarf is crafted by Thai artisan Nisa. Her mastery of batik methods is beautifully evident in this square cotton scarf. The artisan uses beeswax to create the precise patterns on white cotton, which she dyes in myriad hues of blue, green, pink and orange. Nisa stitches the hems of her shawls and scarves entirely by hand for a special touch.

Against a field of intricate maze motifs in buff and black, stylized russet clouds decorate this fantastic silk shawl from Bali. The designs are applied using the batik method, where a wax resist is stamped onto the silk before it is submerged in colorful dye. Presented as part of Melati's Collection in Bali, this accessory arrives in a box that is accented with linen and suede.

For wrinkles, the artisan recommends ironing the scarf at a low temperature without water. Spray the fringe with water and gently brush it with a comb to remove wrinkles. Let it air dry.

Dedicated to relieving the conditions of poverty and domestic violence that exist for women in Guatemala, the Consorcio cooperative creates excellent accessories like this pretty scarf. The all-cotton scarf is woven on a backstrap loom and dyed using the shibori tie-dyeing method. The artisans use all-natural dyes to achieve the rich purple color.

Nothing is better to keep you warm in wintertime than this colorful scarf handloomed with baby alpaca blend yarns. Artisans Raquel and Gregor from Peru design this striped scarf in a combination of green, turquoise, yellow, blue and cyan tones. Soft to the touch, the piece allows a cozy and unique look.

Originated by the Akan peoples of Ghana, colorful kente cloth is the best-known of all African textiles. Kente cloth is woven 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 purple, saffron, brown and aqua.

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.

Elegant and sumptuously soft, this baby alpaca and silk blend fringed scarf will add a touch of sophistication to any wardrobe. Presented by Felipe Berckholtz of Peru, this scarf is reversible, currant on one side and gunmetal grey on the other. Baby alpaca refers to the fine fleece from the season's first shearing.

Woven by hand, traditional West African kente cloth becomes a colorful scarf. Rachel Armah presents a traditional design known as Edwene Si Edwene So. The phrase means "double wisdom as special as gold" in the Akan language. Each strip of kente cloth requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, and white is purity.

Woven by hand, three strips of traditional West African kente cloth become a colorful scarf. Deborah Osei Boakye continues her grandfather's craft with this extraordinary design. Each strip of kente cloth requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Each color has its own meanings in Ashanti culture, and the patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names. This design is named Nsatsia, meaning "fingers" in the Akan language. Its motifs suggest interlocking fingers from both hands.

Woven by hand, traditional West African kente cloth becomes a colorful scarf. Rachel Armah presents a traditional design known as Fatia fata Nkrumah. The phrase means "Fatia deserves Nkrumah" in the Akan language. Dr. Kwame Nkrumah was Ghana's first president and Fatia was his wife, thus this motif is named for the First Lady.

Each strip of kente cloth requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. Each color has its own meanings in Asante culture. Green is fertility and new harvest, gold is royalty, black is strength, aging and spirituality, and white is purity.

Woven by hand, this exceptional kente cloth scarf features colorful rectangles on a brown background. Alternating squares show a fishnet pattern giving the scarf its name – Do, or "Net" in the Ewe language. By the Gobah Tengey-Seddoh Family, each strip requires considerable effort, and the looms are worked with both hands and feet. The patterns themselves are carefully chosen symbols, which a master weaver develops and names, often to honor people, historical events or proverbs.

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.

Resembling stars against a celadon sky, colorful geometric patterns decorate this wool area rug from India. Sonik Sethi presents this rug, which features a scarlet border and stripes. This fringed home decor accessory is handwoven on a traditional loom by local artisans.