I like to choose a threading that can provide several patterns. Then I play…use one for the hem, another for the body, intersperse plain weave.
Shafts: 8
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We are big tea lovers in the family – so this towel in Handwoven S/O 2003 caught my eye. I have used this draft numerous times over the years – in various colours and weights of fibre – for towels and as material for tray mats, tea cozies, market bags, etc.
For this set of towels, I returned to colours similar to those in the original article:
warp – brun moyen, rouille & orange brule
weft – magenta, brun moyen (pattern), orange brule (tabby)
Warped at 18 epi, wove at 36 ppi.
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I did a straight tabby weave hem for approximately 1-1.5 inches at the beginning and end of the towel. I used a weft that was laceweight in order to have a hem that was flatter when I folded it over twice.
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This has become one of my favorite towel warps. It is draft #246, false damask check. I call it woven ribbons, as that is what it looks like to me. Although it uses two shuttles, it is actually a very rhythmic weave.
On my ten-yard warp, I was able to get 11 towels.
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The section on the draft that is labeled to be omitted was included only to illustrate that I used a variety of colors for the last 8 threads of each 40-thread unit.
I used unmercerized cotton for both warp and weft.
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This was a warp and project that was my first exploration of a complex (for me) gamp.
While a newer weaver, and always trying new things, I loved working on a twill sampler with friend and weaving mentor Jane Stafford via her Canadian Online Guild. The resulting gamp for this set of four towels was inspired by Cally Booker’s step-by-step instructions and used some of my favorite colors. The project sampling on a Guild loom was great fun!
There is a band of mixed colors in the center of the towel that is playful, but I would not include that again…love the playful darker bands that are two colors interacting with each other.
Editor’s Note: Since we are missing a photo of Bethany’s towel, the green photo here is courtesy of Cally Booker. See Cally’s website at https://weavingspace.co.uk/blog/designing-a-twill-gamp-part-1/
Also, note, the draft here is a generic gamp draft.
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Really enjoyed Tom Knisely’s “Weaving on a Straight Eight” class taken during the 2017 MAFA conference. Wanted to weave something from his class booklet and chose the pattern ‘Ribs of Twill and Plain Weave’. It’s a nice easy piece to weave, and the treadling is super simple on a floor loom, just 1,2,3,4. The threading is also super easy, being a straight 8.
This pattern makes a great dishtowel, very thirsty so it works beautifully. I used 20 epi with 8/2 cotton because I find this makes an absorbent dishtowel.
I warped 20 inches wide in reed and wove 34″ in length. 1″ hem at each end – twice folded hem, hand stitched with cotton sewing thread. Washed and dried twice in washing machine on warm, and dryer on regular heat. Size of finished towel: 17″ x 27″.