I had two reasons for warping up my floor loom for some new towels recently.
With our house moving date looming closer, I felt the need for a “sanity project”. While all of my yarns and equipment were being packed away, I kept a few cones aside so that I would have something to weave during the in between time of packing up house and moving to the next one.
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I also wanted to have some brand new kitchen towels to adorn our “new to us” kitchen, as all my current towels are ageing and starting to look a little shabby. I wanted special new towels for our special new place. This project turned out to be special in another way, but I’ll tell you about that shortly.
I chose one of my all time favourite drafts for kitchen towels, a 4 shaft twill on M and W threading. I love the design and I love the resulting fabric so I didn’t have to think too hard on that one!
The threading for this draft is not difficult and the tie up is a regular twill tie up – all things that I’m very familiar with and that make the process easy for me. I used my Louet David 2 Floor loom (link is for the new David 3), which has 8 shafts but for this project I wove on 4 shafts.
Having woven kitchen towels with this draft before, I was also sure of the yarn I wanted to choose. My favourite weaving yarn for soft and absorbent tea towels is 8/2 cottolin. The cottolin I use is 60% organic cotton and 40% linen. It’s a great yarn for those who want to incorporate a little linen but want something that is a bit easier to use than 100% linen.
For the warp I used:
Maurice Brassard 8/2 cottolin in Blanchi
For the wefts I used (one colour for each towel):
Maurice Brassard 8/2 cottolin in Charcoal
Maurice Brassard 8/2 cottolin in Magenta
Maurice Brassard 8/2 cottolin in Royal
Maurice Brassard 8/2 cottolin in Brick
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Tips for working with cottolin:
- Cottolin sheds a lot of fibre whilst on the loom. It is a more course yarn than just cotton on it’s own, which is very smooth. I sometimes opt to wear and apron while weaving and try not to wear anything black! The shedding nature may be irritating to some who are sensitive, it’s not a big problem for me but does make me sneeze sometimes! It also means that you will want to vacuum your loom when your project is finished or even during the project if the tiny stray fibres bother you.
- It feels quite stiff on the loom. I remember the first time I wove with cottolin, I felt disappointed that the towels felt a bit rough. A hot machine wash was like a touch of magic – the towels softened up and the pattern came together beautifully. This is another thing that I love about cottolin, it softens more with each wash.
- Your first one or two uses of your towels to dry dishes will not be optimal. The cottolin can leave small fibres on your dishes initially, and the towels are not as absorbent as they could be. Don’t lose faith! With a bit of use and a couple of washes, they will become a huge asset to your kitchen!
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I tried some different techniques in the weaving of these towels, to help counteract some of the issues arising as I wove.
Firstly, I doubled my floating selvedges – something I haven’t done before. My reasoning for this was that for the towels I’ve woven in the past, the first place they would start to wear down was at the edges. A doubled floating selvedge gave a more defined, and stronger edge to the fabric.
Secondly, I switched to beating on an open shed. It is very much my habit to beat on a closed shed, but my beats were feeling a little stiff and the weft wasn’t settling as nicely as I would like. As soon as I switched to open shed beating, everything settled down and became much more fluid. Lesson learned – Don’t be stuck in your ways, be open to experiment from project to project as needs dictate 😉
And thirdly, when hemming my towels, I decided to also hem the long edge. I have never done this before, but as I already mentioned, the edges are susceptible to wearing and I think this single turned hem will make a difference. Time will tell, but perhaps I will make this a regular technique for my towels.
I mentioned that this project turned out to be special in another way. My husband has been interested in having a go on the floor loom for some time now, so I decided the last towel of the warp would be a good opportunity. I wasn’t too worried if it didn’t turn out well, as it was just for us.
Imagine my surprise when he took to it like a duck to water, quickly declared that it was “fun” and promptly finished off the second half of the towel I had started on! After giving him a few basic pointers, he surprised me with how quickly he picked up the steps. Now he is very interested in weaving more and even learning how to dress the loom. Victory! 😀
If you love this pattern draft as much as I do, you can find it on page 88 and 89 in Anne Dixon’s Handweaver’s Pattern Directory – a most excellent book and awesome resource for 4 shaft drafts.
I also recommend Patti Graver’s Next Steps in Weaving for weaving at this level.
If you’re interested in getting started in floor loom weaving, check out my Introduction to Floor Loom Weaving, my Follow Up Floor Loom Weaving, or save by purchasing a bundle of the two courses together.
I made a little video to compliment this blog post to help you feel confident about cutting your hand woven fabric. I explain my 3 Key Ingredients to cutting without fear:
If you have any questions about my towel project or using cottolin, let me know in the comments below!
Until next time…
Happy Weaving!
Jennifer Robertson
thank you, It took me years to cut my fabric, but I am fine with it now. your video is so good for the beginners, I have taken a copy to take to our weaving group. I seem to be the person who is after ‘tips’ to pass on.
Kelly
Thank you for sharing my content Jennifer, I appreciate that!
Randy Creighton
Kelly Said: “If you love this pattern draft as much as I do, you can find it on page 88 and 89 in Anne Dixon’s Handweaver’s Pattern Directory – a most excellent book and awesome resource for 4 shaft drafts.”
If you only have one book of weaving patterns, Anne Dixon’s is the one to have!
Katherine Quirke
Hello Kelly
Do you have a pattern for weaving these kitchen towels? Thanks.
Katherine Quirke
Hi Kelly
I have probably missed it but is the pattern for those towels available? I will shoe
Rely be getting my new Louet Jane table loom and would like to do the towels as my first project. Thank you.
Kelly
Hi Katherine,
I don’t have a pattern for these towels, but you may be interested in this pattern-
https://www.etsy.com/au/listing/1531942502/floor-or-table-loom-weaving-pattern?click_key=5ab166530a5e9557b8aa7c1b2e5e7a283562ebb6%3A1531942502&click_sum=44ccc1a9&ref=shop_home_active_4&crt=1&sts=1
Katherine Quirke
Thanks very much for that information Kelly. By the way that should have read as ‘shortly’ rather than ‘shoe Rely’ in my reply above…no idea where that came from!!’ All the best. Kathy
Shelley
Can I ask what epi you used?
Gai Butler
Great tips Kelly, I particularly appreciate them as I’m weaving with cottolin for the first time. I have to seriously limit cutting & sewing time with quilting as the lint really affects my lungs and makes me quite ill, I may have to consider a mask for weaving with cottolin. I love that your husband has made a new tea towel for your new home and that he enjoyed his time at the loom – I love sharing some wood working time with mine. It was difficult to see in the photo, the stitching is so neat & tiny, but did you hand hem the long sides of the towels?
Kelly
I did all the hemming on the sewing machine.
Gai Butler
Thanks Kelly.
Nora
Thanks for explaining about cotonlin Kelly. I heard so many good reports and wanted to buy some. But since both of us have some lung issues the extra fluff will be harmful to us. So grateful for your detailed and accurate reports. Praying for a smooth move. I know it can be stressful.
Nora
Kelly
Thanks Nora!
Kelly Kissell
Those are beautiful. Thank you for the tips. It really helps a new weaver to be less discouraged or not wonder if they’re doing something wrong. I have my first 8/2 cotton on order and am going to start with a very small basic sample. Enjoy your new home!
Kelly
Great, I hope you like it!
Wendy Graham
Thank you Kelly- another informative video. I have ordered Ann Dixon’s book and I’m waiting for it to arrive. The Patti Graver book looks interesting and I trust your recommendations. However, would it be worth it for RHL weaving. I’m not likely to go to large loom weaving. Thanks for your advice.
Kelly
I would say no, Next Steps in Weaving is really for multi shaft weaving. If you’re considering a table loom, it would be worthwhile, but Anne Dixon’s would be my first pick, it is a fabulous book.
Lorraine Farmer
I made some dish towels on my RHL using cotton in. We have used them several times now and they are getting softer with each wash. My partner said they are better then the commercial made towels that we usually use.
Yes there was a lot of shed during the weaving process but it has not put me off. I have bought more yarn to make some more.
Kelly
Great, I’m so glad you like it enough to want to work with it more 😊