Kitchen Towels

I have to admit, I wasn't too excited to weave towels.  It's a lot of work for something you wipe your hands on.  BUT, there are tons of towel weavers out there and the patterns and designs are so pretty.  Plus, I'm still learning so I'm trying a little of everything to see what I like.  And I found out that they really are as much fun as everyone in the weaving world has said!  Plus, I got to try out this groovy software for colorwork.  Since I'd never done striping quite like this before, I really needed to map it out mathematically since I was designing it on my own (eeek, math, yuck - but not too bad since the program does much of the work for you) so I used this nifty program.  So, I got a "snapshot" of what the towels could look like even before I started to weave.  Neat, huh???

 So once I had my plan, I was ready to start the warp threads - 395 threads, all 6 yards long.

 Telling you, Farmor's warping mill is AMAZING!!!!!!  Had that all done in a jiff!

 That striping is just exciting!

 Off the warping mill and pre- reeding the threads - this gets it spaced properly in the reed.

 Winding on the back beam. I actually did it ALL by myself!  My weaving helper, Hubs, has always helped me wind the warp on, but I found a nifty video that showed me how to handle all the warp, creating tension and wind on while inserting all those little sticks between the layers.  Pretty awesome to have done it all by myself!

 Then comes threading the heddles.  Each of the 395 threads has to go through an "eye" of a heddle in the correct order to create the desired pattern.  This is a good time to zone out to some tunes, a book on cd, or listen to a wee-one playing Simon Says.

 Finally, it's all threading and tied on to the front beam.  Weeeeeee -- let the shuttle fly!  I like how you can see my Farmor's name written in this shuttle.  :-)

I did several variations of a Bird's Eye Twill - the design is changed by changing the order of the treddles -- the pedals below which are what lower the particular shafts the threads are threaded thru.  

 Just look at that!  That's cloth people - cloth that didn't exist before! When I see this cloth forming before my eyes, I almost feel like I have magical powers.  Yup.  Magical-weaving-powers...like a super hero.  I know you are laughing at me...but I'm okay with it, 'cause I could weave my own cape if I needed to!  Haha!  ;-)

 Gotta say, I was pretty pumped with how even my selvedges are!  YAY!

 And here they are!  All 5 (and a half) of them....I was supposed to have 6 towels - don't ask...that experience wasn't very magical or super hero-like.  

 They ended up a little smaller than I had planned. Nothing wrong with them, but just another learning opportunity for how certain yarns work - stretch and SHRINK!  They make good towels in the kitchen and powder room.  And yes, they are to be used!  No sense on making something just to have it sit perfectly in a drawer.  

My loom sits empty now, but a new order for yarn goes out tonight!  Stay tuned!