Show and Tell

Inspiration, ideas and know-how

Five multi-harness twill tea towels

When fiber artists share their work, it's a bonanza for everyone. Over the past year, the weavers' study group in the South Jersey Guild of Spinners and Handweavers wove towels as a project. The object, I learned too late, was to use a draft such as huck or M's and O's. 

As I see it, there are two major upsides to show-and-tells. The most valuable is sharing knowledge and experience when fiber artists discuss not only what they made, but they made it. It's the time to talk about the surprises and the disappointments that inevitably accompany the creative process.

Color insight

At this sharing session, one weaver discussed the diluted color effect in her towels. On the bobbin, the reds and greens were bright, but when surrounded by neutral colors in the double-faced honeycomb weave, they are significantly subdued.

to a softened green--all in the weave

From bright kelly green.....

My project work is visible in the two stacks of towels to the left of the large basket in the center of the photo. I shared my project work earlier this year in my "Tea Towels" blog, but after weaving six towels, I had cotton left over. So I warped it on and wove more towels. I not only had fun weaving five more multi-harness twill weave towels (closeup: above, right) them, I was getting better acquainted with my new-to-me vintage loom and working out its strengths and weaknesses.

Diversity in Show-and-Tell items

As the name of the guild implies, not everyone is a weaver in the group and the shares included knitted items, a latch-hooked wall hanging, baskets and fractal spun yarn.

Handspun 'fractal' yarn 

Latch hooked project

Tea time

When a project changed my mind

Six tea towels, three 12-harness patterns

I vowed I'd never knit socks or weave towels. I knit socks now so I suppose it was only a matter of time before I confronted my other 'never.' 

The project this year for the South Jersey Guild weaver's study group is....you guessed it. Tea towels.  

I admit to being somewhat disappointed, but wanted to support the initiative. I wasn't exactly unenthusiastic, but I didn't want to spend a lot of money on yarn, either. I looked for the best value--and found one pound cones of 8/2 unmercerized cotton offered by The Lunatic Fringe. (I was unaware of the company until seeing their participation in the upcoming MidAtlantic Fiber Association's 2017 conference this summer in Millersville, Pa.) I ordered three cones.

Towel #1. 12-harness pattern, Ryall pg.364, no.4

Confession

I now admit it. I enjoyed the entire process--from planning through to the finished towels. The colors--peach, molasses and stone--weren't my first colorway choice, but they work just fine together. And I am reminded: They were 'good value.'

Towels #2 and 3. 12-harness, Ryall, pg.363, no.3.
Upper: stone weft; lower, peach weft

As this would be the first project on my new-to-me 12-harness Ahren's & Violette Loom, I wanted to put all the harnesses in action. Planning for six towels, I warped a six yard length in  alternating colors of peach and molasses and dressed the loom with a straight-12 threading sleyed at 24 ends per inch. I had 400 threads (including two threads for floating selvedges each side) and a 16 inch width in the reed.  

Using a sampler in my personal library that I'd woven based on a series of tie-ups from Pierre Ryall's Weaving Techniques for the Multiple-Harness Loom as a starting point, I began to play with peg patterns (tie-ups) and color on the loom. (Ryall is a classic resource for owners of multi-shaft looms.)

Patterns that work--or don't

Towels #4, 5, 6. 12-harness, Ryall. pg. 363, no.4
Upper: peach weft. Middle: stone weft.
Lower: peach, stone and molasses check

As I began to weave the first towel, it was very clear very quickly that the pattern that worked well with different colors on my sampler got lost in the two-color warp. So I  wove it as an evenly-balanced check in the same colors as the warp. It will dry a dish just fine but the pattern is definitely 'meh.'

Much more effective are the two twill variations. Towels two and three were a simple straight twill (Ryall, pg.363, no.3). Four, five and six were based on an advancing twill with wefts in warp or a third color. (Ryall, pg.363, no.4)

The effects of varied weft colors is a reminder how much different colors change the look and feel of the fabric. 

After weaving six towels, I wanted to see how far I could weave to the back bar, so I kept weaving. I cut off the warp with only 12 inches of loom waste on the back end and now have a tray cloth, too!

I was particularly pleased with the towels after washing and drying them. They don't really need to be ironed!

After weaving the six towels, I have about one and a half pounds of cotton left. I think I'll make a warp and....weave some more tea towels.