Skip to main content

The Importance of Notes. (an oops turns out ok)

When I started these towels I knew that I wanted to get rid of some stash yarn in the attic. I have countless cones of natural cotton in different sizes and textures. I don't think I would normally select the particular yarns in this vast collection but, I got most of it at a steal. Now I have to 'get rid' of it or rather, use it in a project. I knew that I had some 5/2 rag cotton and some slub with some super thin spots that broke if you put too much pressure and I knew that wouldn't work well in the warp. I did end up using the 5/2 in the warp and the slub as the weft......no problem, right? Well, I usually plan a project with my notebook in front of me so that I can reference the do's and don'ts from past projects but, the notebook was ALL THE WAY downstairs on the dining room table. Let's get real here......who wants to walk down there when my memory should be sufficient enough? So......I sat there and planned the towels. When I counted out the warp I thought that I was counting for so long and it started to dawn on me that maybe I should have gone down to get the notebook. It wasn't until I threaded the reed that I finally went ALL THE WAY downstairs to get my notebook. It was also then that I realized that I made these 'kitchen towels' 6" wider than my normal towel. Yep. These bad boys were going to be 30" wide. Why that did not strike me as strange when I even said it is beyond me. Ok...so now the pictures.
You think I would have noticed here while dressing the raddle (made by my darling Father-in-Law:).
Well, onto weaving I went and I really loved the way that the two yarns interacted. The fabric really had nice texture.
And here they are completed (except for one set). I was very happy with the result and actually sorry that I didn't weave another set. They did end of absolutely HUGE!!! 30x36" Ha! Everyone I showed them to asked if they were bath towels. If it helps to get an idea, they are hanging on the front beam of a 60" loom:)
I am still working on the leaves network draft and am planning on that next but, I'm waiting to see what Webs has on sale the day after Christmas:)
Hey!!!! Did anyone get the latest issue of Handwoven magazine?!?!?!! Did you happen to see who had ANOTHER featured handwoven item?!!??!? Kristin Kelley!!!! The skiingweaver (and nut who likes the cold;) Check her fabulous blog out here.
Labels:

Comments

skiingweaver said…
Oh, wow, thanks for the mention!! :) LOL, I definitely do like that snow... Dying to hit the slopes!

I *love* your towels! I've got tons of cotton lying around (from a sale at Webs, lol, I love their sales) and I really *really* should do something with it. I really like that they're big! I use at least one towel a day in my kitchen - sometimes two or three - and often wish they were bigger, so this "mistake" was a stroke of genius, in my opinion.
December 20, 2008 at 11:28 AM
bspinner said…
Your assorted cotton towels are wonderful!!!!!! Great idea one which I might explore after Christmas. I love using different types of yarn in the same warp too. Certainly have some thing orginal.
December 20, 2008 at 3:14 PM
Anonymous said…
Wonderful towels! They look so pretty all lined up. You gave me a chuckle with the 'supersizing' them inadvertently. Isn't it funny how our brains just go along on autopilot and then all of a sudden we have one of those forehead slapping moments when it dawns on us that something is amiss? :)

Weave on!
Jane
December 31, 2008 at 10:19 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

A New Loom!

       I’ve been weaving on a Glimakra 8 harness countermarche loom for almost 10 years now.  I love it!  It weaves like a dream, it’s super heavy, I get an excellent shed when all is going well, and I have a bit of an emotional attachment to it.  The only thing that I don’t love about this loom is that I have to climb on the floor to tie up the treadles.  Depending on the pattern, I could be under there for quite some time.  I’m pretty limber and in pretty good shape but climbing under the loom is back breaking work.  So much so that I’m sometimes out of commission for the remainder of the day after.  Look how pretty this loom is though!       I cleaned out the area that this loom has been designating as it’s home and prepped for the replacement.  I got an amazing deal on a Louet Spring and couldn’t pass it up!        I’ve been doing a lot of research o...
Post a Comment
Read more

Bring On The Color....Even In The Fringe!

       Last year my number one seller was the Rainbow White Pinwheel and Rainbow Black Pinwheel towels.  I had a bunch of 8/2 unmercerized cotton and thought a pop of color would do the shop some good.  Turns out, a lot of people thought a pop of color would do their kitchen some good!              I love the way the colors interact with each other and this pattern and color combination is quite mesmerizing to weave.  When I had placed the order for more colors since I was nearly out, the black was back ordered, so I’ll get to those when it comes in...if I have any of the other colors left.  Towels have been a hot commodity!                Another hot seller was a run of red, orange, and yellow sunburst towels.  I wound a warp only 8 yards long because I had used some of the main color, orange, in the rai...
Post a Comment
Read more
        You know when you make something and the entire process just seems seamless?  Well, that’s how this project played out.  I have some 10/2 tencel that is natural and I dyed a bunch of it over the summer.  I wound off bouts of around 1700 yards each and now know that I would like to make larger skeins so that I can get a couple of scarves using this pattern again...just a bit longer.       This picture was taken in natural sunlight of the braid after counting the ends on the warping board.  Let’s get this thing on the loom!                  I learned a new trick for spreading the warp in the raddle.  Since this is an A B color pattern, it’s important to not separate the colors in the raddle.  To never “separate the twins” makes beaming the warp a piece of cake!   Another cool trick I learned was to put the warp under ten...
Post a Comment
Read more