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Spring Green Towels in 10/2

     So I wove this run of towels in May and haven’t posted them yet because I’ve been weaving up a storm!  Seriously wove through the remainder of my 10/2 cotton.....but, more about that in a later post.  This first picture is obviously the hemming process and I always love the way the light from the sewing machine spotlights what is being sewn. 


So, this how this all started.  I had a ton of 10/2 cotton left over from weaving napkins years ago and I have taken a personal vow to not purchase any more yarn until there is a serious dent in the yarn tree.  What is there is simply what I have to work with.  Colors and all.  


This warp was roughly 630 ends at about 7 yards long.  I counted out the ends in three chains and this was the absolute last warp that I was going to count out on my current warping board.  I made it about 15 years ago and it has stood the test of time.


The next improvement that I’ll make to my Glimakra Ideal is a new raddle but again, something for a later time. 


So, I wove these in May...as in the beginning of Spring May.  As in, the snow is over, why don’t you open up the windows May.  Birds chirping in the morning May.  NOPE!  Snow May?   I guess I had a  snow May.  I don’t recall that ever happening before but, what the heck...just an excuse to stay inside and get some serious weaving done.  


Threading the heddles with 10/2 takes a lot longer than thicker yarns for obvious reasons.  I love the way the green and blues work together.  I’ll hold that thought for when I’m dying for silk scarves (more on that in a later post).


Again, no complaints with snow in May.  It was a great excuse to stay inside and get ALL of this threading done!


This picture is a little bit sideways but a great example of what I see when I’m sitting at the loom, if I was sitting sideways.  Anyway, on the beater, you can see a knot in the wood.  I love this because it falls in the exact center.  I also have a handwoven rug that I keep under the treadles until I tie them up so I don’t bang up my nice bamboo floors.


I have woven this pattern probably a dozen times!  I love the way it weaves up with the plain weave borders eliminating the need for floating selvedges, which I find an absolute must for almost all of my projects. 


I wove a good 1 1/2” on either end in plain weave to get a good hem.  I absolutely hate wet finishing to find that some of the hem has come loose.  Solution - large hems!


This is a four shaft huck lace pattern.  Weaving on four shafts is a breeze.  I really tend to get a great shed and can really zip through a project rather quickly.  When weaving with all eight shafts on this loom, I feel like me sheds aren’t as clean (see previous post) so I’m still working on perfecting my treadle tie up.


This was a super quick run and I was really happy with the way it came out.  Shorter runs may be the way I turn my weaving for the future.  I find that if I put too much on the loom, I end up thinking about other projects


These towels are available on Etsy already as the weather has been very cooperative since I’ve posted and I’ve really had some serious time to dedicate to weaving.  

Next up is a run of runners and what happens when yarn calculations are way off:) 









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