life with a chronic disease and a really big yarn stash
Finished Objects: Dishtowels!!!
This has been going on for weeks. I warped the loom almost a month ago and since then I’ve been working on a set of dishtowels off and on. I’ve been posting pictures of the weaving on the loom, but they all kind of look the same and I hated to keep boring all of you with the pics. The work has been disrupted by snow, doctor’s appointments and knitting emergencies deadlines, but this week I finally got to the end of the warp; the weaving was done.
Yesterday I pulled out my best sewing shears, gritted my teeth and cut the warp. I mean, I’ve been so careful to not injure any of the warp threads for days and days, and now I have to cut them?! Yikes! But as soon as I’d pulled the cloth out it was totally worth it,. Look, look!!
Here’s the cloth handing over my stair rail showing two different sections of the 5 yard length of weaving. The cloth on the left required me to change color bobbins every twenty threads and the right section of cloth was made using natural colored cotton weft. If you are a weaver and interested, these towels are turned twill, 20 tpi, made on my 8 shaft Schacht Baby Wolf loom. I used 8/2 unmercerized cotton thread.There were five towels in the length of cloth; each towel is about 30″ long. Today I cut them apart (I wove in a tiny white strip to give me a cutting line…)Pressed a folded hem on each side of the towels…sewed the hems down…and my towels are done. I have three of the white weft check towels and two of the plaid check towels. My kitchen is going to be very, very happy with these. I’m now trying to think of how to make curtains in these colors for the kitchen window.
I folded up the loom this afternoon and rolled it back into the office to its usual hibernating location. As I wedged it back into the closet I do believe that the spinning wheel shivered his treadles at me. He’s right. It is about time that he got to come out to play.
I weave, knit and read in Aurora, Colorado where my garden lives. I have 2 sons, a knitting daughter-in-law, a grandson and two exceptionally spoiled kittens. In 2014 I was diagnosed with a serious rare autoimmune disease called systemic sclerosis along with Sjogren's Disease and fibromyalgia.
View all posts by Midnight Knitter
17 thoughts on “Finished Objects: Dishtowels!!!”
Lovely. You are dangerous for me. I have enough projects on the needles, so to speak, currently;-)
Your towels turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing the details of your weaving. I am wanting to start learning and I have already decided that dish towels need to get on my project list. Thank God there isn’t a place like Ravelry for weaving…otherwise, I would be in serious trouble. There isn’t, right? ☺
I kind of need a weaving Ravelry, but you’re right, if it existed I would be in big trouble. Dish towels are great. I was given one years ago and it was amazing how useful and thirsty it was. I had to make these to match my kitchen.
Your towels are gorgeous! I laughed when I read about your carefulness to avoid breaking threads, and then deliberately cutting them.
Like you, I love using 8/2 for towels. When I made my first one, I thought that it was a waste of time to do so, but somehow I got the bug to do it from a Handwoven magazine article. I made many since then. I know that you can buy a package of them for a dollar, but handwoven ones are so much nicer. I have been making them for years, and can’t tell the difference between my first batch, and the ones that just came off of my loom.
Your colors are so lovely! I’m looking forward to seeing your curtains.
Do I dare mention the Warped Weavers group at Ravelry?
Warped Weavers? I want in!! I didn’t realize you could put weaving projects into Ravelry. A whole new world. I will get right on it!
The dish towels are just so addictive (and useful). Even though I told the spinning wheel I’d pay with him next I’m thinking about warping the loom for another set of towels in the same pattern but using Christmas colors. The old warp is still in the hedges and it would be easy to use it to put the we warp on…
Would you believe I designed those towels as a homework assignment for a weaving class I was taking? I had to do a twill using all 8 shafts on my loom; I picked colors that worked for my kitchen out of my stash, rotated the colors similar to a towel I saw in a old Weaver’s magazine, and ta-daa! I got these towels. I finished off the warp with white thread and got the color check towel. Happy outcome to just trying to get my homework done. 🙂
Yarn, Books & Roses 
Lovely. You are dangerous for me. I have enough projects on the needles, so to speak, currently;-)
Thank you. I totally understand. So many projects, so little time…
Beautiful towels. Love your colour choices.
Thanks. They match the kitchen. I have green walls and the mixer is cobalt blue.
Beautiful towels, gorgeous colours and amazing that they only took a month to make!
Once the loom is warped the weaving goes pretty fast. I could weave half a towel while watching television for an hour. The warping took me a week. 😦
Your towels turned out beautifully! Thanks for sharing the details of your weaving. I am wanting to start learning and I have already decided that dish towels need to get on my project list. Thank God there isn’t a place like Ravelry for weaving…otherwise, I would be in serious trouble. There isn’t, right? ☺
I kind of need a weaving Ravelry, but you’re right, if it existed I would be in big trouble. Dish towels are great. I was given one years ago and it was amazing how useful and thirsty it was. I had to make these to match my kitchen.
Your towels are gorgeous! I laughed when I read about your carefulness to avoid breaking threads, and then deliberately cutting them.
Like you, I love using 8/2 for towels. When I made my first one, I thought that it was a waste of time to do so, but somehow I got the bug to do it from a Handwoven magazine article. I made many since then. I know that you can buy a package of them for a dollar, but handwoven ones are so much nicer. I have been making them for years, and can’t tell the difference between my first batch, and the ones that just came off of my loom.
Your colors are so lovely! I’m looking forward to seeing your curtains.
Do I dare mention the Warped Weavers group at Ravelry?
Warped Weavers? I want in!! I didn’t realize you could put weaving projects into Ravelry. A whole new world. I will get right on it!
The dish towels are just so addictive (and useful). Even though I told the spinning wheel I’d pay with him next I’m thinking about warping the loom for another set of towels in the same pattern but using Christmas colors. The old warp is still in the hedges and it would be easy to use it to put the we warp on…
Those towels are just stunning. I especially like the ones on the left with the different colored squares inside. You do such great work.
Would you believe I designed those towels as a homework assignment for a weaving class I was taking? I had to do a twill using all 8 shafts on my loom; I picked colors that worked for my kitchen out of my stash, rotated the colors similar to a towel I saw in a old Weaver’s magazine, and ta-daa! I got these towels. I finished off the warp with white thread and got the color check towel. Happy outcome to just trying to get my homework done. 🙂
Wow these are totally gorgeous and the colours work so well together.
Thanks! They really are a nice addition to my kitchen.
The towels are just so lovely, they look so professional too! You’ve done an incredible job with them!
Thanks!! I’m thinking that I might be able to sell them in Christmas colors. What do you think?
Oh yes, definitely, without a doubt, they look so professional!