Category Archives: handwoven dish towels

I wove these two dishtowels nearly 20 years ago!

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a handwoven cotton dishtowel
Handwoven cotton dishtowel
the different weaves in this dishtowel

The above dishtowel was woven from gray and white plyed, stranded, weaving cotton. While I don’t remember the grist, I remember enjoying sampling the structures in this towel and 18 years later, it dries dishes like a champ.

Handwoven cotton dishtowel

This dishtowel was woven using washed, spooled crochet cotton. It’s a bit heavier than most, and is sturdy and strong. It absorbs water 100% better than any commercial terry cloth dishtowel I’ve ever owned. It dries super fast as well!

The key to finishing dishtowels is to pre-wash them at least once in a washing machine, preferably a top loader. This pulls everything together.

spring fling dishtowel version number 2 being woven
Spring Fling Dishtowel #3

This is the third set of Spring Fling dishtowels is currently on the LeClerc Dorothy loom and is being woven in a true plaid. I think it could’ve been more square, but I’ll need to acquire an appropriate reed to do that.

Spring is nearly here! Get busy and create something or sort your garden seeds and test them for viability.

I’ve nearly finished weaving the first two Spring Fling Dishtowels.

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I found an excellent weaving draft software that’s actually Free and it can be used offline!! It’s called QuickDraw and you can get it at QuickDrawWeaving.com

The above photo is what the the first 2 Spring Fling Dishtowels as depicted by the software.

I drafted the next 2 dishtowels using the software and I can tell you that it’s pretty neat to see. I’ve always kept a notebook of everything I draft and weave. I still do because I’m a contingency planner.

Part 2 of the Spring Fling Dishtowels

The above photo is what the next 2 Spring Fling Dishtowels will look like when I continue weaving.

The rest of these towels are woven on the fly, while being notated in a notebook. I prefer creating on the fly because it doesn’t require a computer or electricity.

Get busy! Learn something new or make something you’ve never made before! It will keep your brain healthy!!

The first weaving of my own draft

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I cleaned up the loom after removing the first finished weaving. I removed one of the 4-harness blocks and used the warp board that our son and I built 15 years ago to start a new weaving. I decided on dishtowels using #5 and #3 cotton.

I chained the warp while trying to maintain the cross. This is of note because I’d not chained a warp in over 12 years, so it was a lot of virtual hair pulling. I ended up losing about 3 yards of the warp because the cotton didn’t want to play well.

I slowly sleyed the reed and secured the warp onto a shed stick.

Sleying the reed
The resting warp threads
I made my reed threader from a plastic milk jug
The warp is resting
The warp is being held by a shed stick.

Threading the heddles went fairly smoothly and I enjoyed relearning the process. The biggest difference for me was that this was not my Nana’s antique rug loom, so it was easier.

Threading the heddles
The warp resting on the shed stick
Threading the heddles progressing

The warp is ready to tie onto the back apron! This is a very interesting process when there’s a warp puddle waiting in a feed tub.

Tying the warp onto the back rear/back apron and beaming it onto the rear warp beam progressed fairly well. It’s slow and steady work and rushing isn’t necessary or desired.

It’s time to have a cup of tea and begin the weaving!!

That’s it for now.

Get busy with creating whatn you like, want, or need. Quit sitting on our brain and get busy!