Colorful cotton and chenille weave up easily into soft and absorbent towels for your hot tub or bath. These towels are woven in a simple twill, but will give the beginner weaver practice in using 2 shuttles. The pattern will make 2 towels, 24″ x 54″ finished size.
| Yarns: | 8/2 Cotton – 1 lb.
Cotton Chenille – 1450 ypp – 1 lb. |
| Warp: | 8/2 cotton – Turquoise
Cotton Chenille – Apricot |
| Weft: | 8/2 Cotton – Turquoise
Cotton Chenille – Apricot |
| Sett: | 20 epi |
| Width in Reed | 28″ |
| No. Ends | 560 |
| Warp Length | 5 yards |
Weaving Instructions
This pattern uses 2 types of warp and weft:
unmercerized 8/2 cotton (Turquoise color in the draft)
and cotton chenille (apricot color in the draft)
This weave creates small squares of cotton surrounded by a frame of chenille, making the towel both soft and durable.
Weave with 2 shuttles, 1 with cotton chenille and 1 with 8/2 cotton. Weave 2 shots of chenille, in tabby and then weave 4 shots of 8/2 cotton, in twill, according to the treadling plan.
Weaving Draft
Finishing
Weave 2 inches of tabby using the 8/2 cotton yarn, at each end of the towels. This will allow for seam finishing of the edges.
Remove the warp from the loom, and knot the ends. Put the warp through a wash and dry cyle in your washer to wet finish the fabric.
Machine stitch the edges with a rolled hem.
Rigid Heddle Variation
If you have a smaller table loom, or a rigid heddle loom, you can do a smaller version of these towels for use as hand towels. On a 2 shaft rigid heddle loom, the towels can be woven in tabby. Use 2 shuttles, one with cotton chenille and 1 with 8/2 cotton. Weave 2 picks of cotton chenille, then weave 4 picks of 8/2 cotton.
Hot Tub Towel Challenge
Some of our Forum members wove these towels and encountered problems with worming using the cotton chenille. Some Chenille yarns do worm and can be difficult to work with. This is due to the yarn being a single ply and the fuzzy bits of the yarn have been cut, leading to inconsistent results when working with it.
Hot Tub Towels Challenge
I can only comment that I wove these towels in 2001 – and gave them to my son. I visited him a few weeks ago, and he was still using the towels. The colours have faded a bit but the towels are still in good shape – no worming after 10 years of use.
Weaving Books: Projects
Favorite Scandinavian Projects to Weave: 45 Stylish Designs for the Modern Home
A collection of 45 different furnishing textiles: colorful blankets, fanciful table runners, classic curtains, and embroidered hand towels.
UK: Favorite Scandinavian Projects to Weave
The Weaver’s Idea Book: Creative Cloth on a Rigid Heddle Loom
Techniques include leno, Brooks bouquet, soumak, and embroidery on fabric.
UK: Weavers Idea Book
Weaving Made Easy: 17 Projects Using a Simple Loom
The small, portable rigid heddle loom can be used to easily produce loose, drape-friendly fabric as well as dense, sturdy material.
UK: Weaving Made Easy
The Big Book of Weaving: Handweaving in the Swedish Tradition: Techniques, Patterns, Designs and Materials
This book covers basic subjects such as warping a loom and making bobbins of weft, as well as more elaborate, highly decorative projects: baby blankets, shawls, table cloths, and linen hand towels.
UK: Big Book of Weaving
Chenille Yarn – EBay Watch
