Blue Horizon Towels

This pattern is easily adaptable to alternative colorways, which makes it a great way to use stash. Susan wove up versions in green and gray, pink and violet, and rust and gold, and she shared the warp color orders for all of them.

About this Project

Designer Susan E. Horton wanted a towel pattern she could weave on the 16" table loom she uses for guild booth demonstration. She finds it hard to weave anything other than plain weave while talking to the public, so she put the design emphasis on multicolored warp stripes that work equally well in plain weave and twill. Surprisingly, a warp sett of 22 epi worked for both structures. The long and thin dimensions of this project are based on those of a beautiful Japanese towel she received as a gift. The towel is meant to be hung over a rod without folding. This shape opens design possibilities such as a center motif, borders on four sides, and ombrés that show in their entirety. She chose blues from her stash of 8/2 cotton for the base of the warp and then added neutral ribs.

Contents

• Project Instructions PDF
• Towel WIFs

Details

Structure
Plain weave and twill.

Equipment
4-shaft loom, 16" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 2 shuttles.

Yarns
Warp: 8/2 cotton (3,360 yd/lb; UKI Supreme), #50 Blue, 196 yd; #52 Nassau Blue, #51 Deep Royal, and #48 Empire Blue, 192 yd each; #54 Dark Navy, 64 yd; #58 Dark Turk, 132 yd. 8/2 cotton (3,360 yd/lb; Maurice Brassard; Yarn Barn of Kansas), #415 Light Grey, #101 White, and #83 Black, 120 yd each.

Weft: Body: 8/2 cotton, #52 Nassau Blue, 195 yd; #54 Dark Navy, 15 yd; #50 Blue, 255 yd; #58 Dark Turk, 356 yd. Inner hems: Thin blue thread such as 20/2 cotton, 16/2 cotton, or cotton sewing thread, 23 yd.

Note: #50 Blue has been discontinued. UKI has a similar but slightly lighter shade: #47 Copen Blue. If you want an even closer color match, try Borgs 22/2 cottolin, #341.

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 15¹⁄₁₀".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) 108".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing and hemming) two plain-weave towels, 13½" × 29" each, one twill towel, 13" × 31".

Left to right: Towel 1, Towel 2, Towel 3. Photos by Matt Graves Make It Your Own options: Rust/Gold, Gray/Green-Blue, and Violet/Magenta.