Broken Stripe Towel

This thirsty cotton towel was designed using a four-shaft broken twill draft handed down by Doukhobors, and brings the warm colors of autumn into the kitchen.

About the Project

This draft came from Patty's Canadian friend, Deanna Walsh, who brought a lovely towel to a guild show-and-tell. She called the pattern “Doukhobor Twill Towels,” and when designer Patty Crane saw it, she knew that she wanted to weave at least one. She did a little research and found that the Doukhobors immigrated to Canada from Russia in the late nineteenth century to escape religious persecution. From there they settled in agrarian communities near Castlegar and Grand Forks, British Columbia. The Doukhobors were known for their spinning, weaving, and needlework. Today, about 30,000 descendants of the Doukhobors live in western Canada, and some continue the sect's traditions.

Contents

• Broken Stripe Towel Project Instructions PDF
• Towel WIFs (2)

Note: There are two WIFs for this "Broken Stripe" towel: one that is unbalanced and represents the towel as woven and presented in the magazine. The other is a balanced version with the same number of natural ends on each side.

Details

Structure
Twill.

Equipment
4-shaft loom, 21" weaving width; 10-dent reed; 1 shuttle; 3 bobbins.

Yarns
Warp: 8/2 cotton (3,360 yd/lb; Brassard), #100 Naturel, 644 yd; #1244 Olive, #8265 Orange Brulé, #1425 Marine, and #5139 Lime, 40 yd each.
Weft: 6/2 unmercerized cotton (100% cotton; 2,250 yd/lb; Fox Fibre), 25% Brown, 334 yd. 8/2 cotton, #8265 Orange Brulé and #1425 Marine, 13 yd each.
Note: Fox Fibre 6/2 unmercerized cotton 25% Brown has been discontinued. A good substitute is 6/2 unmercerized cotton (100% cotton; 2,520 yd/lb; Bluegrass Mills), Pecan.

Dimensions
Width in reed: 20²⁄₁₀ ".
Woven length: 30".
Finished size: (after wet-finishing and hemming) one towel 16½" × 24½"

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Visit our help article for more information on WIFs, including what they are and how to use them.