Color Nuggets Towels

Warp and weft stripes with varying levels of contrast turn this project into a color playground. Weave the towels as shown here, or experiment with your own colors and stripe orders.

About this Project

Color-and-weave techniques rely on the contrast between stripes in both warp and weft, for the woven structure to show a legible pattern. We often picture color-and-weave as using colors that contrast in a dramatic way, such as black and white. That’s not the only possibility, though. Using a variety of colors and allowing for contrast in hue as well as value, weavers can transform color-and-weave into a great color playground. The pattern appears and disappears, depending on the colors that meet in warp and weft. For these towels, Véronique Perrot designed a warp of paired eight-end stripes using 12 colors. The colors in some pairs have strong contrast (such as Vert pâle and Émeraude), while others are close in value (such as Pêche and Gris pâle). The weft presented new opportunities to choose colors. Each towel is different, yet they share kinship: they are warp-mates, as weaver Katie Strano says. The tie-up produces solid diamonds of color at the intersection of stripes woven in the same color. Véronique calls these “nuggets,” and they appear here and there in the cloth.

Contents

• Project Instructions PDF
• Towel WIFs
• Lift Plan

Details

Structure
Twill with color-and-weave.

Equipment
8-shaft loom, 23" weaving width; 12-dent reed; 2 shuttles; 15–19 bobbins.
Note: There are 19 weft colors total, including 14 colors that are used in more than one towel. Having up to 19 bobbins will allow you to weave without unwinding used bobbins. You could also use stick shuttles for weft colors that are used sparingly.

Yarns
Warp:
8/2 cottolin (40% linen/60% organic cotton; 3,360 yd/lb; Maurice Brassard)
#C415 Gris pâle, 288 yd; #C1510 Turquoise, 180 yd; #C1934 Vert nil, 144 yd; #C1831 Vert pâle, 360 yd.
8/2 cotton (3,360 yd/lb; Maurice Brassard)
#4272 Bleu, 180 yd; #5506 Émeraude, 108 yd; #5169 Fushia, 360 yd; #1315 Orange pâle, 144 yd; #1525 Pêche, 144 yd; #1330 Rose foncé, 288 yd.
8/2 cotton (3,360 yd/lb; LoftyFiber)
Cobalt, 108 yd; Lemon Yellow, 144 yd.

Weft:
8/2 cottolin (Maurice Brassard)
#C415 Gris pâle, 201 yd; #C1510 Turquoise, 123 yd; #C1934 Vert nil, 100 yd; #C1831 Vert pâle, 122 yd; #C100 Naturel, 28 yd; #C5096 Cerise, 22 yd; #C1757 Vert émeraude, 22 yd; #C4269 Limette pâle, 45 yd; #C1430 Orange foncé, 45 yd.
8/2 cotton (Maurice Brassard)
#5506 Émeraude, 63 yd; #5169 Fushia, 178 yd; #1315 Orange pâle, 178 yd; #4272 Bleu, 67 yd; #1525 Pêche, 122 yd; #1330 Rose foncé, 140 yd; #4275 Charcoal, 22 yd.
8/2 cotton (LoftyFiber)
Cobalt, 110 yd; Lemon Yellow, 155 yd; Timber Wolf, 90 yd.
16/2 cotton (6,720 yd/lb; Maurice Brassard)
or sewing thread for inner hems, natural, 45 yd

Dimensions
Width in the reed: 22 ⁸⁄₁₂".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom) about 121".
Finished size: after wet-finishing and hemming) four towels, 19" × 23"–26" each.

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Top Row (left to right): Towel 1, Towel 2; Bottom Row (left to right): Towel 3, Towel 4. Photos by Matt Graves

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