Summer Berry Towels

This twill project from Summer 2024 creates towels with colors that appear symmetrical when folded, and asymmetrical when open. All four versions begin with borders that use multiple colors. In the body, towel 1 uses mainly navy with small touches of red. Towel 2 uses red for the body. Towel 3 uses mainly red with small touches of navy in the body. Towel 4 uses olive green for the body.

Available files include:

• Project PDF for the Summer Berry Towels
• Towel 1 WIF (mainly navy with some red)
• Towel 2 WIF (red body)
• Towel 3 WIF (mainly red with some navy)
• Towel 4 WIF (olive body)

Notes from designer Malynda Allen:

I love symmetry, but I admire the beautiful work of other weavers who design asymmetric patterning with apparent ease. While designing these towels, I combined my love of symmetry and asymmetry. When folded in thirds lengthwise, each third is symmetrical; however, when the towel is open, the asymmetry becomes clear.

I chose a simple rosepath twill and created designs by playing with color placement. In my sampling, I wove one towel by randomly switching weft colors as I went, giving me a beautifully varied sampler, which I then used to plan the border for each towel. Two of the towels use a single weft color (except for the border), and the other two have an accent color throughout the body of the towel. Though you can weave these towels exactly as I did, I suggest putting on a longer warp so you can play with the colors and design your own custom borders.

While weaving, I noticed that the weft colors perfectly match the currants and blackberries I harvest from my garden in the summertime: bright red, black, and white among the dark green foliage. The bright colors of these towels remind me of a summer picnic with red and black currant jelly.