Satin Towels Chugging Along

Here's a shot of the end of #3 with the beginning of #4. Both drafts put the 4/1 satin in the same place, but where #3 has 1/4, 4/1, and 2/3 satins in the draft, #4 only has 1/4 and 4/1. The 4/1 is in the same blocks, but all other blocks are 1/4. So they are close cousins, but each with a different look. The weft on #4 is the same hemp/cotton yarn as #3, but dyed a lighter, brighter, more lime green hue. You can see the "distance" view of #3 as it disappears under the loom.



And here's #5, which has 100 picks of one arrangement of all 4 satin variations, then 100 picks of that arrangement rotated 1 block over, then 100 picks rotated another block, and so on, then back to the start. I had hoped to get 2 full repeats of the sequence in the treadling, but had to stop 100 picks early to stay within the 30-inch length specification. The weft is an unmercerized aqua cotton, probably 18/2 (though I didn't bother to weigh it out on the McMorran Balance).



I think I only have one more draft ready that can be woven with the heavier wefts, then I'll start on drafts with blocks that need the finer wefts. I think I can come up with a different draft for each towel on the warp - 18 in all. I love the challenge of making every piece on a warp so different that most non-weavers would swear the towels couldn't have come from the same warp.

BTW, four of the previous set of towels have gone to good homes - two as hostess gifts, and two sold to a friend who plans to use them as hostess gifts, too.