tea towels on the loom

tea towels can appear to be scarves, for a moment

I have been dreaming of a spring line of wovens. Scarves were my first choice, but as I wove tests, towels seemed like the best place to start for spring weaving. There is nothing like a good tea or hand towel in the kitchen- drying dishes, wrapping up freshly made bread, brightening up the front of a stove. For this line, I've chosen salmon and white for one set and turquoise and white for another. Spring for me is all about crisp, clean, bright colors.

The first salmon/white warp has been warped and wound onto the loom. Structurally, it is a basket weave with a plainweave ground; simple yet elegant.

this is the test warp- what the industry calls a handloom

half of the warp on the warping board

winding the warp- even tension throughout!

more winding

homemade shuttle

As I am building my collection of weaving tools, I currently only have one boat shuttle. Of course I chose some patterns that need two colors, so I have a second boat shuttle on order. Until it arrives, I decided to make my own very rudimentary shuttle. On one hand, I'm almost embarrassed to show this, as "professional" it's not. But on the other hand, I'm a fan of making do with what you have, and trying to solve the issues that occur.

test warp and plainweave/basketweave structure