SECOND TOWEL WOVEN

Posted by Peg in South Carolina

For this scarf, instead of using burnt orange for the main color I am using a medium blue.

I am still enjoying the novelty of fast, easy weaving, with the monotony relieved by inserting the bands of white.

WEAVING PERFECT SQUARES

I had been looking for squares that were perfectly square, but this is probably not going to happen.  I think the draw-in will be greater than the take up. Thus, even though the squares measure the same each way while on the loom, they will probably become a bit more rectangular once off the loom.

There is only way that might have guaranteed perfect squares: weaving a sample at the beginning of the warp, cutting it off and washing and pressing it. And I might have had to do this more than once. Perfect squares were just not that important to me.  So I am again abiding by Laura Fry’s dictum that if you can’t weave it perfectly, weave it consistently.

COUNTING AND MEASURING

To that end I am both counting and measuring.  I know how many shots go in a square, but to make it easier, I do not count individual shots.  Rather, I count each set of 4 treadles.  When I get to 5 (I read these as 5 groups), I note that as 1 on my knitting counter. My knitting counter hangs around my neck so I never have to look for it.  I then weave another set of 5 groups and note that as 2 on my counter.  Then another and note that as 3.  Then I need to weave 2 groups of 4 treadles followed by 2 treadles.  But, before I do those extra 2 treadles, I measure.

Measuring and treadling should match.  If they do not, measuring trumps treadling.

On the first towel, I occasionally did not need those extra 2 treadles. On the second towel I just finished, I only occasionally had to use them. Aha, again my weaving is not perfect!

I do wonder, however, if the blue yarn was ever so slightly thicker than the burnt orange.  Spinning mills are not perfect either….

FLOATING SELVEDGES

Half way through this second towel, the floating selvedges loosened enough to force me to weight them.  I was curious how long I would have to weave before weighting was required.  Now I know.

"Second Towel Woven" was written by Margaret Carpenter for Talking about Weaving and was originally posted on November 25, 2008. © 2008 Margaret Carpenter aka Peg in South Carolina