Project 4-SHAFT
YEARS AGO, WHEN ANITA OSTERHAUG was still editor
of Handwoven, she casually mentioned to me one day that she
had never woven towels. I was surprised—I assumed all weavers
regularly put on extra-long warps for kitchen towels every few
months or so. When it was decided to dedicate this anniversary
issue to not just the projects of Handwoven’s past but also the
people, I knew I had to weave a set of Norwegian towels in
honor of Anita.
Th ese towels are inspired by a towel in the collections of the
Vesterheim Museum donated by a family from Minnesota
(pictured on page 59). I loved the simple design of the towel:
mostly white with a bit of simple striping as a frame, a
damask strip along each end, and a lattice fringe hanging down.
Th is was probably a show towel of sorts—something to hang
over the everyday towel when guests came to visit.
For my version of the towel, I replaced the damask with a
band of twill inspired, in a roundabout way, from the Norwe-
gian weave structure skillbragd. True skillbragd requires a
countermarch or counterbalance loom (or some clever adjusting
of a jack loom), but I wanted this draft to be accessible to as
many weavers as possible. I turned to my collection of Handwo-
vens and found a draft by Carol Strickler in the May/June 1987
issue wherein skillbragd was simplifi ed and turned so it could be
woven on a four-shaft loom using a supplemental warp. To
make it a horizontal band, I turned the simplifi ed draft yet again.
I also chose to weave the band using blue instead of red because
blue was traditionally reserved for the most special of projects.
Now, I recognize that a towel with lattice fringe is perhaps not
the most useful of things, so I also chose to weave an everyday
towel with a simple rosepath treadling. Th is towel is slightly
smaller than the fi rst towel so it can hide under the show towel
when you have company.
Weave these towels when you’re pining for the fj ords of
Norway. Th ey’re not authentic, but like Anita, they are a little bit
Norwegian, a little bit American, and a whole lot of fun.RESOURCES
wStrickler, Carol. “Warp-Patterned Adaptation.” Handwoven,
May/June 1987, I-13–I-14.STRUCTURE
Twill and plain weave.
EQUIPMENT
4-shaft loom, 19" weaving width; 12-dent reed; 2
shuttles; 4 bobbins.
YARNS
Warp: 22/2 cottolin (60% cotton/40% linen; 3,274 yd/lb;
Bockens; Yarn Barn of Kansas), #2002 Unbleached, 1,197
yd; #2080 Rich Red, 72 yd. 8/2 cotton (3,360 yd/lb; UKI;
Halcyon), #57 Turk, 36 yd.
Weft: 22/2 cottolin, #2002 Unbleached, 601 yd; #2080
Rich Red, 54 yd. 8/2 cotton, #57 Turk, 31 yd. 4/2 cotton
(1,600 yd/lb; Dragon Tale Yarns; Earth Guild), Teal, 17 yd.
OTHER SUPPLIES
Professional Textile Detergent (Dharma Trading Co.) or
Synthrapol; blocking mat; sewing pins; 4 cardboard
strips, 2" x 21" (optional).
WARP LENGTH
435 ends 3 yd long (includes ƃ oating selvedges; allows
7" for take-up, 33" for loom waste; loom waste includes
fringe).
SETTS
Warp: 24 epi (2/dent in a 12-dent reed).
Weft: Towel 1, 17 ppi; 4/2 cotton band, 20 ppi. Towel 2,
25 ppi.
DIMENSIONS
Width in the reed: 183 Š 12 ".
Woven length: (measured under tension on the loom)
68", including loom waste for fringe between towels.
Finished size: Towel 1, 15½" x 25½" with 3" lattice
fringe; Towel 2 (after hemming), 14¾" x 23".1
Wind a warp of 433 ends 3 yd long following the warp
color order in Figure 1. Measure 2 additional ends of
Unbleached to use as fl oating selvedges and set them aside.
Use your preferred method for warping the loom following
the draft in Figure 2. Sley 2 ends per dent in a 12-dent reed for
a total of 24 epi. Center for a weaving width of 18^3 ⁄ 12 ". Sley the
fl oating selvedges in an empty dent on each side of the warp
and weight them over the back beam.2
Wind a bobbin with each of the four weft colors. Leaving
at least 8"of unwoven warp for fringe, spread the warp
with scrap yarn.Norwegian Blue Towels for Anita
CHRISTINA GARTON60 | HANDWOVEN http://www.interweave.com