Weaving on 8 shafts has given me many more options for pattern and texture than what I had with just 4 shafts. I have been in a bit of towel rut lately and wanted to see more interesting patterns than just the plain weave on a rigid heddle loom. Handwoven's publication Top Ten Towels on 8 Shafts, gave me lots of options, but how do you pick just one. So instead I planned a 7 yard warp to get as much variation as possible from using different treadling and different colors of weft, while using the same structure for warp. I warped the loom with a straight twill using a natural 4/2 cotton. Each towel utilized a different tie-up, which meant a lot of floor time changing the tie-up. But this was a small trade-off for warping once and getting 6 very different towels.
The towels came up very thick, due to the 4/2 cotton used for the warp. I warped it at 20 epi, which seemed about the right set for a twill using this warp.
From Top Ten Towels on 8 Shafts
From Top Ten Towels on 8 Shafts, also found in A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, draft 10
A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, draft 43
From Top Ten Towels on 8 Shafts
A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, draft 321
A Weaver's Book of 8-Shaft Patterns, draft 314
Date Finished July 2013
Loom Baby Wolf
Weave Structure Twills
Reed 10, doubled 20epi
Warp Fiber cotton, unmercerized
Count 4/2
Color natural
Mfr
Source Earthguild
Warp Width in Reed 20"
Ends 402
Length 7 yds
Weft Fiber cotton
Count 8/2
Color several
Mfr
Source
Beat 50/50
Size 20 x 30 on the loom, 17.5 X 27 after finishing
