Waffle weave towels in red

I wove some waffle weave dishcloths a while back and found them a fun weave, so I decided to make some kitchen towels. The pattern called for blocks of color, but sometimes I think patterns in magazines are deliberately designed to try to force the weaver to buy a LOT of yarn. I am more interested in the weave structure than the colors, so I wove these in my favorite color: red.

Waffle weave is a loose weave structure. I discovered that, when hand hemming these towels, I had to stitch into the weft, not the warp, as the warp would pull out. Also, this weave structure shrinks a LOT when washed. The beginning size was approximately 30"x17", unhemmed.

After running the hemmed towels through the laundry, they measured approximately 23"x16" (the pattern indicated 24"x16.5", so very close). They have a lot of drape, too, probably because I did not beat hard enough to achieve 20 ppi that the pattern indicated.

Pattern: Playing with Blocks: Waffle-weave Towels, by Jodi Ybarra, as printed in the Holiday 2020 issue of Easy Weaving with Little Looms
Modifications: Used single yarn for weft while weaving the hems
Weave structure: Waffle weave
Loom: Ashford 24" rigid heddle
Warp: Valley Yarns 8/2 Unmercerized Cotton, in red (3611), doubled
Weft: Valley Yarns 8/2 Unmercerized Cotton, in red (3611), doubled
EPI/PPI: 12.5/10ish
Ends: 256
Off loom size, unhemmed: 30"x17"
Finished size, hemmed: 23"x16"

Before washing, the waffle looked good, but afterwards, a strip of non-waffle appeared in the middle of the towels. I must have done something (consistantly) wrong there, maybe caused by a loose warp thread.

All in all, though, I'm pretty pleased with the result, have plans to weave more. However, I think I favor 8/4 cotton over 8/2 doubled.

Weavers like to participate in tea towel exchanges and compete (nicely) to outdo each other. My towels will never qualify as fancy-schmancy, but they are very functional.

Color, light, emotion

One of my fiber cohorts is taking an online class in color. Each student selects a picture of something meaningful to them, then first weaves something that identifies the colors in that picture, something that accentuates the light, and something that indicates the emotion evoked by the picture. I never heard of this approach to color design, but it is intriguing.

Knitting: Still working on the cowl. (I found the pattern printout with my notes - I had used it to take some meeting notes at the spinning guild picnic).
Weaving: I finished hemming the waffle weave towels. Yay me! Unfortunately, I discovered that a float on waffle weave can be *really* long.

School starts next week for my granddaughter, so no more Wednesdays with Grandma. She starts middle school (sixth grade) this year. Hard to believe she is a pre-teen.

Waffle weave wash cloths

After my previous effort at waffle weave dish cloths, I decided to make some more (they are a fun weave) to try to fix the hourglass shape the previous ones ended up with. My strategy was to not edge them in plain weave, as it seemed to not shrink as much as the waffle weave. The hems were really bulky and difficult to sew, and they are still rather hourglass shapped. But no matter. Now I have more wash cloths to use and give away.

Weave structure: Waffle weave
Loom: Ashford Sampleit
Yarn: Elmore-Pisgah Peaches & Cream in 'Shaded Pastels'
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
(I didn't take notes on the pre-wash/post-wash measurements.)

There is a pattern in one of the issues of Little Looms for waffle weave towels in a finer yarn. The corners of the towels in the photos look square, so maybe using a finer yarn works better for this weave structure. That pattern is on my to-do list.

Waffle weave dishcloths

The impetus for this project came from a program at my local weaving guild. They are getting better about including something more than weaving cloth on a harness loom for sewing, so part of the presentation involved waffle weave on a rigid heddle. I warped my Sampleit loom prior to the program, not realizing just how much shrinkage would occur. If I were to repeat this project, I would start with a wider warp.

Weave structure: Waffle weave
Loom: Ashford Sampleit
Yarn: Elmore-Pisgah Peaches & Cream in 'Daisy Ombre' (although my SO calls it 'Buttered Popcorn')
EPI/PPI: 7.5/7.5
Size prior to hemming: 8"W x 10"L
Size after hemming, prior to washing: 8"W x 8"L
Size after hemming and washing: 6.75"W x 7"L

I began and ended each dishcloth with an overcast stitch (as described in Finishing Touches for the Handweaver, by Virginia M. West) to secure the warp and weft. I wove seven rows in plain weave at each end of each dishcloth, to fold over for the hem. (The odd number is because the pattern provided by my fellow weaver starts with the heddle in the down position; it is a personal quirk that I always begin weaving with the heddle in the up position, throwing from the right.)

Not trusting the overcast stitch to be secure enough, I also sewed a zigzag stitch at each end with my trusty Kenmore sewing machine. Then I rolled the hem and zigzagged again. As you can see, there was some pull-in; I don't have a temple for this narrow of a width.

Since these are workhorse dishcloths, I ran them through the washer and dryer just as I would for any cotton dishcloth. The expected shrinkage occurred, but the hemmed edges shrank less than the rest of the fabric. Perhaps I should have refrained hemming until after the shrinkage.

I gave one of these to my SO with the instructions to use it as he would any dishcloth, even though it is woven and not knit like the others I have given him. The others will go to my son and daughter, with the same instructions. I want to see how they hold up.

The instructions came from a YouTube video, but I don't have the link. A quick search reveals there are several videos out there to choose from. The Weaver's Idea Book, by Jane Patrick, contains several "mock waffle weave" patterns. Regardless, all involves the use of a pickup stick. I was able to weave each dishcloth in a single sitting, despite my shoulders.

I thought I had enough warp for four washcloths, but the last one was only a half. I considered turning it into a coaster, but instead tucked it behind the kitchen faucet where my wet hands drip water.