# Woven dishtowels - Gumdrop stripe



## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

I finished another dishtowel.

Here is the link - 2 towels before cutting apart
small picture









large picture
http://rabbitgeek.com/loom/towelgumdrop1.jpg

Close up of single towel
small picture









large picture
http://rabbitgeek.com/loom/towelgumdrop3.jpg

This is woven with peaches and cream cotton yarn
No. 1 white, No. 205 gumdrop
Beka 20 inch rigid heddle loom, 8 dent,
wet finished (wash & dry), hand hemmed,
finished size 14 x 24 inch.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## farmer kate (Jan 21, 2007)

Wow. I've only got wool to work with for my borrowed loom and I can see that I ought to try some cotton......I want to make something practical before I have to give the loom back. What kind/weight of thread/yarn would I buy to make dishtowels?

katie


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

farmer kate said:


> Wow. I've only got wool to work with for my borrowed loom and I can see that I ought to try some cotton......I want to make something practical before I have to give the loom back. What kind/weight of thread/yarn would I buy to make dishtowels?
> 
> katie


This is woven with peaches and cream cotton yarn
No. 1 white, I bought a 14 oz cone at Walmart about $7

No. 205 gumdrop, 1 oz ball, $1.75 ea, two balls

It takes most of one colored ball to warp two towels.
Here is the pattern, 128 ends wide, 
8 white, 8 color, 96 white, 8 color, 8 white

That should be enough for 4 towels.

I warped with about 78 inch threads, allowing 15 inch for cutoff.
Your yardage may vary.

I hope that helps.


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## farmer kate (Jan 21, 2007)

Thanks, that really does help. I don't have the skills yet to match the yarn to the project.

kate


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## AngieM2 (May 10, 2002)

Those are great looking.

Angie


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## Guest (Jan 25, 2009)

Beautiful work!!


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## nduetime (Dec 15, 2005)

Love them! Hmmm, spinning was not my thing..maybe I should try a loom instead???


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Franco you're really going to town with the dish cloths. They look great, and I love the colors.


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## ELOCN (Jun 13, 2004)

Beautiful dishtowels! So cheerful-looking!


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

farmer kate said:


> Thanks, that really does help. I don't have the skills yet to match the yarn to the project.
> 
> kate


More info:

I think the pattern works with any colored yarn, just about anything would go with white. I'm trusting the yarn company to make good choices on multicolor yarn that the shades of color are harmonious.

Here is a video that showed me how to hemstitch with the fringe.

hemstitch video
[ame]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHBKqG2Do2I[/ame]

My fringe is almost all three strand, but there is one two strand
fringe because 128 is not divisible by 3.

I hope that helps.

And a correction:

On the yarn cost,
No. 205 gumdrop, *2* oz ball, $1.75 ea, two balls
Not 1 oz as previously posted.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## littlekari (Jul 10, 2008)

They are really neat--wish I could do that. Maybe will learn in the next year?


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## farmer kate (Jan 21, 2007)

I hope you don't mind one more question. (Actually it might be two). I don't know what 8 dent means. Also, when I played around with some cotton, I set up the loom the only way I've learned to so far: 2 strands in each opening of the reed, which should equal 8 threads of warp per inch. The weft packed to the right density, but the warp wasn't close together enough, so I'm guessing I should set up with more through each reed opening? Is that how you get the towels to be, well, towel-y instead of scarf-y?

I'm sorry I don't have the right vocabulary. I've borrowed the loom from a friend whose memory of the process is a little vague.

katie


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## rabbitgeek (Mar 22, 2008)

farmer kate said:


> I hope you don't mind one more question. (Actually it might be two). I don't know what 8 dent means. Also, when I played around with some cotton, I set up the loom the only way I've learned to so far: 2 strands in each opening of the reed, which should equal 8 threads of warp per inch. The weft packed to the right density, but the warp wasn't close together enough, so I'm guessing I should set up with more through each reed opening? Is that how you get the towels to be, well, towel-y instead of scarf-y?
> katie


8 dent is the term for threads per inch.

My weaving is done on 8 dent.

The weaving coming off the loom is kind of loose. But after putting through the washer and a drying cycle, they are definitely more towel like. The cotton yarn shrinks about 10 percent at the first washing.

There is a definite difference after washing.

I hope that helps.

Have a good day!
Franco Rios


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## Nellie (Oct 18, 2006)

Those are really nice!! Quit it! You're making me want a loom.


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