Valley Yarns #129 Confetti Dish Towel

Valley Yarns Confetti Dish Towel

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Confetti Dish Towel is a woven homeware project designed to create functional kitchen towels with a festive, textured appearance. Each finished towel measures 14 inches by 23 inches and is specifically engineered for effective dish drying. The pattern produces two towels from a single warp of 3 yards in length, making this an efficient weaving project for both beginners and experienced weavers.

Weave Structure and Techniques

This project features a Turned M's and O's weave structure, a classic pattern known for combining visual complexity with straightforward execution. Designer Wendy Bestor selected this weave specifically because the pattern is easy to follow visually and the treadling sequence is quick to memorize. The M's and O's structure creates subtle dimples in the fabric texture, which enhances the towel's functionality for drying dishes while delivering an appealing festive design.

The weaving technique incorporates striped patterning achieved through strategic color placement in both the warp and weft. The towels begin with a plain weave hem section woven in cotton sewing thread for 1½ inches, which provides a professional finish and prevents wavy edges that would result from using heavier yarns in this area.

Stitches and Threading Details

The project requires a 4-shaft loom at minimum, with an 18-inch width capacity. The threading follows a specific pattern with precise heddle counts distributed across the four shafts:

• Shaft 1: 8 heddles
• Shaft 2: 215 heddles (requiring careful counting before threading begins)
• Shaft 3: 104 heddles
• Shaft 4: 104 heddles

The warp consists of 431 ends total, set at 24 ends per inch using a 12-dent reed with 2 threads per dent. The threading pattern repeats 34 times across the width, creating the consistent striped visual effect throughout the finished towels. Weaving begins with plain weave treadling (treadles 1 and 3) for the hem section before transitioning to the M's and O's pattern.

Materials and Yarns

The Confetti Dish Towel pattern calls for Valley Yarns 8/2 cotton, a 100% cotton yarn with a yardage of 3360 yards per pound. The warp requires 1086 yards of Valley Yarns 8/2 cotton in the natural colorway (#8176) combined with 207 yards of Schachenmayr Fashion Tahiti (#7642) for color accents. The weft uses 800 yards of Valley Yarns 8/2 cotton in natural, supplemented with cotton sewing thread for the hem sections.

The pattern notes that the Schachenmayr Fashion Tahiti has been discontinued; weavers can substitute Valley Yarns 8/2 Variegated Cotton as an alternative for achieving similar color variation and visual interest in the striped design.

The project requires standard weaving equipment including a 4-shaft loom, 1 shuttle, and 1 bobbin. The finished towels showcase the durability and absorbency of 100% cotton construction, making them practical additions to any kitchen while displaying the sophisticated visual texture created by the M's and O's weave structure.