Valley Yarns #147 Kaleidoscope Towels

Valley Yarns Kaleidoscope Towels Weaving Pattern

What is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Kaleidoscope Towels pattern (Draft #147) is designed to create three finished towels, each measuring 17½" × 30". This weaving project produces functional homeware textiles featuring a captivating square pattern that shifts and changes based on weft color selections. The design was created by Julia Daniels and offers weavers an excellent introduction to using all eight shafts on a loom, even for those who may be hesitant about employing the full shaft capacity.

Weave Structure and Techniques

Weave Structure: The Kaleidoscope Towels use a twill weave structure, which creates the characteristic diagonal lines and dimensional appearance that interact with the striped color patterns. The twill structure is particularly effective in this design because it enhances the visual impact of the color changes across the warp and weft.

Stripe Technique: The primary technique employed in this pattern is striping, achieved through a carefully planned warp color order. The warp features multiple distinct color sections that are strategically arranged to create the square pattern effect. The color order begins with 72 ends of purple at the center (which does not repeat), followed by symmetrical sections of 56 royal lilac ends, 40 petunia ends, alternating groups of 8 turquoise green and dark teal ends, and 4 black ends on each outer edge. This symmetrical arrangement, combined with thoughtful weft color choices, generates the kaleidoscopic visual effect that gives the pattern its name.

The design demonstrates how different weft colors dramatically transform the appearance of the towels, allowing weavers to customize their finished pieces with endless color combinations while maintaining the same underlying structure.

Loom Equipment and Setup

Loom Requirements: This pattern is designed for an 8-shaft loom with a 24" weaving width. The pattern is particularly accessible for weavers transitioning to using all eight shafts, as shafts 5 through 8 require only 28 heddles each, making them less intimidating for those new to multi-shaft weaving. The setup requires one shuttle and one bobbin for weaving.

Reed and Sett: The towels are woven at a sett of 24 ends per inch (epi), achieved using 2/dent spacing in a 12-dent reed. The width in the reed is 21⅔ inches, accommodating the full warp width needed for the three towels.

Yarns and Materials

Warp Yarns: The warp is composed of Valley Yarns 8/2 cotton, a 100% unmercerized cotton yarn with a yardage of 3360 yards per pound. The warp length is 4 yards with 520 total ends (including 2 floating selvedges). The warp color palette includes six distinct cotton colors:

• Royal Lilac (#6394) – 444 yards
• Turquoise Green (#5424) – 384 yards
• Dark Teal (#2746) – 384 yards
• Petunia (#6290) – 324 yards
• Purple (#6995) – 288 yards
• Black (#8990) – 252 yards

Weft Yarns: The weft requires 1812 yards of yarn in colors of your choice, selected from the same warp color options. The designer emphasizes that experimenting with different weft color selections is one of the most enjoyable aspects of this project, as the weft colors significantly alter the final appearance of the square pattern.

Warping Process

The warping process follows a specific color order designed to create the symmetrical square pattern. Weavers wind the warp in two halves to avoid crowding the warping board or mill. The winding begins with 4 black threads on the right side and progresses leftward across the color chart through the turquoise green, dark teal, petunia, royal lilac, and finally the 72 purple ends at the center. The purple section serves as the non-repeating center point of the towel. After reaching the center purple section, the color sequence reverses direction, working back across the chart symmetrically to the right, ending with the 4 black threads.