Valley Yarns #180 Natty Neutrals Towels

Valley Yarns Natty Neutrals Towels: Woven Dish Towels with Fibonacci-Inspired Stripe Design

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Natty Neutrals Towels project produces a set of three finished dish towels, each measuring 15.5" x 24". Designed by Leslie Ann Bestor, this weaving pattern offers a neutral color palette alternative to bright and colorful towel designs. The project yields multiple color variations—plaids, color blocks, and a lace pick-up pattern—allowing weavers to create matching yet unique towels within a single project.

Weaving Techniques

This project employs plain weave as the primary weaving structure, with one towel incorporating a pick-up lace pattern for added texture and visual interest. The design utilizes a Fibonacci number sequence to create an intentional stripe pattern in the warp, establishing a mathematical foundation for the stripe arrangement. Weavers are encouraged to experiment with their own weft color ordering, enabling customization while maintaining the structured warp design.

The project demonstrates how varying weft patterns can dramatically alter the finished appearance of towels woven on an identical warp. By changing weft color sequences, weavers can create plaids, solid color blocks, and decorative lace effects—all from the same warp setup.

Stitches and Weaving Structure

Plain weave forms the foundation of all three towels in this project. Plain weave is the most fundamental weaving structure, created by alternating the passage of weft threads over and under warp threads in a simple one-over, one-under pattern. This basic structure provides a sturdy, balanced fabric ideal for functional dish towels.

One towel incorporates a pick-up lace pattern, a technique where specific warp ends are manually lifted using a pick-up stick to create open, decorative areas within the fabric. This adds visual complexity and breathability to that particular towel while maintaining the structural integrity of the weave.

Materials: Yarns and Equipment

Yarn Specifications

This project uses Valley Yarns 5/2 Cotton, a 100% mercerized cotton yarn with a yardage of 2100 yards per pound. Mercerized cotton provides a lustrous finish, enhanced strength, and excellent absorbency—all desirable qualities for dish towels.

Warp yarns are distributed across three neutral colors:

• 7503 Shell: 291 yards
• 8798 Frost Gray: 228 yards
• Golden Ochre: 165 yards

Weft yarns use the same Valley Yarns 5/2 Cotton in matching colors:

• 7503 Shell: 426 yards
• 8798 Frost Gray: 80.3 yards
• Golden Ochre: 68.3 yards

The pattern notes that weft yardage will vary depending on the weaver's chosen color order. A full cone of each color provides sufficient yarn for all three color variations presented in the pattern.

Loom and Equipment Requirements

This project is designed for a rigid heddle loom at least 20 inches wide, equipped with a 12-dent heddle. The 12-dent heddle (meaning 12 ends per inch) pairs with a sett of 12 ends per inch in the warp and 12 picks per inch in the weft, creating a balanced plain weave fabric.

Additional equipment needed includes three stick shuttles for managing the three weft colors and a small pick-up stick for executing the lace pick-up pattern on one of the towels.

Warp Setup and Dimensions

The project requires a warp of 3 yards in length with 228 ends total. The warp is dressed into the loom at a width of 19 inches in the reed. The finished towels measure 15.5" x 24" each, with the pattern producing three complete towels from a single warp setup. The color order for the warp follows a specific sequence incorporating the Fibonacci-inspired stripe design, with detailed end counts provided for each color section in the pattern.