Valley Yarns #190 Lemon Sherbet Towel

Valley Yarns Lemon Sherbet Towel

What is Being Made

The Lemon Sherbet Towel is a woven homeware project designed by Leslie Ann Bestor. This finished towel measures 17.5" x 25" and is created as a set of two towels from a single warp. The design captures the bright, cheerful aesthetic of lemon sherbet frozen treats through strategic use of variegated and solid-colored cotton yarns combined in a single weaving project.

Design Concept and Yarn Strategy

The towel design solves a common weaving challenge: how to showcase variegated yarns without obscuring woven patterns. Rather than allowing the multi-color pattern to overwhelm the fabric structure, this design separates the lace pattern from the variegated color sections. This separation allows both the intricate lace detail and the bright color variations to shine independently, creating visual interest through complementary rather than competing elements. The variegated yarn (#9946 Sherbet Combo) and solid banana yellow yarn (#1205 Banana) work together to evoke the cheerful appearance of a bowl of lemon sherbet in sunlight.

Weaving Techniques and Structure

This project employs two distinct weaving structures to achieve its visual effect:

• Huck Lace: An openwork technique used in the yellow sections to create an airy, delicate pattern that allows light to pass through the fabric
• Plain Weave: Used in the variegated sections to create a solid, stable base that showcases the multi-color yarn variations

The combination of these two structures within a single towel creates textural and visual variety. The lace sections are deliberately designed to open up and create negative space, while the plain weave sections provide structure and color showcase. The different sley orders for variegated and yellow sections—with the yellow sections using a skip-dent sleying pattern—are essential to allowing the lace to fully develop and open during weaving.

Loom and Equipment Requirements

This project requires a 4-shaft loom with a minimum width of 24 inches. The loom is dressed with a 12-dent reed set at 18 ends per inch (epi), using special sleying instructions to accommodate the two different weave structures. The warp width in the reed is 22 inches, and the project uses a single shuttle and bobbin for weaving.

Yarn Materials and Specifications

All yarns used in this project are Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton, made from 100% unmercerized cotton with a yardage rate of 3360 yards per pound. This weight and fiber content provides the appropriate drape and absorbency for a functional towel.

Warp Yarns:

• Valley Yarns 8/2 Variegated Cotton, #9946 Sherbet Combo: 645 yards total
• Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton, #1205 Banana: 540 yards total

Weft Yarn:

• Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton, #1205 Banana: 807 yards total

The total warp length is 3 yards of 395 ends, which creates two complete towels in a single weaving session. The weft uses only the solid banana yellow yarn, allowing the warp colors to remain the primary visual focus.

Threading and Heddle Configuration

The threading order follows a specific color sequence that alternates between variegated and yellow sections. The variegated sections are threaded entirely in plain weave, while the yellow sections are threaded in the lace pattern. Shaft heddle counts are distributed as follows: Shaft 1 requires 170 heddles (3x), Shaft 2 requires 165 heddles, Shaft 3 requires 28 heddles with 46 heddles in variegated sections and 41 in yellow sections, and Shaft 4 requires 32 heddles. The large number of heddles on Shafts 1 and 2 reflects the predominance of plain weave threading in the variegated sections.

Sley and Sett Details

The sleying pattern differs significantly between the two color sections to support the different weave structures. Variegated sections are sleyed at a standard rate of 1-2 ends per dent across multiple dents (23x, 7x, 20x, 7x, 23x pattern). Yellow sections use a skip-dent sleying method: one dent is skipped, then