Valley Yarns #218 Good Vibrations Towels

Valley Yarns Good Vibrations Towels

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Good Vibrations Towels are a pair of woven home textiles designed by Mary M. Jones. Each finished towel measures 19.5" x 23", and the project produces two towels from a single warp setup. These are functional household towels created using a complex weaving structure that generates visual interest through strategic color placement and pattern complexity.

Weaving Structure and Techniques

This project features a twill weaving structure executed on an 8-shaft loom. The design employs warp stripes as the primary technique to create visual depth and complexity. The designer intentionally used a more intricate twill threading pattern that highlights different sections of the overall design as the viewer's eye moves across the fabric. This approach creates a dynamic visual effect where additional pattern details become apparent upon closer examination of the finished towels.

The weaving requires careful attention to heddle distribution across the eight shafts, with notably skewed distribution and a high concentration of heddles on shafts 6 and 7. The project uses a standard treadling draft system to control the shaft sequences during weaving.

Warp and Weft Specifications

The warp is wound to a length of 3 yards with a total of 547 ends, including 2 floating selvedges for finished edges. The warp employs a three-color striping pattern using Valley Yarns 8/2 cotton in the following colors and yardages:

• #2574 Heather: 729 yards
• #4548 Peaches 'n Cream: 558 yards
• #5949 Black Forest: 354 yards

The weft is woven entirely in Valley Yarns 8/2 cotton #8176 Natural, requiring 918 yards. All yarns are 100% unmercerized cotton with a yardage rate of 3360 yards per pound, sold on 1-pound cones.

Loom Setup and Sett

This project requires an 8-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 24 inches, one shuttle, and one bobbin. The sett (thread density) is set at 24 ends per inch (epi), achieved by placing 2 threads per dent in a 12-dent reed. The weaving width in the reed is 22.75 inches. The finished picks per inch (ppi) is 20, creating a balanced fabric suitable for absorbent towel use.

Weaving Process

After dressing the loom and threading according to the provided threading draft, weavers begin by weaving several picks of plain weave using scrap yarn to separate and stabilize the warp. The actual towel weaving then follows a detailed treadling draft that controls the shaft sequences to create the complex twill pattern. Weavers can adjust the total length woven based on personal preference, though the pattern is designed for approximately 33 inches of weaving to produce the two finished towels.