Valley Yarns #229 Swallowtail Towels

Valley Yarns Swallowtail Towels Weaving Pattern

Project Overview

The Swallowtail Towels are a homeware weaving project designed by Julie Daniels for Valley Yarns. This downloadable PDF pattern creates a pair of finished towels measuring 18.5" x 26.25" each. The design celebrates spring with butterfly motifs woven into the fabric using a combination of plain weave and decorative Summer & Winter techniques.

Weave Structure and Techniques

This project utilizes a Summer & Winter weave structure, also known as dukagang style. The pattern combines two primary weaving techniques: the majority of the towels are woven in plain weave, while the border sections feature the more complex Summer & Winter patterning. The Summer & Winter technique creates dimensional butterfly motifs against a solid background, with each pattern unit requiring four shots to complete.

The striped color arrangement forms the foundation of the design, with bands of different colors creating visual interest across the warp. The warp color order progresses through Navy, Lime, Mediterranean Blue, and Banana in a structured sequence, while the weft incorporates Lime and Navy primarily, with Banana accents.

Equipment Requirements

• 8-shaft loom with minimum weaving width of 22"
• 2 shuttles for managing multiple weft colors
• 3 bobbins for weft yarn management
• 8-dent reed for proper sett

Materials and Yarn Specifications

The Swallowtail Towels pattern calls for Valley Yarns 6/2 Cotton, a 100% unmercerized cotton yarn with a yardage of 2520 yards per pound, sold on approximately 0.9 lb cones.

Warp Yarns:

• Lime: 396 yards
• Banana: 264 yards
• Mediterranean Blue: 264 yards
• Navy: 198 yards

Weft Yarns:

• Lime: 335 yards
• Navy: 168 yards
• Banana: 100 yards

Loom Setup and Specifications

The pattern requires a 3-yard warp length consisting of 374 ends, including 2 floating selvedges at the edges. The sett is 18 epi (ends per inch) using a 2-2-2-3 threading pattern in an 8-dent reed, resulting in a width in reed of 20.78". The finished towels measure 18.5" wide by 26.25" long, and the pattern produces two towels per weaving.

Weavers should dress the loom using their preferred method, centering the warp for the specified weaving width and following the detailed threading draft provided in the pattern. The threading draft includes specific instructions for incorporating floating selvedges at each end of the warp.

Design Inspiration

The color palette was thoughtfully chosen to represent spring themes: Lime represents greenery, Banana symbolizes sunshine, and Mediterranean Blue evokes beautiful spring skies. The butterfly motifs created through the Summer & Winter technique add a seasonal, naturalistic element to these functional homeware pieces.

Pattern Notes

This is a downloadable PDF pattern distributed by WEBS and is intended for personal use only. The pattern includes a larger version of the threading draft on the final page for easier reference during setup, as well as detailed warp color order charts and complete weaving instructions for executing both the plain weave sections and the Summer & Winter border patterning.