Valley Yarns #259 Easy Crackle Towel

Valley Yarns Easy Crackle Towel

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Easy Crackle Towel is a set of two woven homeware towels designed by Merriel Miller. Each finished towel measures 16.5" x 25.5", creating a practical and decorative textile for everyday use. The design features a bold geometric pattern achieved through crackle weave structure, offering rich texture and visual interest suitable for kitchen or bathroom settings.

Weaving Techniques

This project employs Crackle Weave as its primary technique, treadled as Twill. Crackle weave is a sophisticated weaving structure that produces dimensional, textured fabric with excellent visual impact while remaining accessible to weavers with basic equipment. The technique creates a bold geometric design without requiring complex threading or multiple shuttles. The pattern is achieved through strategic treadling sequences rather than intricate yarn color changes, making it an excellent choice for weavers seeking impressive results with straightforward execution.

The project incorporates striped design elements through thoughtful yarn color selection in the weft. Alternating between Gray Blue and Navy creates visual bands that enhance the geometric qualities of the crackle structure.

Weaving Structure and Specifications

The towels are woven on a 4-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 24". The warp consists of 485 ends at a sett of 24 ends per inch (epi), achieved by threading 2 threads per dent in a 12-dent reed. The weaving width in the reed is 20.33", with the finished towel width measuring 16.5" after wet-finishing.

Threading requirements:

• Shaft 1: 94 heddles
• Shaft 2: 155 heddles
• Shaft 3: 148 heddles
• Shaft 4: 86 heddles
• Floating selvedges on both edges for clean finishing

The treadling draft follows a specific sequence that creates the crackle pattern. Plain weave treadles (1 and 6) are used for hem sections and scrap yarn picks, while the pattern treadles execute the crackle-as-twill structure.

Yarns and Materials

This project uses Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton, a 100% unmercerized cotton yarn with 3,360 yards per pound, sold on 1-pound cones. The unmercerized finish provides a natural, matte appearance ideal for towel weaving.

Warp yarn: Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton in #2636 Navy, requiring 1,334 yards for the complete warp of 2.75 yards length with 485 ends.

Weft yarns: The project uses two colors to create striped visual interest:

• Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton in #2868 Gray Blue: 744 yards
• Valley Yarns 8/2 Cotton in #2636 Navy: 92 yards

A single shuttle and bobbin are required for weaving, as the crackle-as-twill structure allows for straightforward single-shuttle weaving without color changes mid-row.

Finishing and Dimensions

Each towel is woven to approximately 31 inches on the loom, including 29 inches of pattern and 1.5-inch hems on each end. After removal from the loom, yarn ends are secured using either a serger or zig-zag stitch on a sewing machine before wet-finishing. The finished dimensions are 16.5" x 25.5" per towel, with the set yielding two complete towels from a single warp.