Valley Yarns #71 Towel in 4-Shaft Finnish Twill

Valley Yarns Towel in 4-Shaft Finnish Twill

What is Being Made

This is a woven towel project designed for the home, measuring 17" x 28" after washing, drying, and hemming. The towel features a Finnish twill pattern adapted from Ester Perheentupa's #41 draft in A Hand-Weaver's Pattern Book. The design philosophy prioritizes visual interest by placing primary stripes in the center of the towel, ensuring that the beautiful twill pattern remains visible even when the towel is folded in thirds and hung with the center facing outward—a common display method that typically hides edge patterns.

Techniques Used

This project employs striping as the primary decorative technique, combined with twill weaving on a 4-shaft loom. The weaver can choose between multiple treadling variations for the M & W threaded twill pattern to customize the final appearance. The design requires careful attention to warp color order and threading sequence to achieve the intended striped effect with the twill structure.

Stitches and Weaving Structures

The towel uses a Finnish twill weaving structure, which is a traditional pattern that creates diagonal lines and visual texture. The pattern is created through specific tie-ups and treadling sequences on the 4-shaft loom. The threading follows a precise order with floating selvedges at each side for finished edges. The warp consists of 395 ends total, with a sett of 20 epi (ends per inch), which can be achieved using either a 10-dent reed with 2 ends per dent, an 8-dent reed with 2-3 ends per dent, or a 12-dent reed with 1-2-2 ends per dent configuration.

Materials: Yarn and Equipment

Yarn: The project uses Valley Yarns 8/2 Unmercerized Cotton, which is 100% cotton with a yardage of 3360 yards per pound. Two colors are required:

• Nautical Blue (#2550): 918 yards for the warp
• White (#8001): 267 yards for the warp

Each finished towel requires approximately 400 yards of weft yarn in the same cotton. The warp length needed is 3 yards of 395 ends, which produces 2 towels and includes floating selvedges.

Equipment: A 4-shaft loom at least 24 inches wide is required. The project uses one shuttle and bobbin for weaving. A temple is optional but helpful for maintaining consistent width during the weaving process. The finished width in the reed is 19¾ inches.

Project Specifications

The towel includes 1.25-inch hems at each end. The warp color order alternates between blue and white sections according to the provided chart, creating the striped visual effect. The design accommodates multiple treadling variations for the M & W threaded twill, allowing weavers to choose their preferred pattern or weave different variations on the same warp.