Valley Yarns #89 Crepe Towel

Valley Yarns Crepe Towel: Woven Kitchen Towel with Crepe Structure and Vertical Stripes

What Is Being Made

The Valley Yarns Crepe Towel is a woven kitchen towel designed by Carol Birtwistle. This project produces finished towels measuring 18" x 30" after washing, drying, and hemming. The pattern is drafted to create two towels from a single 3-yard warp, making it an efficient use of materials for weavers looking to produce multiple coordinated pieces.

Crepe Weave Structure and Technique

This towel uses a crepe weave structure, which according to textile authority G.H. Oelsner creates cloth with "a mixed or uniformly mottled appearance" through the interlacing of warp and filling yarns. The design employs a straight draw that is rearranged to produce irregular threadings. By repeating and alternating two threading variations, vertical stripes emerge across the fabric surface—a distinctive visual characteristic of this particular crepe interpretation.

The weaving technique is straightforward and accessible: the pattern uses a 3/2/1/2 tie-up with a straight treadling order, requiring only one shuttle for the entire project. This simplified approach makes the crepe structure achievable for weavers who may be newer to multi-shaft loom work.

Stitches and Weaving Details

The towel is woven on an 8-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 22". The warp consists of 456 ends threaded at a sett of 22 epi (ends per inch), using a 2-3-3 threading pattern in an 8-dent reed. The threading arrangement distributes 57 heddles on each of the eight shafts.

The warp color arrangement follows a specific pattern repeat, creating visual interest through color blocking:

• White: 175 ends
• Red: 175 ends
• Orange: 106 ends

This color sequence repeats five times across the total 456 ends, establishing the striped appearance that complements the crepe weave structure.

Materials: Yarn and Equipment

The towel is woven entirely with Valley Yarns 6/2 unmercerized cotton, a 100% cotton yarn with a yardage of 2520 yards per pound. This weight and fiber choice produces a finished towel with a soft hand and excellent absorbency—ideal for kitchen use.

Warp yarn requirements:

• White: 633 yards
• Red: 525 yards
• Orange: 210 yards

Weft yarn: White 6/2 unmercerized cotton, 984 yards total.

The project requires an 8-shaft loom with a minimum weaving width of 22 inches and one shuttle. While a temple is helpful for maintaining consistent width during weaving, it is not strictly necessary for successful completion of this towel.

Finished Dimensions and Specifications

The width in the reed measures 20.7 inches. After the complete finishing process—washing, drying, and hemming—each towel measures 18 inches wide by 30 inches long, creating a practical size for everyday kitchen use.