Towels: Wall Hangings for your Kitchen

_Towels are kitchen wall hangings _

As a weaver, I know I am not alone in loving dish towels—weaving them, buying them, and using them. Well, using some of them. The ones I love most I hang in my kitchen on decorative racks and over cupboard doors, the way I hung the Celebration Towels that I purchased from Marie Nelson when she sent them to Handwoven as a project. These towels are not intended for use. To make that very clear, I have utilitarian towels placed strategically next to the sink where one might want to dry hands, next to the stove where one might want to wipe off grease, even next to the refrigerator, where one might need to wipe something up. In spite of this careful placement, over and over, I’ll watch a helpful guest rinse hands at the sink and walk past the nearby towels to cross the room and use what I consider one of my wall hangings.

Decorative tracking in plain-weave towels by Margaret Gaynes.

Towels in a variation of warp rep by Joanne Tallarovic.

It’s a good thing that most of these wall hangings are woven in 8/2 unmercerized cotton. I can machine wash and dry them and hang them right back up, good as new.

How many ways can I sing the praises of 8/2 unmercerized cotton?! Most important is the absorbency of this fiber. Its matte finish gives it the thirstiest texture of any yarn I know. Its grist is perfect for towels and all kitchen or table pieces. It drinks up spills and cleans so easily.

So here’s an eBook filled with projects (most on four shafts) using 8/2 unmercerized cotton, and, not surprisingly, most of them are towels. You’ll discover that 8/2 cotton is a yarn that can “track”—in a good way!—making a plain-weave texture look like a fancy twill. 8/2 cotton comes in a myriad of colors, inviting you to fill your kitchen with them. Since towels make perfect gifts, you can use this book to weave for the holidays, too. In addition to towels, you’ll find project instructions in this book for a baby blanket and several table toppers (also great items to weave for gifts).

If you’re a structure person, you’ll appreciate Joanne Tallarovic’s warp-rep variation that you’ll never believe takes only four shafts. You’ll also love Rosalie Neilson’s use of color with huck lace and Dianne Totten’s use of color with waffle weave.

You’ll probably tell the recipients of your gifts that they should USE them. But don’t be surprised if they end up as kitchen wall hangings.