Weaver's Choice: Thirsty Towels, Silky Shawl, or Both?

When Christine Jablonski first approached me about weaving a set of towels and a shawl on the same warp, I was immediately intrigued. With other weavers I probably would have had more questions, but I knew Christine had a plan and I trusted her completely. I’m so glad I did, because her Summer Day Shawl and Towels for Little Looms Summer 2026 turned out incredible. The resulting fabric is so different in hand you’d never guess they were woven on the same warp. The towels are wonderful and sturdy while the shawl is light and airy—exactly what you’d want for each type of item.

So how did she do it? It all comes down to her warp. Her method is so clever when I read it I literally gasped out loud. It's such a simple technique, but oh-so elegant.

Christine wove two cheerful cotton towels, each with their own unique weft-color order.

Weaving the Towels

8/2 cotton used double is a classic base for rigid-heddle woven towels. Not only does it make for a sturdy, thirsty cloth, but it also direct warps quickly. [PAYWALL]Instead of pulling loops of warp through slots and redistributing warp ends into holes later, you pull the loops through both the slots and holes. Christine sett her warp at 10 epi and wove her towels using a 8/2 cotton singly in the weft.

Sett up the Shawl

Before weaving her shawl, Christine changed things up. She cut off the towels and resleyed her warp. Instead of using 8/2 cotton doubled sett at 10, she added a second heddle and used the 8/2 cotton single and sett at 20 epi—perfect for a light and airy shawl. Christine also switched up her weft, choosing a fine silk to give her shawl an even better hand.

After weaving her towels, Christine resleyed her warp, splitting up her doubled ends of 8/2 cotton to single ends, and setting them at 20 episode.

If you were to look at all these items side-by-side you’d never guess they were woven on the same warp. The towels are wonderful and sturdy while the shawl is light and airy—exactly what you’d want for each type of item.

More Weaving Options

In the magazine we presented the project exactly as Christine wove it—one warp for both towels and shawl. If you can’t wait to dive into a project like this, check out this PDF for the combined instructions.

But what if you don’t want to weave both types of items? What if you only want to weave towels? What if you’re up to your elbows in handwoven towels and really just want a nice shawl? Don't worry—we've got you covered!

As a subscriber exclusive, we're offering a bonus project download that has the towels and shawl separated, so you can weave one or the other. Not only did we redo the warping and weaving instructions, but we took care of the math and adjusted the warp length and the yardage required for each warp color. Easy peasy!

I hope you enjoy this project as much as I do—whether you make just the towels, just the shawl, or, like Christine, weave them all together.

Happy Weaving!

Christina