I love designing and weaving towels. It’s no exaggeration to say I have woven dozens of towels over the past decade-plus—some original, some from patterns—and of the towels I kept (many were gifted), every single one is still in rotation in my kitchen. Some are prettier than others, but they’re all sturdy and, most importantly, thirstier than any towel I can pick up in a store. Given how many towel projects we receive for each issue of Easy Weaving with Little Looms, I know I’m not alone in my love of towels. Here are just five of the towel projects you can’t seem to get enough of (presented, of course, in no particular order).
1. No Assumptions Kitchen Towels by Susan E. Horton
Cheerful red stripes in the warp and weft combined with simple pick-up create a set of striking towels that will warm up any kitchen. The cheerful red border in these towels almost didn’t happen. After originally setting the blue warp too loose, Susan added in the red border to get the towel to the right density. Not only did this make for more stable cloth, it made the towels just that much more eye-catching.
Get the Issue: Summer 2017
Get the PDF download: No Assumptions Kitchen Towels
Gingerbread Dishcloths and Small Woven Bin by Malynda Allen from the Winter 2023 issue. Photo credit: Matt Graves
2. Gingerbread Dishcloths and Small Woven Bin by Malynda Allen
Malynda Allen never does anything by halves; she seems to always know just the right extra to make a project feel even more special. In the case of her Gingerbread Dishcloths, it was adding a coordinating bin woven on the same warp—a bin just the right size for holding the aforementioned dishcloths. All four dishcloths are slightly different, including one woven using a pick-up pattern. Weave them as written or mix and match wefts and techniques to make them your own.
Get the Issue: Winter 2023
Get the PDF download: Gingerbread Dishcloths and Small Woven Bin
Spring Forward Towels by Michele Marshall from the Spring 2024 issue. Photo credit: Matt Graves
3. Spring Forward Towels by Michele Marshall
Gamp towels are studies of color and pattern you can put to use outside your weaving studio, and these bright and beautiful towels are no exception. One towel is woven in traditional gamp form, with slight changes in the warp and weft creating squares of new color combinations and designs, while the other features large blocks of a beautifully slubby white yarn.
Get the Issue: Spring 2024
Get the PDF download: Spring Forward Towels
Lemon Drop Kitchen Towel by Gabi van Tassell from the Summer 2023 issue. Photo credit: Matt Graves
4. Lemon Drop Kitchen Towel by Gabi van Tassell
To date, this towel is the only pin loom–woven kitchen towel we’ve published. (Hint to all you pin-loom weavers: We’d love more!) Inspired by vintage flour-sack towels, the happy citrus design will brighten up any kitchen. As an added bonus, Gabi used simple crochet to create a hanging tab for her towel, a clever technique that can easily be used on other pin-loom designs.
Get the Issue: Summer 2023
Get the PDF download: Lemon Drop Kitchen Towel
Red Riding Hood's Bread Cloth by Tammy Bast from the Winter 2023 issue. Photo credit: Matt Graves
5. Red Riding Hood’s Bread Cloth
A classic red-and-white checkered pattern combines with sweet sections of lacework to create a centerpiece-worthy cloth. Tammy wove this project as an extra-large bread-basket liner, but it can scale down beautifully simply by cutting out repeats in the warp and/or weft.
Get the Issue: Winter 2023
Get the PDF download: Red Riding Hood’s Bread Cloth
This, of course, is just a small glimpse of the towel projects we’ve published in the past 8 years of Easy Weaving with Little Looms. You can find all these projects plus all the others we’ve published in the Little Looms Library.
Happy Weaving!
Christina