Shifting Seasons Towels: The Contrast of Texture and Plain Weave

Shifting Seasons Towels: The Contrast of Texture and Plain Weave

Winter’s Last Chill or Spring’s First Bloom? 

As winter begins to loosen its grip and hints of spring emerge, we want to capture the beauty of this seasonal shift. The Shifting Seasons Towels are designed to reflect the subtle transition between cold, crisp days and the first signs of warmth and renewal.

As the seasons change, so do the colors, moods, and textures of the world around us. Through the interplay of plain weave and texture, we’ll capture the stark beauty of winter or the soft blossoming of spring. 

Contrast with Weave Structure

In this weaving project, we will embrace the contrast of two different weave structures - all within the same project! And because everyone has their favorite season, there are two different color options to choose from.

Will you choose Winter's Edge and make a bold statement or Awaken Spring to celebrate the gentle awakening of nature’s first bloom and the promise of warmer days ahead? No matter which you choose, these towels will add both beauty and meaning to your weaving, celebrating the natural rhythm of change.

Winter’s Edge: A Dark and Bold Statement. Winter’s Edge embodies the chill of the season with deep moody colors that evoke frozen lakes, and the shadowy depths of evergreen forests.

Awaken Spring: Softness and Renewal.  A breath of fresh air; as the first signs of spring emerge, with the blush of early blossoms, and the warmth of fresh soil awakening under the sun.

Weaving Both Texture and Plain Weave

Combining plain weave and texture within the same project allows for endless creative possibilities. Plain weave provides a stable, balanced structure, while textured sections add visual interest. 

As you weave these seasonal towels, think about the story you’re telling. Winter’s Edge speaks of quiet strength and stark beauty, while Spring Bloom offers a message of hope and renewal. Through your choice of colors, textures, and patterns, you’ll capture the shifting seasons in every throw of your shuttle.

Let's Weave Shifting Seasons Towels!

• Gather your supplies ~ We've supplied a pattern in this blog to help you get started. The pattern will give you the yarn amounts, weaving width, suggested sett and finishing techniques to weave two towels. The Shifting Seasons Towel Pattern Download is also available for purchase.

• We make it easy!  Our Shifting Seasons Towel kits make gathering your supplies easy. These kits include all the yarns you'll need to weave two towels. Choose from Winter's Edge Towels or Awaken Spring Towels or choose the complete set to weave both! 

• Join the Cotton Clouds Weaving Community on Facebook so that you can share your questions, pictures and accomplishments. 

• Let's Weave together!  I'm here for you every step of the way! Just send me an email or give me a call if any questions come up as you are weaving this fun project.

This pattern is available for both rigid heddle and multi-shaft weaving. Scroll down for the 4-shaft version.

Shifting Seasons Towels Pattern

In this weaving project, we’ll explore the beautiful contrast between two distinct weave structures — all within a single design! You’ll create sections of classic plain weave alongside areas of rich texture achieved with a pick-up stick. As an added bonus, the plain weave sections will reveal the magic of tracking, adding unexpected visual interest!

Weave Structure:  plain weave and texture weave blocks

Equipment needed:  Rigid heddle loom; 21.4” weaving width; 10 dent reed; 5 shuttles.

Yarn Colors and Amounts: Awaken Spring or Winter's Edge in parentheses.

8/4 Cotton Light Jade (Black) 500 yds

8/4 Cotton Dusty Rose (Forest Green) 260 yds

Monte Cristo Boucle 100 yds

Bamboo Pop Ebb & Flow (Earth Science) 280 yds

Aurora Earth 8/2 Cotton Duck (Black) - 80 yds (for hems)

Total warp ends:  214

Setts:  10 epi; 9-10 ppi

Warp Length: 2.75 (99”)

Other supplies: matching sewing thread for hems

Finished Dimensions: two towels approximately 18” x 24” hemmed.

Warping the Loom

Set up your loom for direct warping a length of 2.75 yds (99”).

Warp two threads in each slot.

Color Order for Awaken Spring Towels

23 slots Light Jade

2 slots Monte Cristo

15 slots Bamboo Pop Ebb & Flow

2 slots Monte Cristo

23 slots Dusty Rose

2 slots Monte Cristo

15 slots Bamboo Pop Ebb & Flow

2 slots Monte Cristo

23 slots Light Jade

Warp Color Chart for Awaken Spring Towels

Color Order for Winter's Edge Towels

23 slots Black

2 slots Monte Cristo

15 slots Bamboo Pop Earth Science 

2 slots Monte Cristo

23 slots Forest Green

2 slots Monte Cristo

15 slots Bamboo Pop Earth Science 

2 slots Monte Cristo

23 slots Black

Warp Color Chart for Winter's Edge Towels

Sleying the Reed

Wind the warp onto the back beam and then transfer one thread from each slot into the holes.  You will now have one thread in each slot and one in each hole.  Tie the yarns in small sections onto the front beam and tighten your warp to get an even tension.

Preparing the Shuttles

Wind five shuttles with the weft yarns. The thinner Aurora Earth 8/2 Cotton will only be used for the hems.

Load Pick-Up Stick A

Place heddle in the down position and work behind the heddle. Winter's Edge colors are in parentheses.

Place all 8/4 Cotton Light Jade (Black) and Monte Cristo up.

Bamboo Pop 1 down, 1 up.

Monte Cristo, Dusty Rose (Forest Green) and Monte Cristo up.

Bamboo Pop 1 down, 1 up.

Monte Cristo and 8/4 Cotton Light Jade (Black) up.

All 8/4 Cotton and Monte Cristo will be up (on top of stick) while the Bamboo Pop will be 1 down, 1 up.

This will allow us to achieve plain weave in the 8/4 Cotton areas while creating texture weave in the Bamboo Pop areas.

Weave 7” with Stick A using Light Jade (Black)

With thinner 8/2 Cotton weave 1 ½” for hem. 

Using the 4 Step Pick-Up Sequence weave 7” with Light Jade (Black).

Pick-Up Sequence

1. Up
2. Heddle in neutral with pick-up stick on edge
3. Up
4. Down

After 7” are complete, cut and tuck in tail with split ply method.

Weave 4 picks Monte Cristo Boucle in plain weave. Cut and tuck in tail.

Remove Pick-Up Stick A

Weave 3” in Plain Weave with Bamboo Pop

Weave 3” with Bamboo Pop in plain weave. Cut and tuck in tail with split ply method.

Weave 4 picks Monte Cristo Boucle in plain weave. Cut and tuck in tail.

Load Pick-Up Stick B

Place heddle in the down position and work behind the heddle.

Place all Light Jade (Black), Monte Cristo, Bamboo Pop, and Monty Cristo up.

Dusty Rose (Forest Green) 1 down, 1 up.

Monte Cristo, Bamboo Pop, Monte Cristo, and Light Jade up.

All Light Jade (Black), Monte Cristo and Bamboo Pop will be up (on top of stick) while the Dusty Rose (Forest Green) will be 1 down, 1 up.

This will allow us to achieve texture in the Dusty Rose area, and plain weave in all other areas.

Weave 7” with Stick B using Dusty Rose (Forest Green)

Using the 4 Step Pick-Up Sequence weave 7” with Dusty Rose (Forest Green). 

Pick-Up Sequence

1. Up
2. Heddle in neutral with pick-up stick on edge
3. Up
4. Down

After 7” are complete, cut and tuck in tail with split ply method. Remove Pick-Up Stick B

Weave 4 picks Monte Cristo Boucle in plain weave. Cut and tuck in tail.

Weave 3” in Plain Weave with Bamboo Pop

Weave 3” with Bamboo Pop in plain weave. Cut and tuck in tail with split ply method.

Weave 4 picks Monte Cristo Boucle in plain weave. Cut and tuck in tail.

Load Pick-Up Stick A

Place heddle in the down position and work behind the heddle.

Place all 8/4 Cotton Light Jade (Black) and Monte Cristo up;

Bamboo Pop 1 down, 1 up;

Monte Cristo, Dusty Rose (Forest Green) and Monte Cristo up;

Bamboo Pop 1 down, 1 up;

Monte Cristo and Light Jade (Black) up.

(All 8/4 Cotton and Monte Cristo will be up (on top of stick) while the Bamboo Pop will be 1 down, 1 up.)

This will allow us to achieve plain weave in the 8/4 Cotton areas while creating texture weave in the Bamboo Pop areas.

Weave 7” with Stick A using Light Jade (Black)

Using the 4 Step Pick-Up Sequence weave 7” with Light Jade (Black).

1. Up
2. Heddle in neutral with pick-up stick on edge
3. Up
4. Down

After 7” are complete, cut and tuck in tail with split ply method. You can leave in your pick-up stick after finishing your first towel. This way, you will have it set for the first 7” in towel two.

Finish with thinner 8/2 Cotton weaving 1 ½” for hem. 

Weave a few picks of scrap yarn and continue the next towel the same as the first.  When you have finished weaving two towels, weave a few rows with scrap yarn before cutting yarns off loom.

Finishing & Hemming

Remove the fabric from the loom and sew a zig zag stitch across each end before cutting apart. 

Using an iron with steam fold each hem over twice to get a nice flat edge. 

Sew a straight stitch across securing each hem. 

Machine wash and dry on normal. 

Press with a warm iron if needed. 

Towels will relax with more washes.

___________________________________________________________________________________________

4-Shaft Weaving

Weave Structure:  plain weave and texture weave blocks

Equipment needed:  Rigid heddle or 4-shaft loom; 21.4” weaving width; 10 dent reed; 5 bobbins; 1 shuttle.

Yarn Amounts

8/4 Cotton Light Jade (8/4 Cotton Black) 500 yds

8/4 Cotton Dusty Rose (Forest Green) 260 yds

Monte Cristo Boucle 100 yds

Bamboo Pop Ebb & Flow (Earth Science) 280 yds

Aurora Earth 8/2 Cotton Duck (Black) - 80 yds (for hems)

Total warp ends:  214

Setts:  10 epi; 9-10 ppi

Warp Length: 3 yards (108”)

Other supplies: matching sewing thread for hems

Finished Dimensions: two towels approximately 18” x 24” hemmed.

Dressing Your Loom

Wind a warp of 214 ends 3 yards long on a warping board.

Warp your loom with preferred method (front to back or back to front).

Sley the reed with one thread per dent in a 10-dent reed. 

Heddles Needed:

Shafts 1 and 2 require significantly more heddles than shafts 3 and 4 so be sure to count heddles before beginning to thread to ensure that you have enough on each shaft. Floating selvedges are not needed for this draft.

Shaft 1: 79

Shaft 2: 107

Shaft 3: 16

Shaft 4: 12

Warp Color Chart for Awaken Spring Towels

 Warp Color Chart for Winter's Edge Towels

Winding the Bobbins
Wind five bobbins with weft colors. The thinner Aurora Earth 8/2 Cotton will only be used for the hems.

Weaving:
Weave with scrap yarn to spread the warp evenly.
Start with thinner Aurora Earth 8/2 Cotton Duck (Black) for the hem area.
Continue weaving following the treadling draft and changing colors when needed.

Weaving Draft Overview
1.5” for hem
7” Light Jade (Black)
4 picks Monte Cristo
3” Bamboo Pop
4 picks Monte Cristo
7” Dusty Rose (Forest Green)
4 picks Monte Cristo
3” Bamboo Pop
4 picks Monte Cristo
7” Light Jade (Black)
1.5” for hem

                Tie Up

Treadling for Awaken Spring Towels

Treadling for Winter's Edge Towels

Finishing & Hemming
Remove the fabric from the loom and sew a zig zag stitch across each end before cutting apart.
Using an iron with steam fold each hem over twice to get a nice flat edge.
Sew a straight stitch across securing each hem.
Machine wash and dry on normal.
Press with a warm iron if needed.
Towels will relax with more washes.