With a day of weaving on Tuesday I managed to finish the Angel Towel order.  With the thick yarn this was a fast weave even with the color changes at the stripes and the moving of the temple.

As the sun was well over the yardarm (Navy saying) I poured a congratulatory glass of wine to mark the finish.  There is enough warp for about 2 more, but that can vary based on how regular my beat has been over the first 5 towels.  It can be plus or minus so I may have plenty for 2, or just 1 plus a short towel.

I cut the towels off the loom and hemmed each end – leaving a strip of 5 towels, then trimmed any longer cotton tails (at joins)  as they get fairly twisted when wet finishing.  Once it was all tidy it went into the wash on regular (with a few other items of laundry).  The wet finishing draws in and tightens the cotton.  From 15 inches on the loom the towels end up at 12 inches wide and the cotton swells up a little filling in gaps in the tabby weave and opening the huck lace portions.  I can then cut up the individual towels and hem each remaining end.  The hemming went smoothly with my old sewing machine – definitely worth the extra effort to use 8/2 cotton in the weft for 1.5 inches, making it a lot thinner cloth and able to be folded twice to make the hems.

The towels will be dropped off in North Carolina next month and the remaining warp on the loom will be used to demonstrate weaving at the Blue Ribbon Festival at the end of the month.  I’ll have to pace myself and not finish the weaving in the first hour as I am demonstrating all day!