My daughter and her husband are expecting their first child and I would like to weave them some nice baby bath towels. I have a ton of 8/2 unmercerized cotton and I see from studying Weavolution that a sett of 20 EPI would work, and also that I should use much finer yarn for the hems to avoid bulk. I have this notion that I read somewhere that waffle weave has peculiarities about take-up in the width and something about PPI. Of course, now I have no idea where I read this or even if it was actually about waffle weave. Anyway, I do not want to make a waffle weave welcome mat (too dense) or a waffle weave guitar strap (too narrow). I would welcome any and all advice. I have time - she's not due till July. 

Thanks,

Agnes

Comments

Fri, 03/22/2013 - 12:29

sally orgren

Waffle weave is a structure that has a lot of "take up" (the amount of decrease when you take the project off the loom and it is no longer under tension.) Because there are a lot of floats making those nifty cells, but they don't cross other yarns regularly (as in plain weave), they can move where they want and do! The structure "collapses" off loom to make the little squares. That is why your take up is much greater than some other structures.

Your shrinkage is the amount lost between taking the project off the loom and wet finishing it. This amount will be about the same or only slightly more than any other project using the same fiber.

I would weave up a sample and measure the two amounts (take up and shrinkage) to be certain. It is a small task to do with a big payoff, you'll have confidence that your project will turn out as planned! (and a swatch/record if you want to weave more, since you will be giving the project away.)

As a rough estimate, it could be as much as 30% (or more!) loss in both width and length. It will depend on how densely it is sleyed and how consistently you beat. I suppose it could also depend on a 4 shaft waffle vs 8, because 8 would have longer floats = perhaps greater take up than the 4.

Good luck—it is a fun structure to weave!