Waffle Weave shrinks quite a bit. These towels measured 19 x 32" off the loom. After machine washing and drying they'd shrunk approximately 15% in both length and width. Both warp and weft yarns were 16/2 cotton.
RepWeaver
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How, they are nice towels. I'm surprises at only 15 % shrinkage though, did you use 4 lines of stitching maybe? :)
When I wove with 2 lines of stitchers they shrunk 40 %. But when I did 4 shaft waffle, they only shrunk 10-12%. Used cotton yarn. :)
Hi, Reed Guy
The slight degree of shrinkage surprised me, too. No doubt it was due to a dense sett (36 e.p.i. and 36 p.p.i.) as well as three ends plain weave inbetween each waffle cell. The draft is my own version of #388 from the Strickler 8-Shaft book. Check my blog, linked above, for further details.
RepWeaver
Yep, the stitchers will definitely make a big difference. That must be it. :)
The set really wouldn't be out of the ordinary for such a floaty weave.
The 36 e.p.i. sett is dense for the 16/2 cotton plain weave areas, thus preventing the waffle cells from cozying (is that a proper word?) up together resulting in greater shrinkage. In any case, this cloth is light but absorbant and very satisfying both to weave and to use.
Happy New Year!
RepWeaver
Yes, set possibly incluenced it somewhat, but I have woven 7-shaft waffle with 8/4 cotton at a closer set as well (18 epi, instead of 15), and still had 40% shrinkage with 2 rows of stitchers. But, it is certainly all relevent. However, the longer the floats the more deflection and shrinkage. :)
That being said, if I use an open set with 20/2 cotton for the ground cloth and tabby in overshot, which is often 24 epi. It will wet finish to 36 epi in the background areas. 8/2 pattern. So it is certainly relevent. But oh, such soft fabric. :D
