09/30/2025
This week’s featured Working Weaver Emily Gwynn celebrates 10 years in business this year as . She shares with us a little bit about her “Crazy Towels” which have been a staple of her production work over the years.
“I always joke that kitchen towels are the coffee mug of weaving, everyone has one and knows what to do with it! This makes them a staple item for any hand weaver who is not making wearables like scarves and shawls.
The Crazy Towel was born out of desire to use whatever yarns I had on hand, like the scrap-made crazy quilts of the late 19th Century. They are always made with a cottolin warp (a blend of 60% cotton and 40% linen) and a linen weft. And, like their inspiration, no two batches of Crazy Towels are ever the same.
After my initial design made with bits and bobs of yarn, I designed a “Simplified Crazy Towel” where the warp threads are always black, white, and unbleached cottolin and I have repeated this style of towel many times over. More recently I have returned to using color in the warp, although I nearly always use a single color for the weft. Additionally, I now make two sizes, a rectangular version that is what people most associate with kitchen towels, and a smaller, square version with a handwoven hang tab.”
You can see the Crazy towel for yourself when you visit with Emily at Trail Stop 1 in Shelburne Falls.
🍁 The 2025 WWST dates are October 18 & 19. Visit workingweavers.com for more info. 🍁
