Updated January 16, 2025.

Our recommended sett for Bluegrass Mills 6/2 cotton is 15 EPI. This means that you would need to weave your towel entry using a 15 dent heddle on a rigid heddle loom. Not all looms have a 15 dent heddle as an option so we have a work around for you. You can use 2 strands of yarn as one working end to double up your sett! Basically just hold two strands of 6/2 cotton together at the same time and warp them using a 8 dent heddle. This gives you a sett of 16 EPI. It's only one thread off our suggested sett and will make lovely thirsty towels. Amy made a useful video for you on how to set up your loom with a doubled up warp: 

This technique works with any skinny yarn that you might want to double up to weave on your rigid heddle loom. You can then double up your weft to create a towel with a balanced weave. Amy wove with a doubled up weft in our  Cozy Textured Scarf Project and you can see how she manages her yarn on her stick shuttle in this video: 

Colors Used: Queen Anne's Lace (A), Dusty Miller (B), and Evergreen (C)

Warp Order

Width in Rigid Heddle: 19.86 inches in a 7.5 dent OR 18.62 inches in an 8 dent 

Weft: Using Color B, aim for 16 ppi for a woven length of at least 32" for contest requirements, or your desired length if you plan to keep this one. 

Note: Amy used a slightly different technique for her towel. She used two different shuttles, a double boat shuttle, and a single boat shuttle, so that she could alternate between having 1 and 2 strands in her weft. She felt it would be easier to reach 16 PPI using this method.

You need to keep this shrinkage in mind when you choose what size to weave your dish towel. Amy's towel had a 19.25" warp and a 32" woven length. After it was washed and dried it is 14.5" x 27.5",  you are going to need a weaving width of at least 20" on your loom if you want have a towel that will be 14" wide. 

Taking a sewing machine to your handwovens can seem scary if you've never done it before so we made a video on preforming a simple hem for you. This video also has Amy's helpful tip on keeping her selvedges nice when using 2 shuttles. The tips for the hem start at around 9:17 if you just want that information: