My next project are waffle weave dishtowels. The choice of yarn is cottolin or pure linen (gotta use something I have). Now, I noticed on the samples how much nicer linen  Or gets when rubbed with a hard smooth tool (that was the quickest and easiest way to do something approaching cold mangling) - but at the same time the waffle structure gets lost. Is there a way of having both - three-dimensional weave structure plus linen sheen? Or should I just not "waste" linen on these weaves and stick to cottolin?

Comments

Sun, 06/16/2013 - 17:04

Sara von Tresckow

Vaxbo in Sweden makes waffle weave dish clothes of pure linen - however, it is not finished with the hard finishing that flat linen weaves are.

With linen waffle structure, you have an either or - structure or the hard finish. Waffle weaves usually have a matte, three dimensional apearance - if that is pleasing, by all means try it.

Thu, 07/11/2013 - 12:29

Kade1301

That's what I thought, but I wanted a more experienced opinion. I'll stick to the cottonlin and matte appearance for this project and keep the linen for something flat I can mangle.

PS, a few weeks later: I changed my mind back to linen for the weft after drying a cup with my samples: The 75 % linen towel just works so much better!  I know Laura Fry did some measurements where she came to the same result, but I arrived a a completely non-scientific, subjective preference for linen the instant I used it. And it looks better, too... (even un-beetled)