US20210054546A1

US20210054546A1 - Methods and apparatuses for reduced weight terry cloth towel with single-sided pile loops

Info

Publication number: US20210054546A1
Application number: US16/809,261
Authority: US
Inventors: Alexander Grosfeld; Andrew Grosfeld
Original assignee: J & R United Industries Inc
Current assignee: J & R United Industries Inc
Priority date: 2019-08-22
Filing date: 2020-03-04
Publication date: 2021-02-25

Abstract

A towel has pile loops on only one side. The towel further includes at least one weft yarn including wood pulp fiber yarn, at least one ground warp yarn including wood pulp fiber yarn, and at least one pile loop yarn including cotton yarn.

Description

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 62/890,206, filed on Aug. 22, 2019, the entire contents of which are hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

BACKGROUND

Terry cloth towels typically include weft yarn weaved together with one or more warp yarns. For example, terry cloth towels may include a first and second ground warp that weave tightly around the weft yarn, and further include a front-side and a back-side pile warp. The front and back side pile warps are weaved into a terry cloth towel to provide loops on both sides that extend above the ground warps. Terry cloth towels with pile loops on both sides are perceived in the towel and linen industry as luxurious and soft, and are desirable by consumers.
U.S. Pat. Appln. Pub. No. 2014/0317865 describes a towel with a ground cloth having warp yarns and weft yarns in a flat weave and having first and second sides. Stripes are provided on the first and second sides of the ground cloth that are defined by alternating areas of pile loops and flat weave, the pile loops on the first side being opposed by flat weave on the second side and the flat weave on the first side being opposed by pile loops on the second side.

SUMMARY

An example apparatus includes a terry cloth towel with weaved pile loops on only a single side of the terry cloth towel.
Another example includes a towel with pile loops on only one side. The towel further includes at least one weft yarn including wood pulp fiber yarn, at least one ground warp yarn including wood pulp fiber yarn, and at least one pile loop yarn including cotton yarn.
An example method for manufacturing a terry cloth towel includes weaving pile loops into only a single side of the terry cloth towel.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 shows a first example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 2 shows a second example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 3 shows a third example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 4 shows a fourth example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 5 shows a fifth example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 6 shows a sixth example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 7 shows a seventh example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

FIG. 8 is a flow chart illustrating an example method for manufacturing one-sided pile loop towels according to various embodiments.

FIG. 9 shows an eighth example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The following description of example methods and apparatus is not intended to limit the scope of the description to the precise form or forms detailed herein. Instead the following description is intended to be illustrative so that others may follow its teachings.
Described herein are methods and an apparatus for a reduced weight terry cloth towel with singled-sided pile loops. While, as described above, double-sided pile loops on a terry cloth towel give a towel a more luxurious feel to touch and additional absorbency of water or other liquid, towels with double sided pile loops may also weigh a lot, take a long time to dry, require more water/soap/etc. to launder, and take up more storage space. Accordingly, various embodiments of a terry cloth towel with single-sided pile loops is described herein. The single-sided pile loops provide for a towel that may have reduced weight, shorter drying times, use less resources to launder, and take up less space in storage.
The single-sided terry cloth towels described herein will therefore also be less taxing on the environment, as fewer resources (water, soap, etc.) may be used to launder the towels. Towels with one side of loops will reduce the weight of the towels as compared to towels with two-sided loops, either when dry or when wet. For example, a towel with one side of loops may be 20%-50% (e.g., 20%, 25%, 30%, 35%, 40%, 45%, 50%) lighter than a towel with two sides of loops.
Reduced weight towels may be advantageous in various ways. For example, in a commercial setting such as restaurants or hotels, a business may pay for commercial laundry services by the pound or by some other metric of weight. With lighter towels, commercial laundry costs may be reduced. In addition, service at a restaurant or hotel may be more efficient. For example, employees transporting used towels from a room or pool to an area where laundry is handled or loaded may be able to transport more towels per trip, as the towels weigh less and take up less room. Similarly, the same number of towels may be handled and/or transported more easily because the one-sided pile loop towels weigh less and take up less space than two-sided pile loop towels.
Similarly, the one-sided pile loop towels may also reduce the raw materials used to manufacture a towel as compared to two-sided pile loop towels. In addition, the manufacturing process may be simpler, speeding up the time in which towels may be manufactured. The one-sided pile loop towels may also be manufactured using natural, recycled or sustainable fibers. For example, long staple cotton may be used and may further cause the towels to be long lasting, soft, have quick dry times, and still maintain a similar price point for a towel because while higher quality materials are used, less total materials are used. As described herein, higher quality material towels may also last longer and be more durable, thereby further offering similar or better value over the lifespan of a towel.
FIGS. 1-7 show example one-sided pile loop towels according to various embodiments. FIG. 8 shows an example method for manufacturing one-sided pile loop towels according to various embodiments. The one-sided pile loop towels described herein include warp yarn, weft yarns, and yarn loops on one-side that make up the pile loops.
As shown in FIG. 8, the warp yarns (including the yarn for the pile loops) are planted vertically on a loom using at least one ground warp beam and at least one pile warm beam at step 802. The pile and ground warp yarns are interwoven with a set of weft yarns to form the fabric. Ground warp yarns are connected to the at least one ground warp beam at a high tension, so that the ground warp yarns may be interwoven with the weft yarn to form a substrate or base of the fabric that is tightly wound together. The pile warp yarn (used to form the one-sided loops described herein) is interwoven with the weft yarn at relatively much lower tension to form pile loops. To do so, the pile warp yarn is wound or connected to the pile warp beam at a much lower relative tension as compared to the ground warp beam and ground warp yarn so that the pile warp yarn is let off or released from the pile warp beam at a higher rate than the ground warp yarn from the ground warp beam.
Accordingly, as the weft yarn is weaved into the fabric at step 804 by inserting the weft yarn horizontally into the vertical warp yarns, the pile warp yarn is formed into pile loops only into a single side of the fabric at step 806. In other words, as a reed of a weaving machine is used to push (or “beat up”) the various warp yarns up against the already formed fabric and the interwoven weft yarn, the reed pushes the excess pile warp yarn that has been let out to form piles. According to the embodiments described herein, the various yarns used are controlled such that a pile is only formed on a single side of the fabric being weaved.
FIGS. 1-7 each show example cross-sections of weaved fabric according to various embodiments. FIG. 1 shows weft thread interwoven through warp yarns, for example using the method described and shown with respect to FIG. 8. In the fabric of FIG. 1, the first and second ground warps are alternatingly each wound around every second weft yarn. As contemplated herein and shown in other figures, the first and second ground warps may be alternately wound around the weft yarn at different and/or varying rates. FIG. 1 also shows a single side pile warp yarn weaved through the weft yarn at a rate of every third weft yarn. As contemplated herein and shown in other figures, the single side pile warp may be alternately wound around the weft yarn at different and/or varying rates. Accordingly, as shown in FIG. 1, the woven fabric will include a smoother top side and single side with piled loops of fabric as described herein.
FIG. 2 shows a cross-section of a woven fabric with single-sided pile loops similar to that shown in FIG. 1, except the single side pile warp yarn is looped through every fourth weft yarn. FIG. 3 shows a cross-section of a woven fabric with single-sided pile loops similar to that shown in FIG. 1, except the single side pile warp yarn is looped through every second weft yarn. FIG. 4 shows a cross-section of a woven fabric with single-sided pile loops similar to that shown in FIG. 1, except the single side pile warp yarn is looped through every fifth weft yarn.
FIG. 5 shows a cross-section of a woven fabric with single-sided pile loops similar to that shown in FIG. 1, except the single side pile warp yarn is looped at a varying rate through the weft yarn. Although other varying rates are contemplated for the single-sided fabrics described herein, FIG. 5 specifically shows an example of alternating between looping the single side pile warp yarn with every second and then every third weft yarn in a repeating pattern. Other patterns may include three or more different numbers at which the pile warp is looped with the weft yarn in a repeating pattern.
Just as the rate at which the pile warp yarn may be varied as shown in FIGS. 2-5, the ground warp yarns may also be woven in varied patterns. For example, in FIG. 6, the ground warp yarns are interwoven with each weft yarn alternately. In the example of FIG. 7, the ground warp yarns are each interwoven at a varying rate, where the ground warp yarns are interwoven with the weft yarns at every second then every third weft yarn in a repeating pattern. In other examples not shown here, the ground warp yarns may also be interwoven with the weft yarns at other varying rates, such as every second then every next weft yarn in a repeating pattern (e.g., as shown in and discussed further below with respect to FIG. 9). Other patterns of interweaving the ground warp yarns with the weft yarns are also contemplated herein.
Towels made according to the methods and apparatuses described herein may be made with high end fabrics, yarns, and other materials, such that the resulting towels are highly luxurious, soft, and highly absorbent. The towels may also be highly resistant to wear using high quality materials to weave the towels. Using higher quality materials raw materials may increase the initial costs of manufacturing and/or buying such towels, but the lighter weight and resistance to wear of the towels as a result of the embodiments described herein may decrease the costs of laundering and maintaining the towels, and may also increase the number of uses and launders of a towel before it must be replaced. Accordingly, the towels described herein offer the luxury and quality of a towel as desired by consumers, while still maintaining or reducing the overall cost of ownership of a towel as compared to double-sided pile loop towels of the same or even lower quality. In other words, though using higher quality materials in the singled-sided pile loop towels described herein may increase the costs of the manufacturing and initially purchasing such towels, the reduced costs to maintain, launder, and replace the towels may more than make up for any difference in cost of the towels due to using higher quality materials, in some instances many times over. The higher quality materials may also offer an even higher level of luxury and perceived quality for a consumer than double-sided pile loop towels that may be made of lower quality materials.
Lighter towels may also be more environmentally friendly (e.g., have a lower carbon footprint). For example, lighter weight per towel results in less energy needed to transport a towel (e.g., in a truck, shipping container on a boat, etc.). This results in less fuel (e.g., fossil fuels, battery power or other electricity, etc.) being consumed to transport a towel, thereby making the towel more environmentally friendly and lowering the carbon footprint. Similarly, lighter and/or less absorbent towels may also use less water and/or soap to launder, which may also consume less electricity. For example, if a laundry washing or drying machine may accommodate a larger number of towels per load due to the lighter weight and smaller space taken up by the towels, less electricity will be consumed, less water and soap will be used, etc. on a per towel basis. The total amount of resources (e.g., yarn, electricity, etc.) to weave towels as described herein may also be reduced because a weaving machine does not need to weave in separate pile loops on both sides of the towel. Accordingly, the manufacture of such towels also reduces the resources consumed on a per towel basis.
In various embodiments, the different threads of a towel as described herein may also be woven out of different materials. Even a towel with double-sided pile loops may be made with varying materials to achieve some or all of the advantages described herein. For example, one or more yarns used to weave a towel as described herein may be one of wood pulp fiber yarn, cotton yarn, or any other type of yarn. Wood pulp fiber yarn may be made from different types of wood sources, such as eucalyptus, spruce, pine, beech, bamboo, any other type of wood, or any combination thereof. For example, a eucalyptus lyocell and/or modal fibers may be used. Cotton yarn that is used may be of different qualities or types as well. For example, cotton yarn may be a higher quality ringspun combed cotton yarn, a lower quality open ended carded cotton yarn. In various embodiments, other types of yarns or fibers may be used alone or in combination with the cotton yarns described herein and/or the wood pulp fiber yarns described herein. For example, synthetic or semi-synthetic fibers such as rayon, polyester, Modal fabric, tensile fabric, etc. may be used in various towels as described herein. In this way, a towel as described herein may use synthetic (e.g., man-made) fabrics in combination with natural or semi-synthetic fibers in the same towel, by weaving different types of yarn/fibers in the same towel. In various embodiments, a towel with single-sided or double-sided pile loops may be made with only one material. For example, a towel may be 100% cotton, 100% wood pulp fiber, or 100% some other material.
Certain wood pulp fiber yarns used as disclosed herein may be advantageous due to properties of the wood pulp fiber yarn. For example, wood pulp fiber yarns, such as those made from eucalyptus trees, may weigh less than cotton yarns, but may still absorb more water per weight of the yarn than cotton yarns. For example, wood pulp fiber yarn may absorb 70% more water per weight of the yarn than cotton yarns. In addition, wood pulp fiber yarns may be stronger (e.g., higher tensile strength) than cotton yarns of similar sizes. The increased strength of the wood pulp fiber yarn may also increase the durability and lifespan of a towel. Accordingly, the towels may last longer, have to be replaced less frequently, etc.
Wood pulp fiber yarns may also offer other advantageous properties for purposes of use in a towel. For example, wood pulp fiber yarns may not absorb water all the way through. That is, wood pulp fiber yarns may prevent moisture from entering a core of the yarn, and instead may only absorb water in an outer layer of yarn. This may be advantageous at least because the wood pulp fiber yarns may dry more quickly after becoming wet because the moisture has not absorbed all the way to a core of the yarn. This may also have certain advantages for hygiene and cleanliness, because mold, bed bugs, mites, mildew, etc. is less likely to occur or be prevalent if a fiber is able to dry more easily (and thus not remain wet for long periods of time which promotes the growth of such unhygienic conditions). This aspect of wood pulp fiber yarn also may make it more antimicrobial than cotton fiber yarn. Thus, bacteria is less likely to grow and towels are less likely to have unpleasant smells with wood pulp fiber.
In various embodiments, some cotton yarn may still be desirable to make up at least some of the yarn fibers of a towel. In this way, a user may still get to have the traditional feel and experience they are used to when using a towel (e.g., a towel that has cotton pile loops). Thus, a towel with cotton pile loops on one side may still feel luxurious and soft to a user for, e.g., drying off. However, using wood pulp fibers as the other yarn in the towel may offer the other advantages described herein, such as lower weight towels, quicker drying (which can also lower the weight of used towels in the instance they have not completely dried yet), more sanitary, etc.
Wood pulp fiber yarn may also provide various environmental advantages. The lower weight of towels using wood pulp fiber yarn would cost less to transport, launder, store, etc. In addition, cotton fields are horizontally grown, while trees grow vertically. Thus, much more wood pulp fiber yarn may be made from a given plot of land than cotton fiber yarn. This can reduce the environmental impact of agriculture for producing textile fiber yarns. Less water may also be used per amount of wood pulp fiber yarn produced as compared to cotton yarn. In addition, trees may be grown without the use of certain chemicals, fertilizers, pesticides, etc. that are used in cotton farming. In addition, chemicals used to treat and prepare cotton may be avoided by using some or all of wood pulp fiber yarn for a towel. Accordingly, using wood pulp fiber yarn in towels can vastly improve the environmental impact of the life cycle of a towel, from growing of the raw materials, storing and/or transporting the raw materials manufacturing of the yarn, transportation and/or storage of the yarn, use of the completed towels, transportation and/or storage of the completed towels, laundering of the towels, etc. Wood pulp fiber materials may also be naturally biodegradable, further lowering the environmental impact of the various embodiments of towels described herein.
Various combinations of materials for towels, as well as configurations for weaves, are contemplated herein. For example, a towel as described herein may be made with wood pulp fiber yarn used as the weft and one or more ground warp yarns. The one or more pile warp yarns may then be a cotton yarn. The wood pulp fiber yarn may be made from eucalyptus tree. In this way, the first example towel includes eucalyptus wood pulp fiber yarn used as the weft and ground warp yarns, and includes cotton yarn as the pile warp yarn for creating the pile loops on one side of the towel. The cotton yarn may be, for example, a ringspun combed cotton yarn.
Such a towel with one or more wood pulp fiber yarn ground warps, one or more wefts made of wood pulp fiber, and a cotton pile warp on one side of the towel may be, for example, 36-37% lighter in weight than a standard terry cloth cotton towel of the same dimensions with two-sided pile loops. The example towel may weigh approximately a pound, while the standard terry cloth cotton towel with two-sided pile loops of the same dimensions may weigh approximately one and a half pounds. This is very advantageous to organizations that use commercial laundry services and pay by the pound. Such organizations may lower their laundry bill by 36-37%. Such a towel may also advantageously take up approximately 50% less space to store than a standard terry cloth cotton towel with two-sided pile loops. This reduces the footprint used to store the towels, transport a towel, number of trips to move a large number of towels, etc. For example, at a hotel, a towel collection bin may be placed at a pool. Using towels as described herein that take up less space, a towel collection bin may hold twice as many of the example single sided loop towel than standard terry cloth cotton towels with two-sided pile loops. Similarly, a maid cart in a hotel may be able to hold, store, transport, etc. more towels using the towels described herein.
A perception of some users, however, may be that lighter towels are not as high of quality. To address this concern, higher quality materials may be used, such as ringspun combed cotton for the pile loops instead of, e.g., open end carded cotton, so that a towel still feels luxurious and lasts a long time. For some users, the added expense of higher quality materials for purchasing the towel up front may be earned back through laundry, storage, transportation, etc. costs associated with other towels that weigh more than the example towels described herein.
The example towel with one or more wood pulp fiber yarn ground warps, one or more wefts made of wood pulp fiber, and a cotton pile warp on one side of the towel may be, for example, pleasant for a user as well. For example, the cotton of the pile loops on one side of the towel may be useful for pulling water off of the user as they dry off. Then the base of the towel, which is made of wood pulp fiber may absorb water pulled off the skin by the cotton pile loops. Thus, the cotton and wood pulp fibers can work together to dry of the user and hold water from the user efficiently. The two sides of the towel may also be used for different drying experiences as preferred by the user. For example, the side without pile loops may have primarily wood pulp fiber exposed that comes into contact with a user's skin (or other surface), while the pile loop side may have primarily cotton fiber coming into contact with the user's skin (or other surface). Because of the different ways wood pulp fiber yarn and cotton yarn may absorb water, as well as differences in a pile loop as compared to a weft/warp weave surface without pile loops, a user may experience two different sensations, absorption patterns, absorption rates, functionalities, etc. Such a towel may therefore also offer choices to a user for the experience they prefer for certain uses.
Towels made with one or more components being wood pulp fibers may also have advantageous moisture management properties. For example, wood pulp fiber yarn such as eucalyptus may absorb and release moisture even in a humid environment (e.g., up to a 65% humidity level). As such, the towels described herein may not only absorb moisture at a high rate, but will release that moisture to dry quickly and in environments where other types of towels may have trouble drying. In addition, even if some of the towels described herein have cotton fibers, the high absorption properties of the wood pulp fibers may act to draw moisture out of the cotton fibers to try cotton fibers faster than they may otherwise dry. Therefore, even in embodiments using a combination of cotton and wood pulp fibers, the advantages of the wood pulp may be still be exploited. Wood pulp yarn may additionally be sensitive to human skin, providing yet another advantage for utilizing wood pulp yarn in towels as described herein.
FIG. 9 shows an eighth example of a one-sided pile loop towel weave according to various embodiments. In the example of FIG. 9, the first and second ground warps, as well as the weft yarn may be made of a wood pulp fiber yarn as described herein (e.g., eucalyptus), while the singled side pile warp may be made of a cotton yarn (e.g., ringspun combed cotton). As such, a towel woven according to FIG. 9 may have various advantages as described herein.
The example of FIG. 9 has a first and second ground warp that alternate around the weft yarn at a varying rate. In particular, the first and second ground warp yarns are interwoven with the weft yarn at every second then every next weft yarn in a repeating pattern. In various embodiments, other varying or non-varying interwoven patterns may be used for weaving the ground warp yarns into the weft yarn. Further in the example of FIG. 9, the single side pile warp is woven into every third weft yarn, though other varying or non-varying rates for weaving the single side pile warp into the weft yarn may also be used according to various embodiments described herein.
FIG. 9 also shows the full beat-up point, where the weave may be beat with one or more reeds at step 806 of the method of FIG. 8. Accordingly, the full beat-up may occur at only every third weft yarn in various embodiments. In various other embodiments, the full beat-up point may be at different weft yarn intervals (e.g., every weft yarn, every second weft yarn, every fourth weft yarn, every fifth weft yarn) or may be at varying weft yarn intervals (e.g., every first then every second weft in a repeating pattern, every first then every third weft in a repeating pattern, every first then every fourth weft in a repeating pattern, every first then every fifth weft in a repeating pattern, every second then every third weft in a repeating pattern, every second then every fourth weft in a repeating pattern, every second then every fifth weft in a repeating pattern, every third then every fourth weft in a repeating pattern, every third then every fifth weft in a repeating pattern, every fourth then every fifth weft in a repeating pattern).
In the example of FIG. 9, the full beat-up point is located at each point after the two ground warp yarns are interwoven around a single weft yarn. In other words, since the ground warp yarns are interwoven with the weft yarn at every second then every next weft yarn in a repeating pattern in the example of FIG. 9, the full beat-up point occurs after each weft yarn that is fully interwoven within the two ground warp yarns without being grouped with another weft yarn.
Although throughout this description various weaves and components for those weaves are discussed relative to towels and methods for making towels, the methods and apparatuses are not so limited. For example, the weaved fabrics and methods for making them may be used for any other purpose than towels, and/or as multiple types of towels. For example, the fabrics described herein may be used in bath towels, pool towels, beach towels, robes, lounge chair covers, as upholstery on furniture, as curtains, as clothing, carpeting/rugs, blankets, or any other type of fabric.
Although certain example methods and apparatus have been described herein, the scope of coverage of this patent is not limited thereto. On the contrary, this patent covers all methods, apparatus, and articles of manufacture fairly falling within the scope of the appended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

Claims

What is claimed is:

1. An apparatus comprising a terry cloth towel with weaved pile loops on only a single side of the terry cloth towel.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel comprises at least one weft yarn.

3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the at least one weft yarn comprises a wood pulp fiber yarn.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the at least one weft yarn comprises a eucalyptus wood pulp fiber yarn.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel further comprises at least one ground warp yarn.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein the at least one ground warp yarn comprises a wood pulp fiber yarn.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the at least one ground warp yarn comprises a eucalyptus wood pulp fiber yarn.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the weaved pile loops comprise at least one pile warp yarn.

9. The apparatus of claim 8, wherein the at least one pile warp yarn comprises cotton yarn.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the at least one pile warp yarn comprises ringspun combed cotton.

11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel comprises:

a plurality of weft yarns; and

a plurality of ground warp yarns.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of weft yarns and the plurality of ground warp yarns are formed from wood pulp fiber.

13. The apparatus of claim 12, wherein the wood pulp fiber comprises a eucalyptus wood pulp fiber.

14. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pile loops loop around each third one of the plurality of weft yarns.

15. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pile loops loop around each fourth one of the plurality of weft yarns.

16. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pile loops loop around each second one of the plurality of weft yarns.

17. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the pile loops loop around the plurality of weft yarns at a varying rate.

18. The apparatus of claim 17, wherein the varying rate comprises looping around every second and then every third one of the plurality of weft yarns in a repeating pattern.

19. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of ground warp yarns loop around each one of the plurality of weft yarns.

20. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of ground warp yarns loop around each second one of the plurality of weft yarns.

21. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of ground warp yarns loop around the plurality of weft yarns at a varying rate.

22. The apparatus of claim 21, wherein the varying rate comprises looping around every second and then every third one of the plurality of weft yarns in a repeating pattern.

23. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel is 20-50% lighter than a similarly dimensioned two-sided terry cloth towel having pile loops on two sides.

24. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel is 30-35% lighter than a similarly dimensioned two-sided terry cloth towel having pile loops on two sides.

25. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel is 35-40% lighter than a similarly dimensioned two-sided terry cloth towel having pile loops on two sides.

26. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel is 40-45% lighter than a similarly dimensioned two-sided terry cloth towel having pile loops on two sides.

27. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel is 45-50% lighter than a similarly dimensioned two-sided terry cloth towel having pile loops on two sides.

28. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the pile loops are configured to pull moisture from a surface to be dried toward a base of the terry cloth towel.

29. The apparatus of claim 28, wherein the base of the terry cloth towel comprises a plurality of weft and warp yarns.

30. The apparatus of claim 29, wherein the pile loops comprise cotton yarn and the plurality of weft and warp yarns comprise wood pulp fiber yarn.

31. The apparatus of claim 30, wherein the wood pulp fiber yarn is eucalyptus wood pulp fiber yarn.

32. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel comprises 100% cotton.

33. The apparatus of claim 32, wherein the 100% cotton comprises all ringspun combed cotton.

34. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein at least one yarn of the terry cloth towel comprises a synthetic or semi-synthetic fiber.

35. The apparatus of claim 34, wherein the synthetic or semi-synthetic fiber comprises at least one of Modal fiber, tensile fiber, rayon, or polyester.

36. The apparatus of claim 35, wherein the synthetic or semi-synthetic fiber is a first yarn of the at least one yarn, and a second yarn of the at least one yarn comprises a natural fiber.

37. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the terry cloth towel is configured for use as at least one of a bath towel, a beach towel, a pool towel, or a lounge chair cover.

38. A towel with pile loops on only one side, the towel comprising:

at least one weft yarn comprising wood pulp fiber yarn;

at least one ground warp yarn comprising wood pulp fiber yarn; and

at least one pile loop yarn comprising cotton yarn.

39. The towel of claim 38, wherein the wood pulp fiber yarn is eucalyptus wood pulp fiber yarn.

40. The towel of claim 38, wherein the cotton yarn comprises ringspun combed cotton.

41. The towel of claim 38, wherein the cotton yarn comprises open end carded cotton.

42. The towel of claim 38, wherein the at least one pile loop yarn is configured to pull moisture from a surface toward a base of the towel comprising the at least one weft yarn and the at least one ground warp yarn.

43. The towel of claim 38, wherein the towel is 35-40% lighter than a similarly dimensioned towel having pile loops on two sides.

44. The towel of claim 37, wherein the at least one pile loop yarn forms the pile loops that are on only one side of the towel.

45. The towel of claim 43, wherein the pile loops are on a first side of the towel, and there are no pile loops on a second side of the towel.

46. A method for manufacturing a terry cloth towel comprising weaving pile loops into only a single side of the terry cloth towel.

47. The method of claim 46, further comprising:

planting a plurality of warp yarns vertically on a loom; and

weaving weft yarn into the plurality of warp yarns.

48. The method of claim 47, further comprising forming the pile loops into only the single side by beating up a plurality of pile warp yarns with a reed of the loom.

49. The method of claim 47, wherein the planting of the plurality of warp yarns comprises use of a ground warp beam and a pile warp beam.

50. The method of claim 47, wherein the weaving of the weft yarn comprises inserting the weft yarn into the plurality of warp yarns horizontally.

51. The method of claim 47, wherein the plurality of warp yarns comprises wood pulp fiber yarn.

52. The method of claim 47, wherein the weft yarn comprises wood pulp fiber yarn.

53. The method of claim 47, wherein the pile loops comprise cotton yarn.

54. The method of claim 47, wherein:

the plurality of warp yarns comprises wood pulp fiber yarn;

the weft yarn comprises wood pulp fiber yarn; and

the pile loops comprise cotton yarn.