I started wondering what it was about this pattern that made it “huck-a-back,” especially since I fooled around with it so much, and went back to Davidson’s book where my jumping off point was “Huck-a-Back Blocks” on page 82.  I’m a little unsure that there IS a definition of huck-a-back, and if there is, my version is one of the more unlikely ones.

Marguerite Davidson writes in the beginning of the chapter, “It may be a surprise to handweavers to find so large an assortment of threadings in this weave, since the commercial towels are practically the sole surviving use of the very old favorite.  It could have been included in the previous chapter on Texture Weaves, since it is also a small threading, with unique tie-up, and has its own treadle development.”

Although my threading almost matches her “Huck-a-Buck Blocks,” the tie-up is now twill and the treadling doesn’t match anything else in the chapter.  So if you’re reading this looking for a traditional huck-a-back pattern, you may want to look elsewhere!