Among the many textiles products from Ethiopia, there are two of them that are very well known and widely used, netela and gabi.
Netela (ነጠላ) is a scarf like cloth made of cotton very thin and delicate, with the texture of a gauze, worn by all women in Ethiopia.
The netela has only two layers and is quite big, measuring about 63 x 102 inches. It’s white with a colorful border (tibeb) between 1 to 2 inches at each end with two variations, one has only one color and the second can have many colors and patterns.
The netela can be worn in different ways. For general wear, the netela covers back and shoulders and the border is folded up over the right shoulder, but for church activities the two layers of the netela are opened and the border goes over both shoulders. When the border is worn around the face or shoulders, it’s a sign of mourning, but for recreation or resting the border goes over the left shoulder.
There are other textiles similar to the netela. There is one called fota, that is much more colorful  with a dimension of 58 x 105 inches. It usually has a checkerboard design and it is a medium-weight textile that is worn simply wrapped around the shoulders or over the head as a shawl. There is a third kind of textile called doncho which is a very long cotton sash with a border in color and is only worn by married women, there are types that can measure up to 26 feet long.
These textiles are woven by hand in handmade looms. There is an important group of weavers in the Gamo Highland of Ethiopia among the Doko people. Weaving is a traditional male job regarded very highly. These weavers sell the netelas in the local market and also in the big city of Addis Ababa.

Another type of textile, equivalent to the netela but only worn by men is the Gabi (ጋቢ).
Instead of just two layers like the netela, the gabi has four and it’s warmer and heavier, much like a light blanket.

Books:

African Textiles by John Gillow

Ethiopia. Traditions of creativity by Raymond A. Silverman

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