We are weaving a range of products made from 100% Isle of Skye Wool. For this range we hand select and grade the best quality wool from local farmers and crofters and have it turned into a special yarn. It gives us great satisfaction to work with local fleeces and be involved with the whole process, from sheep to loom.
Most of the wool is from white Cheviot hoggs. They are the one-year-old sheep who are being clipped (shorn) for the first time. It is the softest wool a sheep will grow during its lifetime. After grading we send the fleeces off to be washed, spun and dyed. We then use the yarn to weave a range of products on our bicycle pedal-powered loom here on Skye.
A backwards journey from throw to sheep on the Isle of Skye.
Many people are surprised by the fact that the wool of the many sheep on Skye is normally not processed on the island. In the past wool was washed, carded, spun and woven for home use and small scale trade at many crofts. With industrialisation and economic change this is no longer a viable business opportunity. Wool is now processed by large scouring plants and spinning mills on the mainland or overseas. The mills buy wool in big batches from the Wool Marketing Board. Most of the wool in the UK (and Skye) is bought by the Wool Marketing Board, which sells it on behalf of the farmers at international auctions. The Skye wool gets mixed up with wool from elsewhere. This is why we are so happy to have our own 100% Skye Wool range now.
We really enjoy working with local sheep farmers, see the sheep, handle the wool, and know exactly where it all comes from. We hope you enjoy feeling the essence of the island in our Skye Wool creations.
