Harris Tweed Foot Loom

Harris Tweed Warehouse

Tarbert, Scotland

May 25, 2012

Tarbert was our 'home base' for the Outer Hebridean portion of our transatlantic sojourn last summer.   Tarbert is located on the Isle of Harris, home of the world famous......you guessed it, Harris Tweed.

We were lucky to witness a live demonstration of an older, Hattersly loom in operation.  I was surprised to learn that every single metre of Harris Tweed is woven on these looms....which are foot powered!  Check out this page to see a video of one of these mechanical beauties in operation.

The tweed warehouse had that wonderful smell that comes with wool, sometimes I think it smells like crayons.  We spent a long time looking at bolt after bolt of gorgeous fabric, trying to narrow down the choices of which ones to buy and bring back to Canada.  Since our visit to Tarbert, I notice Harris Tweed everywhere.  

The story of how Harris Tweed changed life on the island is very interesting, I recommend browsing the official site.  They are, after all, the guardians of the orb.