Creating the world famous Harris Tweed © All images courtesy of the Harris Tweed Authority

It all starts with the sheep!

Wool is gathered from the sheep and sent for processing.

The wool fibres are cleaned and dyed. Up to seven different colours can be mixed together to create each coloured yarn

The wool fibre blend needs to be well mixed together, a bit like making a cake!

The fibre mix is spun together to make the yarn, and the yarn is wound on to cones.

The cones of yarn are put on the warping machine and wound on to a long beam (roll).

The beam is then transported to the weaver’s home for the weaving of the cloth.

The weaver sets up their treadle loom and hand weaves the Harris Tweed cloth.

The cloth is cleaned and then stamped with the orb mark to show that it is genuine Harris Tweed.

Harris Tweed must be hand woven by islanders in their homes in the Outer Hebrides. Harris Tweed is protected by an Act of Parliament, passed in 1993. Originally, natural dyes were used to colour the wool, made from plants growing on the islands.

To learn more about Harris Tweed please visit: www.harristweed.org © All images courtesy of the Harris Tweed Authority