Welcome to The Hebridean Woolshed On-line Shop!
Here in the old high-walled kitchen garden at Cille Bhrìghde, in the Outer Hebrides, I spin, knit, crochet, weave and felt with wool and other natural fibres and use the traditional tools and techniques I’ve grown familiar with over more than 30 years.
There are dozens of sheep breeds native to the British Isles, together offering an unparalleled range of colour, feel and durability. A speciality - though limited in quantity - is black wool from our own flock of pedigree Hebridean sheep: careful selection and a special spinning process result in yarn that is richly dark and with a ‘handle’ exceptionally soft for this breed. In addition to these, I also spin Merino wool and occasionally other fibres such as dog hair, alpaca, cashmere, silk.
 Most of the natural dyestuffs I use come from plants native to the islands of the Outer Hebrides, naturalized here, or growing in our own walled garden or our croft on the neighbouring island of Eriskay. These include lichens, flag iris, alder cones, dandelion, blackberry, onion skins, ragwort, marigold, and many others. I use also natural dyestuffs from further afield, such as henna, madder, brazilwood, annatto.
Hand-spun yarns vary in thickness, twist and colour. It’s this variability that makes hand-spun yarns such a pleasure in an age of uniformity. My aim is to produce a yarn that is ‘inconsistently consistent’ - delightful but also practical. However I also offer a range of mill-spun yarns made with wools I select carefully from our own flock of Hebridean sheep (black) and from our neighbour’s Cheviot sheep (white).
At my workshop/gallery here in the walled garden, you can choose from a wide variety of natural fibres and colours - and also finished articles made with those yarns. From April to September I’m open to visitors at most times, but it may be best to phone first. A selection of items are available at Kildonan Craft Shop, South Uist, and here on these pages, where you can pay on-line.
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Spinning wool from a Cheviot sheep. Click photo for ‘sheep to shawl’ gallery |
The Hebridean Woolshed, Isle of South Uist
