Harris Tweed

Since Josefa brought up the topic of linen, I thought I’d throw in some Harris Tweed :-)
Someday I’ll buy at least one meter of this tweed, because it’s very expensive—and actually too expensive for me. But it’s a pure natural fiber, and I just love that. At the very least, I’ll make sure I have enough for a vest—unfortunately, that’s all I can afford.
If you’re interested, Google “Harris Tweed,” but make sure you’re sitting down, because the prices will knock you off your chair :-)

Love, Inge

You’ve piqued my curiosity, so I Googled it. It’s beautiful, but ridiculously expensive. But even from the photos, you can “feel” how soft this tweed is. I don’t think it’s itchy.

Last year on vacation in Ireland, I was lucky enough to snag some merino tweed at a small hand-weaving workshop—it’s very thin and super cozy. Now I keep circling around it and don’t dare to start working with it. The fabric is so incredibly soft and drapes beautifully; I think I’m going to turn it into a dress. 

Dear Claudia @Fun-Design,

could you tell me the name of the weaving mill in Ireland? By PM is fine too.

I’d like to plan a vacation in Ireland (lots of peace and quiet, scenery, and visits to weaving mills), but right now I don’t know where to start planning...

Best wishes
Chris

Hi Chris, I don’t have the name of the weaving mill off the top of my head.
We were in Ardara in County Donegal, and on the main road just outside town there was a shop selling typical Irish woolen clothing. In the back, there was a loom where they were demonstrating the technique—a real tourist shop.
I asked if the fabric was available by the meter anywhere—and she showed me a small sample book with maybe 10 fabric swatches; she said she had those fabrics right there.
In Ireland, we mostly found finished products, and when I asked in stores for wool or fabric, there were usually only a few individual skeins of wool—and no fabric at all. On the rare occasions I got a tip for a craft store, they only carried the standard items you find everywhere—very often polyester yarns.
I didn’t spend much time looking, though, since we were there to see the country and meet the people.
Oh yes, Ireland is great, though last year it was significantly more expensive than on previous trips, and in the smaller towns many pubs were closed, no longer served food, and there were also a lot of vacant spaces where charming little shops used to be.
Some of the small, charming B&Bs have also disappeared.
We spent two weeks traveling by rental car and always tried to book our room for the next day in the evening—but that didn’t work as well as it did before the pandemic; we often had to search within a wider radius than planned and ended up booking several days in advance.
Still, Ireland is a wonderful country—it’s always worth visiting again and again.

Dear Claudia,
thank you so much for your detailed report!!!
It’s a shame that the small shops and B&Bs have fallen victim to the COVID-19 crisis... I guess I’ll have to do more research on the planning details after all.
Or maybe I should travel to Scotland first, since the weaving mills and craft shops are supposed to be a highlight of my trip. ;-)

Thank you so much! I wish you lots of luck and fun on your future travels—and of course here at cp!
Best regards
Chris

Thanks, Chris.
Something else just occurred to me about that:
When we were there for the first time many, many years ago, we wrote directly to the tourist information office in Ireland, and they sent us a small package of informational materials, with road maps and accommodations for the region we were interested in. Basically the material that is available in the local tourist centers. That really helped us a lot the first time.
I don’t know if that still exists today; back then, the internet wasn’t so accessible on the go and everything was much more analog… If you ask specific questions about weaving mills there, you might get a few tips, whether for Ireland or Scotland.
Because even in Scotland, I didn’t come across much on that topic… although that was a few years ago, and we weren’t looking for it.
Most tourists are more interested in a whisky distillery.
Good luck.

Great, thank you so much for these extra tips! I’ll definitely look into it!

I’m a big fan of analog materials... ;-) Too often in recent years, I haven’t had Wi-Fi access on site, so I’m always glad to have information on paper...

Best regards
Chris