Munro Hunting (Black Watch, Campbell, etc.) in Harris Tweed

**usonian** · 5th July 12, 12:49 PM

My early birthday present to myself just arrived from across the pond - 2 meters of Munro Hunting in Harris Tweed, complete with a label which will look very nice on the inside of the 4 yard box pleated kilt I intend to make out of it!

The colors of this weave are very deep and so it does not look as "tweedy" as some of the other Harris Tweed tartans I've seen, but it's lovely fabric and I'm quite looking forward to having a kilt in a family tartan. Now that I see it in person I definitely see what Matt & others were saying in a recent thread about maximum yardage; I can't imagine an 8 yard kilt made out of this stuff, which is a little bit thicker by weight than 16oz worsted wool!

**tulloch** · 5th July 12, 01:26 PM

This will be great lad! Definitely worth a beer at the Alehouse. Looking forward to seeing the progress and the final product.

**longhuntr74** · 5th July 12, 09:24 PM

Nice...appears to be just as dark as the government weight Black Watch that my box pleat is made of. You can't even see the green in low light...only in sunlight.

**figheadair** · 6th July 12, 01:36 AM

Interesting. I'm not sure what, besides the label, qualifies this as tweed. It appears to be woven with solid colour yarn and therefore in my book is tartan and not tweed irrespective of what fleece was used or spinning and finishing technique used.

**tulloch** · 6th July 12, 04:47 AM

What I love about Harris is it is dyed in the wool and then blended and spun giving it a vibrant color. I just was looking at my tea cozy made from the same sort of fabric, also Harris. In the sunlight there are multiple hues making up the greens and blues. It is deep. It is luscious. I love it.

**figheadair** · 6th July 12, 04:57 AM

Yes, blended is the key. I don't see that in this case.

**tulloch** · 18th July 12, 05:24 AM

I wonder how the project is coming. Can we expect to see something in the near future? Going to Glasgowlands? I would love to see it in person.

**usonian** · 18th July 12, 05:50 AM

Alas, I have not touched it yet - my short attention span has swung back over to 19th century banjo for the time being, and the last thing I want in my lap in this prolonged heatwave is a bunch of wool! When the weather starts cooling off I'll probably turn my attention back to it.

I am unfortunately not going to make it to Glasgowlands this year - earlier in the summer I'd been planning on it but the rest of the weekend got scheduled out from under me. (Best of luck in the piping competition!) I'm still hoping to make it up to Loon Mountain for a day in September.

As for the fabric itself, I may contact the Harris Tweed Authority to see if I can learn more about it. In full, direct sunlight, there are very subtle hints of blending (in the photo above, the bits that look like lint on the fabric are actually stray, slightly lighter colored fibers sticking up from the surface and catching the light) but the colors overall are so dark that it's hard to tell.