Harris Tweed

[Jock Scot]

Thank you for that information and by the way,welcome,to xmarks from a sunny(!),warm(!) Inverness-shire.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

MR HAGGAS WHO BOUGHT THE MACKENZIE MILL IN STORNOWAY A FEW YEARS AGO SOLD OFF THE YARNS HE HAD IN STORE AND HE ALSO SOLD ALL THE HARRIS TWEED STOCK HE HAD TO CATHERINE CAMPBELL. AND WHAT A STOCK THERE WAS.

To further this, Catherine Campbell is the lady who supplies me with my tweeds, and she is a delight to deal with. She does have the old stock of tweeds from the MacKenzie mill available, and is in the process of cataloging it all. She has sent me some samples already, and these are the ones pictured on my web site, and on the museum's site. When I get all the details of the "kilt-cut" shooting jackets and the tweed Inverness capes sorted out, both will be available in these patterns. In the meantime, one can order kilts, Argyle kilt jackets & vests, as well as tweed by the yard, through the museum gift shop:
http://giftshop.scottishtartans.org/harris_tweed.html

[calanacrafts]

[QUOTE=M. A. C. Newsome;538850]To further this, Catherine Campbell is the lady who supplies me with my tweeds, and she is a delight to deal with. She does have the old stock of tweeds from the MacKenzie mill available, and is in the process of cataloging it all.

Yes, I get my Harris Tweed from her as well, I always come out with some new colour I have never seen before, there sure is a good selection in her store. Calana Crafts http://www.harristweedbagandsocks.com/

[Kid Cossack]

And Matt---just for clarification, the Harris Tweed is in the sixteen ounce range, yes?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

And Matt---just for clarification, the Harris Tweed is in the sixteen ounce range, yes?

You know, people have asked me the weight before, and to be perfectly honest I have never put a yard on the scale to see what it comes out to in ounces. But really, that wouldn't tell you much, as the type of cloth doesn't really compare weight-wise with a typical worsted wool tartan cloth. It's a thicker and softer cloth, with a completely different hand. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was probably a lighter actual weight than you'd expect from a worsted wool of comparable thickness. It's not the "horse-blanket" weight that you sometimes see. But neither is it a feather-weight. Let's just say it is very suitable for kilts, jackets, and the like.

M

[Kid Cossack]

I've been very happy with the (lighter) tweed kilt you made up for me! It has sold me on tweed. Many thanks---and yes, I agree that it's very suitable!

[JRB]

...It's a thicker and softer cloth, with a completely different hand. If I had to hazard a guess, I'd say it was probably a lighter actual weight than you'd expect from a worsted wool of comparable thickness. It's not the "horse-blanket" weight that you sometimes see. But neither is it a feather-weight. Let's just say it is very suitable for kilts, jackets, and the like.

M

Something I've been curious about...will it hold a pleat as well as worsted wool? I would think a looser, softer cloth would need to be pressed much more often. Is that the case with Harris tweed?

[M. A. C. Newsome]

I've been very happy with the (lighter) tweed kilt you made up for me! It has sold me on tweed. Many thanks---and yes, I agree that it's very suitable!

Actually, if I remember right, the tweed kilt I made for you is an Ettrick tweed, which is a 13 oz weight. The Harris tweed I use is a bit thicker and heavier than that.

[M. A. C. Newsome]

Something I've been curious about...will it hold a pleat as well as worsted wool? I would think a looser, softer cloth would need to be pressed much more often. Is that the case with Harris tweed?

No, the pleats in a Harris Tweed kilt are a softer pleat -- not as crisp as you see in a worsted wool. I think it looks especially good with a larger pleat, which is why I reccomend either a 4 yard box pleated, or a knife pleated kilt with less yardage, like 5 yards, over an 8 yard kilt with many narrow pleats.