Gotland x hebridean tweed shawl

A handwoven gotland x hebridean tweed  shawl crafted from my own gotland x hebridean sheep fleece. I bred my gotland ewes to a hebridean ram to get the curly long gotland fleece combined with the chocolate brown of the hebridean! Hints of gotland grey showing in the brown plus creamy undyed cheviot fastened with a handmade ceramic button
I have sheep, I have them because I have wanted, since I was about 12, to make something with fleece from my own animals. It was a dream to have the fleeces, spin the wool, weave the tweed and make the final garment and it has finally become a reality! I particularly wanted to use gotland wool as it is very different to say hebridean fleece. The staple (wool length) is very long, twice the length at least of Hebridean. It is incredibly lustrous with a sheen similar to silk but with a fluffy quality similar to mohair. I sent the wool away to be spun as it would be unrealistic to handspin that quantity and fineness but it was extremely expensive! So worth it though, the yarn was gorgeous, soft and fluffy! My sister and I wove the tweed creating a subtle variegated brown cloth with hints of grey. Once woven the tweed was sent to a mill on the mainland to be 'finished', washed, cropped and pressed to strengthen, supple and give it its final finish. The end result is a soft, heavy tweed totally unlike Harris Tweed, much softer with delicate natural colours.