Skye Weavers, Isle of Skye, Scotland

If you find yourself on the wild island of Skye in Scotland you may already be familiar with Skye Weavers. They loom the deliciously soft and warm blankets that grace the beds, perfect for cosying up with your morning coffee while you admire the mist-swirled views down to the Outer Hebrides.

We love the way that local brands on the Isle of Skye work in synergy, supporting and celebrating one another, like Skye Candles and Skye Weavers. These craftspeople are proud of their Hebridean roots and want to preserve Scottish heritage traditions whilst at the same time creating a sustainable business that benefits both the island and its inhabitants.

Specialising in Scottish tweed and textiles in natural woollen yarns collected from the fluffy sheep that dot the isle, Skye Weavers create a versatile range of 100% Skye wool products from cushion covers and tweed curtains, to scarfs, shawls, tweed caps and baby blankets. Known for their resilience to the cold, Skye sheep, in particular the cheviot hogg breed, produce a lovely soft and warm coat, perfect for those cosy throws and scarfs.

Using traditional methods, Skye Weavers follow a process from start to finish, that begins as you might expect, with the shearing of a sheep, through to grading, carding and spinning of the wool, to warping, loom set-up and weaving - with myriad steps in between.  Using a weaving shed next to an old croft house, the products are woven on bicycle pedal-powered looms, and as well as using the renewable wool, shows Skye Weavers’ commitment to an eco, carbon-neutral business model.

Brand champions and lovers of wool, Roger and Andrea set up their loom business after having lived on Mull, where they met. Here they worked at an organic farm and weaving mill, where the seeds were sown for their own endeavours, back on Skye where they had holidayed since the 70s, and a family crofters house had a special place in both of their hearts.

In fact, like all of us who to come to Skye, Roger and Andrea were inspired by the wild and rugged landscapes in every way for their own business. Look to the names of the throws – ‘heather’, ‘mist, ‘peat’, ‘glen’ and ‘moss’ – the very cornerstones of life on Skye.