A Further Look at Tweed

As I've been knitting with Irish Tweed wool these past few weeks, and am knitting a scarf using a Harris Tweed stitch, I thought I would do a little research to learn more about Tweed and its esteemed origins. Here are a few things I have discovered:

• Tweed is a rough, coarse, unfinished woolen fabric of a soft, open, flexible texture resembling cheviot or homespun but more closely woven.

• It is made in either plain or twill weave and may also feature a check or herringbone pattern.

• In Ireland, Tweed manufacturing is most associated with world-famous Magee of Donegal, based in County Donegal in the Province of Ulster

• In his memoir, "Windsor Revisited," HRH The Duke of Windsor recounted a story alluding to the origin of how Tweed got its name. About 1830, a London merchant received a letter about some tweels. Said London merchant misread the handwriting, thinking the name was taken from River Tweed that flows through the Scottish Border textile areas. These goods were marketed as Tweed and remain so to this day.

There are three basic types of Tweed:

Harris Tweed (whence my current stitch got its name): Harris tweed is a luxury fabric handwoven by select islanders residing in the Outer Hebrides of Scotland. It may also be hand woven and hand dyed using local natural dyes.

Donegal Tweed: This is a handwoven tweed manufacted in County Donegal, Ireland. For centuries, this tweed has been produced using local materials. The dyes used originate with local materials such as blackberries, fuchsia and moss.

Silk Tweed: Fabric made of raw silk with flecks of color, giving it a tweed-like texture.

So, there you have it - some interesting insight into the world of Tweed. I can say the Donegal Tweed yarn I'm using now is wonderful and knitting up beautifully - and I recently discovered a two-color tweed pattern that you might be seeing infused into one of my upcoming projects!

Happy Knitting!