The life of a crofter and weaver to be

As promised, here are some photos from my first tweed.  Apologies for the quality - they were taken on my phone!

Tweed on the beam.  (Gap was for inspection purposes!)

Reached the end of the beam!

Tweed coming through the loom.

Closer view of the woven tweed.

Close up of the tweed which is a plain twill.

Checking the tweed for faults.

The loom and the tweed.

Hope you enjoy the photos.  Once I get my shed built and my loom into it so I can carry on my training, there will be more photos!

So I’ve started weaving.  Well, I’ve started learning how to weave!  Almost at the end of my first two weeks in which I share the trainer with another trainee.  We’ve been working on her loom as my shed still isn’t built!   So far we’ve woven two tweeds and we finished today tying in a new tweed - 12×12 herringbone which should be nice to see.  Really enjoying the weaving side of things so far - I do get a bit worried when something goes ‘wrong’ with the loom and I see the trainer scratching their head whether I’ll ever reach point where I’ll be able to fix it myself! Especially considering that on my first day, less than an hour into things, I broke a cast iron piece and had to send a messenger to go and pick up a couple of spares!  I have a few photos that I’ll transfer onto my computer and post.

Once I get my own shed built - hopefully start digging out the found next week - and get working on my own loom there’ll be more pictures and I’ll be able to go into more detail about what it is I’m actually doing!

For now, I’m going for a bath to ease my aching back muscles which aren’t used to the positions I’ve been getting in!

Been a while since I’ve written an update, but things are moving forward!  I’ve finally settled my insurance claim for my house on the mainland that was flooded after burst pipes after 13 months!  I didn’t get access to my land that I was hoping for as the Clerk reckons the township would lose out, I think he thought I was wanting to put a proper tarred road in but nevermind.  I then had to seek permission to build a shed in the garden which I’ve been granted!  I had to change my design from block work with a box profile roof, to wooden framed and box profile all round.  Trying to get quotes for material at the moment.  Hoping to start digging out the found next week, and all being well, pour the concrete the week after.

Although my ‘full’ training won’t be starting until later on in the year, I’m going to be doing the first two weeks training starting next week.  I’m hoping to be able to do some work on the found when I get back from the training, otherwise I’ll have to delay it all by a couple of weeks.  It’s all a bit of a rush just now because it’ll soon be time for peats, and then ploughing and planting etc.

Phew, I’m tired even writing about it!

So.  I’m not going to be starting my weaving training this month.  My trainer has resigned and as that only leaves one other trainer, I won’t be starting until next year at the earliest.  However, for that to happen I’m going to have to get my own shed built.  I was going to be using my trainer’s shed but that’s no longer an option.  I’m hoping for a fairly decent winter so that I can get working on my shed and try and have it ready for January.

In the meantime, I’ve been busy fencing at the fank.  There’s been a new cattle crush installed and an ordinary ryelock fence isn’t going to stop a herd of Highlands!!  We’ve put up a post and rail fence now which will stop even the most daring of cows!!  Next on the list is replacing the boundary fence - about 4000metres in all - I should be fairly fit by the end of that!

Waiting now for permission from the grazings committee to gain new access to the bit of land where I’m planning on building my shed.  Once I get that, look forward to posts about digging founds, concrete and breeze blocks!!

Well, for the last few days I’ve been pretty busy.  I’ve taken home some more potatoes which were a good size and very tasty.  I’ve taken home a couple of bags of peat (and sold a half bag to some tourists!) and I’ve been helping my weaving trainer with setting up a loom.  Not my own unfortunately, but I’m getting some good experience.  I had to thread a reed with 672 threads, took me a few hours but he said I did a good job - maybe he’ll make a weaver of me yet!!  Going with him today again to ‘draft some boards’. I think we’re starting on my loom next week.  I’m going away down to Glasgow on Monday, back on Wednesday so hopefully on Thursday we’ll start on mine!

Tonight I went over to a workshop to help pick up a loom for another trainee weaver.  Hadn’t realised what a workout it would be. There are about four looms in bits and as each bit is made from cast iron - it’s rather heavy!  Managed to get a whole loom laid out on the floor and then loaded it onto a van.  Thankfully, the trainee was doing the unloading at the other end - lifting all those bits twice was enough for me for one night!  Really looking forward to learning how it all works.  I’ve learnt a fair bit about the double width looms as my friend weaves using them but not really of much use as I’ll be learning on the single width loom!

Lifted some more potatoes today - second bucket done.  My brother decided to take some transportation down with us…

never really going to be big enough though!

Anyway, here are some other photos of my potatoes:

Just ploughed

Starting to grow

From when I did the first 'lift'

second 'lifting'

Second bucket of potatoes.

Looking forward to eating them now!

Still no joy on the insurance front so instead, I’m going to take my frustrations out the machair and lift some potatoes.  I lifted the first bucket last week and they were really tasty - a good size too! After that I’m planning on going out to the peats to take home another couple of bags. At the rate we’re going with the weather though, there won’t be any left come the winter!

Why must insurance be so difficult?  I had burst pipes in my mainland house at Christmas time and the house was flooded.  We’re now 8 months on and nothing’s been settled yet.  Now, I’m trying to get insurance to cover the loom I’ll be leasing as part of my weaver training (it’s a stipulation in the lease agreement) but because I’m renting a shed and leasing a loom I can’t get any insurance.  My own shed won’t be built until next year at the earliest and the course is meant to be starting next week…not a great situation to be in!  Here’s hoping I can figure something out soon.

Welcome to my blog.  I’ll mostly be writing about my croft and my journey as a trainee Harris Tweed weaver.  I care for my disabled brother and we’ve both moved back home after being away on the mainland for a few years for his care needs.  I’m from Harris originally and I’m loving being back home!