Monday - Day 25 - Stornoway, Isle of Lewis, Scotland - part 2 - Harris Tweed Authority

Continuing blogging about our day in Stornoway -- part 1 can be found here: https://journeyinamazinggrace.blogspot.com/2026/08/monday-day-25-stornoway-isle-of-lewis.html

We had tickets to join the noon guided talk at Harris Tweed Authority, so we headed there a few minutes before noon...

The Harris Tweed Orb Stamp and some examples of Harris Tweed

We first watched and listened to a video about Harris Tweed (that's why we're all looking the same way and have headsets on!). In the middle of the room is oldest of the looms on display at the Harris Tweed Authority.

Then our very informative guide talked with us about the process of creating Harris Tweed - this area showed the different stages of processing the wool. One of the distinctives of Harris Tweed is that it is dyed in the wool (not after it is made into yarn/threads) and the colors are not uniform, so there may be multiple shades of blue in the wool that has been dyed blue. Those multiple shades can be seen in the finished yarn (and finished cloth) as well.

Our guide told us about this, the second oldest of the looms we would see.

I wish I could relate to you all that we heard...

... it was a LOT of information...

... and I don't remember it all!

There were some example products made with Harris Tweed -- athletic shoes by Adidas and Nike. This introduction of Harris Tweed into "regular" clothing is credited with reigniting interest in Harris Tweed.

Some examples of official Harris Tweed -- with the brand marks.

When our guide moved to the newest of the looms, which does the double width fabric, she showed how the weaver would tie the warp threads of the next bolt onto the warp threads of the just completed bolt -- I think she said that there 1400+ threads that must be tied in.

Video of the loom in use: https://youtu.be/t-nqVJXI_oQ

The blue arrow is pointing toward the shuttle on this loom.

Our guide behind the loom -- she had invited us to get behind the loom with her, but only Pat and I did so. Our guide was sitting on a seat with bicycle type pedals to run the loom.

A book with more Harris Tweed examples

The last area we visited in the Story Room was the "corner of shame" -- knock-offs of Harris Tweed that the Harris Tweed Authority has identified and shut down.

From https://www.harristweed.org/our-role/ :

Guardians of the Orb - Harris Tweed Authority
The Act of Parliament in 1993 brought into being the Harris Tweed Authority, a new statutory body, replacing the Harris Tweed Association originally set up in 1909.

In accordance with the Act, Harris Tweed cloth must be: “Handwoven by the islanders at their homes in the Outer Hebrides, finished in the Outer Hebrides, and made from pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides.”

The Act ensures that all cloth certified with the Harris Tweed Orb symbol complies with this definition.

This legislation – alongside the work of the Harris Tweed Authority – allows the safeguarding of the Harris Tweed name, quality and reputation. 

For more information, visit https://www.harristweed.org/our-history/.

After leaving the Harris Tweed Authority, we returned to the shopping street. Pat wanted to get some Harris Tweed to make a jacket and she got a beautiful piece of red wool. 

Welcome sign in Stornoway.

We stopped for lunch and Joe got a "Luxury Hot Chocolate". 

After lunch, we headed back to the shuttle bus and went back to the ship.

Later in the afternoon when we were sailing away, a few pictures of the houses and land that we were passing...

... even though it was cloudy, it was still lovely...

Some old type windmills still being used on this headland

What a nice day in Stornoway!