Materials
I work using the principle of truth to materials. I weave with raw, unspun wool and use almost every part of the fleece that a sheep produces. My primary material is the wool I harvest from my own flock.
I love weaving in this way; there is almost no waste. The final piece is dependent on which part of the fleece – and what type – I have used. Each rug or wall hanging is unique.
Rare breed Shetland-Soay handwoven rugs.
Why use raw fleece, instead of spun yarn?
Fascinated with the natural beauty of raw wool, I wanted to create something beautiful and strong from woollen fleece in its most simple and natural state.
I wanted a way of working with raw wool that was direct, quick and free from the typical processes that fleece goes through on its journey to become conventional, spun yarn.
Experimenting with my own non-twist technique, I found I could weave something extremely strong and reliable using my countermarch floor loom.
Gathering my own materials
Blade-shearing by hand means I am able to see exactly which part of the fleece comes from where on the sheep’s body. I can clip away any matted or unusable parts as I go, ensuring fully useable material for when I start at the loom.
When weaving I like to challenge myself. I work every possible scrap into my pieces. Any fleece I don’t use for weaving goes into stuffing for pillows or onto the compost.
Every fleece is different
There is so much variety in raw wool, even from within the same fleece – short, long, soft, wiry and a multitude of colours and varying shades. It is personal to the individual sheep and can change through the years and after a sheep has lambed.
Sometimes I weave a piece exclusively from the fleece of one sheep.
This is what I love the most, teasing out the differences and showing them off to their best effect in the weave – sometimes embracing the diversity, other times creating more uniformity.
The weaving process is therefore always different, too, and this makes for a wonderfully exciting process and practice. I love knowing that smattering of white from an otherwise dark fleece came from the tops of the heads of my twins Zara and Zippy.
My Shetland-Soay cross sheep grow fleece in a range of colours.
Rare breeds, heritage and character in wool
I am very interested in different breeds of sheep (both British ones and their relations!) and the amazing variety of colour and texture that can be found in wool from rare breeds.
Fleece colour and qualities
Colour is immediately apparent in the wool I work with. My own Shetland-Soay cross breed sheep produce wool in a range of colour from creamy white to a rich, dark brown.
Both the ‘parent’ breeds of my flock produce a lofty fleece with long, sticky fibres. This type of wool lends itself very well to working as I do – the fleece holds together well without being spun. And, they can actually shed a certain amount of fleece naturally.
Hardy, island breeds
Both Shetland and Soay sheep have a very long lineage. These are small animals well suited to the harsh island environments they originate from.
Shetland sheep are world-famous for their fine wool, and its use in Shetland’s equally renowned knitwear. They are likely to be in part descended from sheep brought by Vikings and Soay-type sheep already in residence on the islands.
The Soay breed, from the St Kilda archipelago, may be descended from the earliest type of sheep to have grazed Britain over 4000 years ago.
It's a privilege to live alongside these animals and observe their lives. My own sheep are not farmed for meat – just for wool – and live here with as little impact on the land as possible.
Newcomers bring different colour to the loom
Soon, I’ll also be weaving with grey wool grown in the fields outside my studio.
In February 2025 I welcomed small flock of Gotland sheep to the pasture. These new fieldmates were bred in the Applecross peninsula in Wester Ross.
A small Gotland flock arrive in our fields.
Gotland sheep are the only breed to produce a true grey fleece, which can range from silver to charcoal.
Interestingly, their fleece doesn’t change colour while they’re out in the elements – sunlight does have an effect on the coloured fleeces of my Shetland-Soay sheep.
Blade-shearing a Gotland sheep.
Freshly shorn Gotland sheep.
Gotland sheep
The Gotland breed originates in Sweden. The primitive variety was bred by Vikings on the island from which they take their name.
Gotlands are part of the same family of northern short-tailed sheep that the Soay and Shetland breeds belong to.
Since the 1920s, modern Gotland sheep have been selectively bred in Sweden to produce a very fine and particularly warm fleece.
Fleece from other, small flocks
I have also begun to source a very soft and springy fleece from a pedigree Shetland flock in Wester Ross – a new partnership after a happily created commission.
This flock is, like mine, carefully blade sheared by hand.
If you have your own sheep, and would like to make a weaving commission, I can work with fleece grown by your flock.
Pedigree Shetland fleece from a Gairloch flock.
Low interference Finishing
I like to preserve as much of the raw fibre’s character as possible in my finished pieces. I only wash once the woven piece is finished – in cold, filtered stream water to brighten the colours.
By only doing this light wash, I retain some of the naturally occurring lanolin – it is lovely to smell and touch. And it protects the woven piece from stains and moths.
Finishing, handwoven wallhanging.
Handwoven wallhanging in Shetland wool.
biodegradable textiles
For simplicity, I use a thin organic cotton warp. This too is biodegradable and could, one day, decompose naturally along with the fleece.
Handwoven rugs in Scottish rare breed wool.
Two different Shetland-Soay mix fleeces handwoven into this rug.
Cosy textures for warmth and comfort
Hardier wools are typically used for rugs, but I enjoy surprising people with the softness of using Shetland fleece for my small rugs.
I personally love to step on one of my rugs first thing in the morning with my bare feet, sit on one by the fireside or finish my day on with some sleepy yoga stretches. This year, I plan to make my yoga mat length rugs for use at my local yoga class in the colder months.
My appreciation for my materials grows as I work and I am constantly learning new things from these beautiful, natural fibres.
My weaving process
The journey from flock to loom is, in my case, usually very direct: I shear my own sheep and can start weaving with their raw fleece almost straight away.