Hebridean Bothy Blanket
Vendor: Ardalanish Isle of Mull Weavers
Type: Blanket
Woven from the lustrous black wool of native Hebridean sheep, these bothy blankets make for hard-wearing articles – so longlasting that traces of similar wool have been found in ancient Island burial chambers. Surprisingly soft, yet wonderfully durable (and so reassuringly cosy when the wind howls outside the bothy door), the Hebridean wool is spun in natural shades. The sheep are reared to organic standards at Ardalanish Farm and their undyed wool is woven at their own mill which can be found in the remote south west corner of the Isle of Mull in the Inner Hebrides, extending west from the white sand of Ardalanish Bay.
The Bothy Blanket’s base colour is chocolate brown flecked with silver, bordered with classic white Hebridean Check. The exact shade of wool varies from animal to animal and from year to year so that every garment made is unique, with natural colours ranging from black and charcoal grey and brown through to silver.
Ardalanish farming practices represent their belief in the primary importance of understanding the land and its needs and allowing ecological relationships to develop with animals already co-evolved with the environment. They believe the balance achieved with these methods produces a quality and an ethical standard which reflects the conditions that nature bestowed on their unique Hebridean landscape.
The Bothy Blanket: 60” x 72” / 150cm x 180cm
This is their vision:
BY MAKING A PURCHASE …
YOU will become a link in supporting not only our organic farm and weaving mill, but also the spectrum of life in between …
Firstly, the continuity of knowledge passed down from generations of weavers, supporting the apprenticeship system giving young folk an opportunity.
Secondly, we pay a fair price to Hebridean and Shetland sheep breeders for their wool, encouraging them to go organic and look after their unique environments by using native breeds of sheep. Your purchase supports this.
It will also support the micro-organisms that are not visible but are an essential component of the living soil – that grows good grass – and wild flowers that feed a myriad of insects – which in turn feed the birds and butterflies – these native herbs feed the cattle and sheep, that in their turn grow good meat and wool from which we are fed and clothed – and the animals dung the living earth that feeds the micro-organisms…
And so the chain goes on …
All the foregoing and more is woven into the fabric that is Ardalanish, of which you are an important link!
Ardalanish Farm and Weaving Mill’s organic tweed has won Best Organic Textile Award at the 2007 Soil Association’s Organic Industry Awards.
Eco footprint ~
100% pure Hebridean wool
natural fibre colour
handmade in Mull, Scotland
Caledonian McBrayne ferry and truck freight
