Tweed is a rough, heavy, hairy, woolen cloth that may contain synthetic fibers. Tweed is usually woven of fibers in two or more colors. Some tweed has a plain weave. Other tweed has a twill weave, with raised diagonal lines. Another tweed has a herringbone twill weave, with diagonal raised lines of yarn that meet to form “V’s.” In Scotland, where tweed was first woven, twill is often pronounced tweel, and tweed may have developed from this. Some people believe the cloth was named for the River Tweed. Genuine Harris Tweeds are made by hand. They are woven on the islands of the Outer Hebrides–chiefly on Lewis with Harris Island.
The yarns are dyed the colors of the heather in the Hebrides. The dyes are made from a type of vegetation called lichens, which grow on the rocks of the islands. The lichen has an odor, called cretal smell, which never leaves the cloth. Rainy weather brings out this smell in a Harris Tweed suit. After the yarn is dyed, the longwise, or warp, threads are put on the looms. When the cloth is woven, the weavers have a ceremony called waulking, which means shrinking. The cloth is soaked in soapy water. The weavers stand around a table and pass the cloth while singing waulking songs. Each weaver pounds and rubs the cloth. The cloth is then washed and dried and is ready to be made into clothing.
Tweed is a favorite cloth for sports clothing, and men’s and women’s coats and suits. Some tweeds are made in the United States, but they are usually lighter in weight and softer in texture than the cloth made in Scotland and England.
