Mill Tour Language Translation
Our yarns
We work mostly with animal fibres, wool, cashmere and mohair. Our yarns are spun all over the world, in the UK, Europe and the Far East.
BRITISH WOOL75% Scottish Wool from Cheviot Sheep, blended with Romney Marsh. Sorted in Scotland. Spun in Yorkshire. Dyed, warped, woven here in Selkirk, Scotland. Finished in Scotland. Working to improve our ethical& sustainable credentials from fleece to fabric.
Dyehouse
RECIPE CARDS
We use our classic colours every day and often create new shades for special projects. Recipe cards are created and stored for each of the new colours we match and dye.
DYEPOT WITH ECRU YARN
For each dyeing, ecru (undyed) yarn is loaded into the dyepot. All yarn packages are softly wound to allow the dye to be fully absorbed throughout to create an even dyeing. We can dye between 1/2 kilo and 136 kilos per colour.
COLOUR MIXING
Dye powders are mixed to create colours with different ratios of dyes
for each shade. This is then mixed with boiling water and fed into the dyepot, where the liquor is pumped through the yarn package via perforated rods.
DYEPOT WITH COLOUR
Most of the liquor is drained off in the dyepot and a 5 minute cycle in the Whizz spins off any excess liquid.
THE WHIZZ
Most of the liquor is drained off in the dyepot and a 5 minute cycle in the Whizz
spins off any excess liquid. *******DUPLICATED TEXT*****
DRYING
Yarns can dry for up to 8 hours on racks in our large ovens. The oven
temperature is around 80°C.
Yarn Winding
PACKAGES
Yarn can be wound into different packages for the dyeing, warping and weaving
processes. sizes and processes. Yarn packages can be different shapes and sizes and have different names.For example metal springs, plastic dye springs and cones.
DYEING & WEAVING
Undyed yarn (ecru) is wound onto a soft package, a metal or plastic spring for thedyeing process. Coloured / dyed yarn needs to be on a firm package such as a conefor the weaving processes.
WARPING
We can wind yarn to specific lengths, this is called a measured length. We can alsojoin together yarn of the same batch and colour to create packages of larger cones,this is called napping up.
Warping
WARP BANK
Cones of yarn in the colour and sequence of the pattern are mounted on the warp bank.
DRUM & FABRIC
Yarns are drawn from the bank and wound around the drum to create the length and width of what will become the fabric.
BEAM
Yarns are drawn from the bank and wound around the drum to create the lengthand width of what will become the fabric.
KNOTTING
We knot several jobs of the same quality together to create larger beams for the
looms and weaving.
The Weaving Process
WEAVING
Weaving is the process of creating fabric by the interlacing of the vertical threads with the horizontal weft threads.
WARP
Warp is held on a beam at the back of the loom. The warp threads pass from the
back of the loom through the shafts then the reed.
SHAFTS
The warp threads are held on shafts which lift and lower in a specific sequence.
WEFT
The rapiers insert each weft thread across the width of the loom through the ‘shed’
which is the space created by the shafts lifting the warp threads. The reed then
pushes the weft firmly into place.
TAKE UP MOTION
The woven cloth moves forward and wraps onto a beam at the front of the loom.
THE DROPPERS
The Droppers at the back of the loom balance on the warp threads and if a thread
breaks the droppers will alert the weaver.
Darning
IN THE LOOM
The first 30 cms of every order produced is checked and approved before weaving progresses. Our darners ensure that the pattern, the colours and the weave (the construction of the cloth) is correct. A facemark is inserted to indicate the face
of the cloth.
INSPECTION
Everything which Lochcarron weave is inspected then any faults are mended. This
is called darning.
DARNING
Broken threads are mended, knots are pulled to the back, and in scarves, opened and threaded into the woven construction. We darn at this stage when the construction is quite open and before the cloth is finished.
Finishing
PURLING
This is the process of creating roped / twisted fringes on scarves or rugs. Purling
is done before the washing process as this binds the fringes together.
SCOURING
Everything is washed in a 35˚C soap solution to remove the natural lanolin (oils)
in the yarn. Speed and timing varies according to the fabric quality being processed.
MILLING
A vigorous wash combining hot water and movement to close up the fabric structure making it more dense. This is a similar process to felting.
TENTERING
The fabric is stretched out and held taught on small metal tenterhooks, this establishes the usable width of the cloth and is part of the drying process
“to be on tenterhooks”.
DECATING
This is a final heat treatment which stabilises the fabric and minimises movement during garment manufacture.
BRUSHING
This process uses natural teasles or metal teeth to draw the fibres and create
a directional pile on the surface of the cloth. Lambswool, cashmere and mohair
are often brushed.
Textile Heritage
BORDER TEXTILES
There is a rich textile heritage in the Scottish Borders which is also very diverse. From sorting to spinning, weaving to knitting finishing, and garment making sadly only a few companies remain today.
THE MILL
Selkirk has a strong tradition of spinning and weaving with many once-famous names. Gardiner of Selkirk, Claridge Malcolm Campbell, Heather Mills amongst many others.
MILL WORKERS
Families worked side by side in the textile mills. School leavers would start in
the mills and often work their whole lief to retirement in the same mill.
Tartan Travels
MADE IN SCOTLAND, SHIPPED GLOBALLY
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Flags
MADE IN SCOTLAND, SHIPPED GLOBALLY
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Bespoke Tartan
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Designer Collections
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Tartan Wall
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