What Is Tweed?

How fortunate are A Hume Country Clothing to be based in Kelso, in the Scottish Borders, on the banks of the world famous River Tweed. Tweed originated in Scotland, and its name derives from association with the Tweed River that runs through our town, and the entire Scottish Borders.

Tweed is a type of fabric made from rough, woven wool. It may or may not use a twill or diagonal weave. Herringbone, a twill pattern in which the diagonal slant of the weave alternates, is popular in tweed. Many tweed fabrics also make use of threads of different colours to create an attractive "heather" effect. Tweed was traditionally hand dyed using local natural dyes and hand woven. Dyes for traditional luxury tweeds came from plant life such as moss, lichens, and blackberries.

Tweed yarn is a type of yarn that features contrasting flecks of colour on a solid background. The flecks of color are often small pieces of short fibre leftover from carding spun together with plies of another fibre. Most kinds of tweed yarn are made with wool and many varieties are known for their rough, scratchy texture, as well as their warmth and durability. Some tweed varieties are blended with softer luxury fibres in order to lessen the scratchiness of the yarn. Tweed yarn is available in a wide range of weights, patterns and designs including plain twill, overcheck twill, plain herringbone. overcheck herringbone, houndstooth or dogtooth, checked tweed and tartans.

Tweed garments are popular for functionality and warmth not to mention fabulous style. Originally tweed was used for country wear and has remained a popular fabric choice throughout the centuries. Tweed is associated with country lifestyle, equestrian wear and fashion. The diversity of its use makes it a popular choice for many garment types including tweed jackets and overcoats, trousers, breeks, caps, bags and even footwear.

In recent years tweed has undergone a second revival and can be found in traditional country wear shops as well as high end fashion stores. The cat walks are bursting with tweed designs from both traditional and high fashion designers.

Some further information is available on Wikipedia:-

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What is tweed