News

We welcomed Jessica Cutler (the winner of our Textile Designer Award) down to the Woolmill to see her winning design in production!    "It has been an amazing opportunity to...

"The idea is to decorate rocks found in nature and hide them in various locations to brighten someone’s day. You can use whatever you like to decorate them- as long...

Launched in 2017, our Woven Textile Designer Award sought to uncover the best of new textile design talent by inviting current students and recent graduates to submit innovative and contemporary...

After six years in the making, the new Macallan distillery and visitor experience in Speyside is now open! Located in the heart of the 390-acre Macallan Estate, the existing and...

To celebrate the Woolmill's sixth anniversary of being open to the public, we are offering our customers a special discount on six products!Throws1730 Tartan Throw1775 Tartan ThrowScarvesSmall Buttercup Check ScarfSupersoft Semaphore...

Having a picnic in the great outdoors is one of the UK's most enjoyable summer traditions! To honour National Picnic Week which takes place from the 15th - 24th June, we...

Ensure you choose the perfect size when buying one of our hats or caps by following the instructions below.      Option 1 - Measure  Step 1: You can use a...

A spinning wheel is a machine used to turn fiber into yarn. The yarn is then woven as cloth on a loom or it can be used to knit or crochet. ...

Here's a sneak peek of our new Ultra Marine Herringbone scarves in production. We have been busy working with a new designer to create this new contemporary range!  1. Winding  Yarn cones are...

The new series of Salvage Hunters is currently airing on Quest on Wednesday evenings at 9pm - the series follows Drew Pritchard  "in search of weird and wonderful objects". Yesterdays episode (6th June) featured...

The new series of Salvage Hunters is currently airing on Quest on Wednesday evenings at 9pm. Tomorrows (6th June) episode features a visit to the Woolmill! The show follows Drew and his...

We are currently weaving tweed fabric for an Aberdeenshire Estate which is well known for its first class driven game shooting and the beautiful setting of its mansion house and gardens. Generally speaking, tweed is...

We are currently producing cloth for Pluscarden Abbey.  "Situated six miles south-west of Elgin in Moray, the monastery enjoys the peace and stillness of a secluded glen, but is easily reached...

We are happy to announce Knockando Woolmill is now a business member of the North East 250 - you can see our website listing here! Visitors and locals who visit...

Winding warp threads onto the beam in the 1970s. If you would like to learn more about the 'beaming' process, watch our YouTube video below...

When we want to weave a new item on the Dobcross loom, a new Dobcross pattern chain needs to be created. This chain distinguishes the pattern of what is woven, such as tartan scarves or...

We were delighted to exhibit at the Edinburgh Yarn Festival from the 15th - 17th March at the Edinburgh Corn Exchange. This was our third time attending the event, which sees thousands of yarn enthusiasts gather...

As you may know, we have been busy carding and spinning wool from North Country Hill Cheviot Ewes from nearby Dalrachie Farm.The ewes were born, bred and raised on the rugged...

The Knockando Woolmill visitor centre, shop and Red Roof Coffee reopens to the public today at 10:00 AM for its 7th season!      Visitor Centre and Shop: Tuesday - Sunday, 10:00...

The Knockando Woolmill visitor centre, shop and Red Roof Coffee will reopen to the public on Tuesday (27th of March) for its 7th season! Our café has undergone a facelift...

  • In 1791, Sir John Sinclair of Ulbster brought 500 "long hill" ewes from the Cheviot Hills near the English borders to his estate in Caithness, with the aim...

We are proud to introduce our upcoming range of North Country Cheviot Wool Yarn. The wool for this range was sourced from Dalrachie Farm, located just 12 miles from the...

It is with sadness we hear of the recent death of James Sugden, for many years the managing director of Johnstons of Elgin. James was always enthusiastic about the Woolmill...

The Woolmill's mule is an 1870 Platt Brothers mule, made in Oldham. It is an early model of a ‘self-acting’ mule, which features 120 spindles.  Prior to this, mule spinning in...

• Generally speaking, tweed is a woven, woollen, heavyweight fabric. • Tweed patterns have traditionally taken inspiration from the Scottish landscape and scenery. • The word Tweed derives from the Scots...

• The oldest known tartan design is the Falkirk tartan, which dates to around AD245. Used as a stopper for a pot to protect a treasure trove of over 2,000 coins, the fragment...

In 2009, an 8-month-old Scottish ram called Deveronvale Perfection sold for £231,000 at the Scottish National Texel Sale at Lankark Market! The buyer, Jimmy Douglas, purchased the ram for breeding, making it the most...

Weaving is the introduction of the weft yarn, known as picks which run horizontally across the fabric. At Knockando Woolmill weaving is carried out on our Dornier Rapier looms and Victorian Dobcross...

Warping is the preparation of the warp threads (known as ends) which run vertically from the top to bottom of a piece of fabric. The threads are set out in...

After spinning, multiples of the single yarn can be plied together to form a two, three, four-fold yarn. The amount of twist can vary according to the end use of...

The rovings from the carding set need to be twisted to produce yarn. At the Woolmill this is done on a spinning Mule. Rovings are fed through delivery rollers on...

Carding is the process of mixing and aligning the fibres prior to spinning. Our carding set is pre-1900 and at least second hand - these machines would have been acquired...

At the Woolmill we buy wool that has already been washed, and this is stored in bales in the Scouring Shed. The oil lost during washing has to be introduced back...

"It is in the finest carpets, it is in Harris Tweed, and now you'll even find it in top-of-the-range beds; but at £1 a kilo, UK wool hasn't been this...

In August 1829, After days quite fair and fine, The sun had gone, and there instead, The dark clouds gathered overhead.   A mighty storm was on its way, Heading...

Knockando Woolmill is proud to announce the winner of their inaugural New Woven Textile Designer Award which was presented at Scotland:ReDesigned’s annual Runway and Awards Presentation at #SRDGLA17 on Thursday,...

The winner of our inaugural New Woven Textile Designer Award is to be announced at Scotland Re:Designed’s annual Runway & Awards Presentation at on Thursday 9th November. The competition aims...

The Shuka project has been a unique collaboration between Knockando Woolmill, Busega Scotland and, most importantly, the children at the Mayega Children's Centre in Tanzania. Children from the centre helped design...

The Woolmill welcomed Drew and the rest of his team to explore the Woolmill for hidden gems! Drew Pritchard is an Architectural Antiques Dealer, Antique Restoration & Salvage Hunter. Drew...

Knockando Woolmill is one of the winners of the 2016 European Union Prize for Cultural Heritage / Europa Nostra Awards, Europe’s highest honour in the heritage field. The Woolmill received the...