Overside Wool
Overside Wool is a community initiative, helmed by textile lovers Lulu Stader and Annette Mackenzie, with a mission to use, showcase and sell wool from the flocks of the Souther Overside of Gairloch in Wester Ross.
In an area where most local fleeces are having to be discarded as waste wool due to low market value, Lulu and Anette are helping to promote its inherent value by spinning yarn, knitting traditional clothing, and selling the fruits of their labours to benefit local charities.
With their work they inspire the crofters and crafters of their local community to rescue fleeces, learn traditional crafts, and showcase the wonderful wool of their region as a sustainable and beautiful material.
Overside Wool's pieces for Forgotten Fleece Tales
Overside Wool have created a triptych of jumpers, hand-knitted from hand-spun local wool. These jumpers have been knitted to traditional Scottish patterns, but incorporate modern twists to demonstrate the enduring appeal of these historical designs and techniques to contemporary fashion.
Each jumper is linked to the legacy of a late friend, paying tribute to the Overside crofter women and their families through clothing made from their respective flocks. The first jumper is a modern fair-isle design, spun and woven from a combination of two special fleeces: the first fleece shorn by the then 12-year-old grandson of a dear friend, and last year's fleece from the same ewe, shorn by the same young man. The second jumper is a delicate lacey cardigan, knitted from soft shearling White North-Country Cheviot fleeces donated by the son of another friend. The third jumper is a recreation of the famous Gairloch jumper pattern, with a unique Overside twist. This has been made from the fleeces of a North-Country Black Cheviot herd raised by a third friend.
Entwined with personal stories and lasting legacies, these creations are a celebration of friendship, family, wool, womanhood, crafting, crofting and Highland life.