Hand Knitted Harris Wool Socks (very cheap!)

[wdw]

I'm in a remote part of the wild west of Scotland for the weekend and saw this little advert for Harris Wool socks, made in the Hebrides by a real Hebridean, for only £5 (inc. shipping) in the local paper. It's so low tech that it's communication by post only, which I find hugely refreshing in the space age.

"Hand knitted Harris wool socks, £5 per pair inc. postage.
Mrs MacKay, 17 Achmore, Isle of Lewis, HS2 9DU"

I'm going to write to her and see if there are any options, such as longer length, but at that price it would be rude not to support a local artisan. I have this romantic vision of a wee old granny doing what she can to earn a few extra pounds, but who knows...

 

[shadowrider]

Great! Keep us updated on how it goes!

 

[Bigger Don]

Great! Keep us updated on how it goes!

+1

 

[wdw]

I've sent her £10 cash for a long pair. Hopefully it won't get nicked en route.

I'll report back with the results, but expect it'll be at least 2-3 weeks.

 

[GHT]

I might risk a tenner too. Is there a pattern, as in something like Fair Isle? My Grandmother used to knit socks for my siblings and I, when we were children. It's rather intricate, done on four needles, highly skilled, like this:

 

[wdw]

@GHT, I can't imagine I'd get socks like those for only £5 delivered, but I'd happily pay more.

I just asked for knee-highs in any colour but brown, so who knows what I'll get. My expectations are minimal, so just receiving a wearable pair will be a bonus.

I gave her my contact details so that she could advise of any options, but this is just a punt in the dark. It was the simplicity and quaintness of the advert that drew me, rather than expectations of anything stellar.

Time will tell.

 

[GHT]

Rocket Originals are the socks that I buy, they are a beautiful sock, and at £8, hardly expensive. But I'm more than willing, delighted actually, to see and encourage a cottage industry. What I'm tempted to do is send one pair of my old socks, asking if it's possible to knit something similar, but I do have some reticence about doing that. Perhaps it might be best to wait and see what your reaction is.

 

[shadowrider]

wdw, do you know what lenght the £5 pair is?

 

[wdw]

@paololital, at that price, they must surely be short, which is why I sent £10 and asked for a long pair.

 

[wdw]

As an update, Mrs McKay's daughter has been in touch by email to say her mother has received my cash and order.

It seems her mother just likes to knit and this is a hobby, so you can't get much more cottage industry than that.

I confirmed colour and exact length, so look forward to seeing what turns up.

If anyone has any queries, you can contact her daughter Lynne at lynne2004 at hotmail dot co dot uk and she'll take it up with her mother.

 

[wdw]

As an update, I've now received my 12" high black pair, about 2.5 weeks after ordering by post and am very pleased with them.

They're well finished in terms of the long rib at the top and how the heel is formed, and have a raw, homemade quality that I haven't seen for decades. These aren't made by a machine with very tightly woven threads, but have that looser handmade, retro feel and appearance when stretched. I'll be ordering more, if nothing else because they're made by a human who takes pride in her work. Mrs MacKay even included spare wool for darning and a nice thank-you card.

Mine are relatively thick, but my wife will be getting thinner ones. From now on I'll communicate via her daughter's email above, which should speed things up.

 

[shadowrider]

That's great, good to hear it worked out well.
I'll probably order a couple pairs myself, as it's always a good thing to support local crafts.
Did they change their mind about accepting paypal payment?

 

[wdw]

@paololital, her daughter said that direct bank transfer would be possible, but I imagine that would come with a large fee if from overseas.

I think they're unsure about PayPal, unfortunately, but if it meant losing business they may reconsider.

 

[David Conwill]

This is intriguing. Any pics of the finished product?

 

[wdw]

Hi David. My socks were black, so very difficult to capture any features in a photo. I'll have a try tonight and see if it works.

 

[wdw]

Here's a pic, but difficult to make out clearly. They've been worn, so are a bit stretched. It's about 12" up from the heel and there's a vertical rib of about 5" at the top, with some fancy corner-turning at the heel. It's nothing fancy, just a decent, solid pair of handmade socks. I paid £10 due to the extra length.

 

[David Conwill]

Looks swell! Thanks for the image.

I'm in need of some tall, dark-blue socks to wear with breeks, so I'm weighing my options.

 

[wdw]

David, I'm pretty sure she'd make them to your specs, length and colour wise, as she asked me if I wanted a turn-down as well. You'd maybe need to buy a few pairs to make the postage manageable for her, as she can't be making much at all from the selling price.

The USP here is obviously them being custom made by a real human in the isles using local wool, rather than a machine in Vietnam.

 

[regius]

these are probably knit by the same group of locals, but I bought them from Aero


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[nightandthecity]

there seem to be people hand-knitting socks to sell on most of the larger islands....I have some from Barra and some from Lewis.