A Knitter's Guide to Scotland

If you're coming to Scotland and thinking about planning some fibre related stops, here are some places we like. We don't have a permanent school at the moment, but keep an eye on our Events page for studio drop in dates and Festivals we are attending. Follow the link for the area you're planning to visit.

Edinburgh, Glasgow, Fife and Dundee, Lanarkshire, Aberdeen, Speyside, Skye, Shetland, Orkney, Uist, Festivals

Edinburgh

If you visit all three of these shops, you will have visited three very different parts of central Edinburgh (and seen lots of beautiful yarn), giving you a good feel for why so many people love visiting or living here.

Be Inspired Fibres 

Mei's shop in Marchmont, a short walk across the Meadows from the Old Town, stocks interesting yarn from China, Iceland and Skye, magazines, needles and printed patterns.

Ginger Twist 

At the start of London Road, Jess's vintage inspired shop is a tiny gem - when you walk in the first thing you see is the beautiful display of yarn dyed by Jess but she stocks other interesting yarn too and also some stock for spinners.

Kathy’s Knits 

Kathy's Knits has a wide range of British yarn, lots of great books and patterns and Broughton Street is full of cafes for a well deserved break in your trek around the city.

The Dovecot Tapestry Studio

In the Old Town, down a steep street, there's a converted bath house which now houses a gallery and a working tapestry studio. You can watch the weavers at work, have some food at the cafe, where cones of yarn decorate the tables, and convince yourself you don't need to take up a new fibre pastime.

Glasgow

The Yarn Cake

The Yarn Cake is a small knitting cafe with a selection of quality budget yarn and a small variety of unusual British yarn. The home baking is great.

Pittenweem

The Woolly Brew 

A shop in a beautiful part of Fife, filled with a wide selection of yarn.

Dundee

The home of the new V&A Museum of Design, Dundee has a rich textile heritage. As well as the design museum, there are other textile related sights in Dundee worth a visit.

Fluph

Fluph is the home of Rusty Ferret yarns and also has selection of other fun knittery things. There's a knit night there on a Thursday, if you are missing knitting company on your travels.

The Verdant Works — Jute Museum

A museum dedicated to the less glamorous end of the fibre world - industrial jute production.

Wool for Ewe

Run by a mother and daughter, Wool for Ewe has a good selection of yarns typically used by British Knitters

Shilasdair Yarns

Under new ownership but still beautifully located and committed to using natural dyes on the Isle of Skye

Mills

New Lanark 

A social history lesson, a beautiful location (which is an UNESCO World Heritage site) and a chance to buy wool. It's a perfect day out. Ysolda wrote briefly about New Lanark a few years ago. There's even a video.

Knockando Wool Mill

Deep in the Spey Valley, Knockando Woolmill continues an unbroken 200 year old tradition, producing woven fabric on its historic looms. Knockando Woolmill has always been at the heart of the local community. Listed as the 'Wauk Mill' in parish records from 1784, the Woolmill has maintained its traditions of spinning and weaving through generations of families. You can watch all the stages of the spinning and weaving process and then buy some of the yarn.

Campbell Cairns Alpaca Farm

We haven't been here, but their Gallery is full of beautiful images of their animals and their Alpaca and Alpaca-Wool blend yarn looks interesting - some of it is dyed by Shilasdair which is a great chance to see some of their work if you can't make it to Skye this trip.

Uist Wool

If you get as far as the Western Isles, there's an exciting new venture waiting for you - the original idea to build a new Mill in North Uist emerged from a collective will to find a fresh purpose for local fleece that would reconnect the community with their cultural heritage of wool-working.