Island inspiration

Barra is a hauntingly peaceful place. The wind funnelling low over the flower-packed sea meadows known as machair; the sloshing of the ever-present sea: these are the sounds that pass for intrusive noise in the southern reaches of the Outer Hebrides.

Listen carefully and you may, in the imagination at least, hear another sound. ‘Click, clack, clackety-click…’ Rather than a rare bird call, these are the reverberations of a tight-knit community of knitters producing high-quality garments that epitomise the soul of the island.

If you thought clothing in the Scottish islands was all about what to wear with your gun dog while stalking the moors and glens, prepare to have those preconceptions confounded. A revolution is taking place in design, with stylish patterns and eye-catching apparel being made by innovative local