Under a 1993 Act of Parliament 'Harris Tweed' is cloth that has been hand woven by the islanders of Lewis, Harris, Uist and Barra in their homes, using pure virgin wool dyed and spun in the Outer Hebrides. The cloth would originally have been woven on wooden looms but by the 1920s these looms were being replaced by the steel framed Hattersley loom. The Hattersley loom was manufactured in Yorkshire and brought to the islands by Lord Leverhulme. The looms are worked by pedals which are linked to the gears which control the weaving process. The introduction of the Hattersley loom meant that cloth could be woven more quickly. It also enabled weavers to weave more complicated patterns which were not possible on the old wooden looms. Cloth was woven 28.5 inches wide and in lengths of 76 yards. The Hattersley looms are still used although in 1996 a new double-width Bonas-Griffith loom was introduced to cope with the softer, wider cloth demanded by the textile market
