The Orry Mill

The Orry Mill, yarn and haberdashery in Eaglesham

The Orry Mill is a yarn and haberdashery shop located in Eaglesham, south of Glasgow. It opened with the aim of offering a space dedicated to natural fibres, colours that work well together and advice on knitting projects. Seven years after opening, it has its own yarn, a growing collection of patterns named after places near the shop and an online school, Yarn School, for those starting from scratch.

Orry Yarn, the own-brand yarn

The shop makes its own yarn, Orry Yarn Merino DK, a 100% merino yarn spun and dyed in Yorkshire in sixteen colours inspired by Scotland's west coast, including Luskentyre, Haar and Fenwick Moor. Each 50 g ball yields 115 m (126 yards), knits on 4 mm needles at a tension of 20-22 stitches per 10 cm and costs £7.50. The yarn requires hand washing. The company describes the yarn as soft enough for cables and moss stitch to keep their definition.

Brands and yarn catalogue

In addition to its own brand, the shop stocks yarns from Rowan, Knitting for Olive, Sandnes Garn, Schoppel, Noro, Regia, Lang Yarns, Jamieson & Smith, Kate Davies, Hardicraft, Kremke Soul Wool and Scheepjes. The catalogue is organised by weight (lace, 4 ply/fingering, DK, aran, chunky and super chunky), by fibre (merino, alpaca, mohair, cashmere, silk and silk blends, yak, cotton and linen, organic yarns and baby yarns) and by brand. It also includes a help section for choosing the right weight or fibre and calculating how much yarn is needed.

Patterns, kits and notions

The pattern range covers projects for babies, cardigans, hats and beanies, slipovers, socks and sweaters, with free, digital and printed options, as well as pattern books. They can be filtered by difficulty (complete beginner, beginner and easy) and by craft (knitting and crochet). Orry Yarn patterns are delivered as a downloadable PDF and, if the yarn is bought together with the pattern, a printed A5 booklet is included free; each pattern also includes Yarn School video support for the techniques it uses. The shop offers beginner knitting kits, baby knitting kits, knitting kits, crochet kits and gift kits. In haberdashery and notions it has needles and hooks, project bags and storage, finishing supplies and needle storage and accessories, with brands such as Knit Pro, muud bags, Lykke, Lantern Moon, Clover and CocoKnits.

Learning: Yarn School and in-person classes

Yarn School is an online course with step-by-step videos, a kit with the yarn and needles already chosen and email support to answer questions. The shop complements this offer with in-person classes, including a top-down knitting in the round workshop and another for learning to knit socks. It also publishes practical guides on pattern abbreviations, needle and hook sizes, calculating how much yarn is needed and fixing common mistakes, as well as a beginner section for those who have never knitted.

Shipping and in-store collection

The shop ships to the European Union, the United States, Canada and Australia. UK delivery is free on orders over £35. Orders can be collected in store by selecting that option at checkout; according to the shop's information, they are usually ready in about an hour during opening hours.

Location and opening hours

The shop is located in Eaglesham, about fifteen minutes from Newton Mearns and half an hour from central Glasgow. It is open Tuesday to Friday 11:30 am–4 pm and Saturday 11 am–4 pm, and closed Sunday and Monday. All products are also available to order online.

Phone: 01355 301244 · Email: info@theorrymill.co.uk · Opening hours: Tuesday to Friday: 11:30-16:00. Saturday: 11:00-16:00. Closed Sunday and Monday.