I have some questions about spinning flax. I have some very long
flax (18" long) and have tried spinning it with so-so results. But
naturally now I have questions.
I hung the flax from a floor lamp next to my wheel and put a bowl of
water between my knees to keep the fibers wet. The resulting thread
was quite hairy and I kept having to make joins.
Thanks, bsr
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1. Should the fibers be fed in end-to-end or should I be starting in
the middle of the fiber? One website said to feed in from the "root"
end of the fiber which would be the thicker end of the strand. It
wasn't obvious to me which end was which.
2. How much twist should go into the flax? The websites say "not too
much", but about what whorl ratio is that? I have a Schacht in double
drive mode.
3. Several websites said to spin flax counter-clockwise to conform with
the natural growth pattern of the plant. Any experience with whether
that makes it easier to spin or produces a better result? [I didn't read
this until after I tried spinning.]
4. Is flax normally plied? I tried to analyze some old homespun and
it looks like singles, but several "history of flax" websites discussed
plying. Perhaps woven cloth was singles but thread needs plying?
5. I read that dampening the flax for several hours prior to use
restores flexiblity to the fibers so they don't break as easily.
I was using dry fiber and only wetting it in the drafting area.
Perhaps this was why it kept breaking?
6. How do you wrap the flax around a distaff that is essentially a
stick? It looks like the flax strick is just impaled and tied. Is
there more to it? I've seen someone dress a cage distaff such that the
flax forms a wonderful gauze around the distaff. Is it easier to spin
flax this way?
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