I've since opened the packages and really looked at the fiber, and it's nasty. It's from Louet. The flax smells like unwashed ram's wool, and it sticks to the hands. It feels and looks oily. There's LOTS of straw in it. It's not as coarse as I thought, as the apparent coarseness was finer fibers stuck together with the oiliness. One chunk that I unknotted and untwisted to look at more carefully had a largish spot on it that looked like some sort of powdered soap.
YUCK! I hope someone has a better supplier for line flax stricks! Holly
