Sue,
Not sure if you have seen this book but all the recent discussion on
Flax and linen brings it to mind.
Linen, from Flax seed to Woven Cloth by Linda Heinrich.
Published by Schiffer, 2010.
Linda wrote this book as part of her master craftsman certificate in
Weaving from the Canadian Guild. She took several trips to Belgium and
other European countries researching flax and linen. While she wrote
this leading from a weaving perspective, the beginning of the book,
(first 4 chapters), covering growing through spinning is very interesting.
Dianne
[email protected]
kelowna, BC
On 21/10/2016 5:41 PM, Bespokethreadsandyarns wrote:
The process being proposed by Brenda Paternoster is exactly what I have been
doing for six years. Yearly, I grow a small plot, harvest, rett, break once my
husband finishes building a new break. What is easiest at home is to harvest
exactly when ripe. I have read that slightly 'green' flax stalks may produce
finest threads. I have a select bunch to test this idea. One issue about
saving seed and replanting is that flax must be harvested before the seed heads
burst otherwise the fiber strands become overripe and unusable. Hear that the
seeds available at harvest are too immature to germinate. I believe back in the
day they would have let some flax to fully mature ( over ripen) just for seed.
Really, even if the finest flax plants were developed, commercial processing is
virtually non existent. Hand processing ( not even up to spinning yet) would be
impractical and expensive. Add a cottage handspinner and no one could afford
the thread. I am in the process of spinning small batches for early bobbin
lace thesis. Spinning is tedious, messy, dirty. Then threads need to be plied
and then boiled to clean and soften. I thrash to break down the fibers to make
them smoother, lustrous and not as stiff. Good news is that a little goes a
long way.
I am planning on vlogging the process as I work on my thesis. Technically, the
thesis includes replicating metal wrapped threads but linen thread is also
being required. Spinning is the easy part, making lace samples in triplicate
will be my challenge as a novice.
Sue M
I do have slides about my flax growing process but do not know how to share.
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