Re: Subject: [lace] Linen (flax) thread
Adele I think that all of your thoughts are just about spot on! Although the species is Linum Usitatissimum there must be hundreds of varieties which combined with different growing conditions, retting and spinning techniques mean that some linen fibres are very coarse whilst others are gossamer fine - and machinery doesn't have the skills required to spin the finest! My 2 penn'th agreeing with your 2 cents worth! Brenda On 3 Oct 2005, at 03:23, Adele Shaak wrote: I've heard a number of stories about why we don't have fine flax, and after hearing them all, this is my 2 cents' worth: 1. A few years ago in the OIDFA bulletin (I think) there was an article on fine linen thread from someone whose family has been in the linen-thread production business for a few generations. He said that, whereas an experienced flax handspinner could produce a thread with as few as 8 individual fibres, the best machines couldn't do it with fewer than 40 fibres. I assume that's due to the lighter tension, greater care, and individual attention to the fibre you would get from an experienced handspinner. 2. Lots of people claim that there was some mysterious variety of special flax that died out - and lots of people claim there never was and it never did. I think that it is likely that makers of machine-made thread got tired of being asked why they couldn't make fine thread, and the mysterious plant extinction was a good story that got them off the hook. I'm suspicious that way ;-) 3. I've heard that the plants that were intended to produce fine threads were deliberately crowded in sowing so they grew tall and thin as the plant stretched up to find some sunlight. These particular plants were then harvested by pulling them up by the roots so that the maximum length of processed fibre was obtained. 4. I've read an article from the 17th century, wherein an Englishman attempted to figure out how the Dutch got such fine flax thread, and he reported that the unspun flax was kept for years, and re-combed every year, until the remaining fibre was as fine as baby's hair. Perhaps this patience and careful selection is a factor. 5. It is well known that the temperatures in northern Europe were for some centuries cooler than they are now. Plants grown in cooler conditions may produce finer threads, just as tree rings are thinner when the year is cool. I'm not sure; it's just a thought. In conclusion - for what it's worth, I think the fineness of linen thread was more likely the result of careful hand-raising, hand-processing, and hand-spinning, and climate conditions, than it was the result of having some special variety of flax. Again, my 2 cents. Adele North Vancouver, BC (west coast of Canada) - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] Brenda http://paternoster.orpheusweb.co.uk/ - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Subject: [lace] Linen (flax) thread
There is an exhibit at the Cooper-Hewitt now called Extreme Textiles which is actually about modern fiber and textiles. In it they have textiles that the army can make quickly assembled structures of, textiles that can repair living hearts, and textiles with which to explore the moon. There is nothing they cannot do with a textile if there is enough money chasing it. Devise some way in which an extremely fine linen thread can be used to find oil and machines will be invented that can spin linen thread finer than ever before :-) In the meantime, I don't think lace hobbiests provide much incentive to produce a highly expensive luxury thread. Devon - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Subject: [lace] Linen (flax) thread
le 3/10/05 4:23, Adele Shaak à [EMAIL PROTECTED] a écrit : I think the fineness of linen thread was more likely the result of careful hand-raising, hand-processing, and hand-spinning, and climate conditions, than it was the result of having some special variety of flax. Again, my 2 cents. my two cents agree with yours .. ;-)) dominique from Paris. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
Re: Subject: [lace] Linen (flax) thread
At the 1999 IOLI convention, one of my favorite events was a presentation by the the Lares (no other name given in the official program we received) on The Story of Flax. They talked about and demonstrated every step in the process of linen production from the sewing of the seeds (when, where, and how...) to the harvesting (when, which, and how), to the retting (at least two options), the combing, spinning, etc., etc. The (copious)equipment was all antique, their clothes had been made from linen they had grown, harvested, combed, spun, woven, and sewn. I was fascinated with the presentation. It was my impression that one of the key components to getting such fine fibers for spinning was hand-pulling the plant at a critical point, measured from the date of the bloom. So one would need to know exactly how a flower looked post bloom, to pull it when it was prime for lace thread. (They actually spoke of the number of days after bloom, but since not all plants in a crop bloom at precisely the same time...) I can't resist this sidebar: At the beginning of the lecture/demonstration, they passed around a container of flax seeds and instructed each of us to take as many seeds as we needed and put them in our shoes. They declined to give any other instructions, and noted that we would learn why at the end of the lecture. The end of the lecture came, and they had not brought it up. So when they asked for questions, they fielded those that related to the demonstration, and finally I could not resist. I asked, Why the flax in our shoes? The answer was that flax was considered good luck to put in your shoes, and insured a fertile woman who would bear many children. There were shrieks as ladies quickly dumped flax on the ballroom floor!!! And amid the pandemonium, the Lares announced that I had won a container of flax seed for paying attention. I still have it... although as far away from my shoes as I can manage!! Which, as I read all of the input from the list so far, simply adds my (their) 2 cents to the plate! Clay Clay Blackwell [EMAIL PROTECTED] [Original Message] From: romdom [EMAIL PROTECTED] To: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Date: 10/3/2005 8:31:48 PM Subject: Re: Subject: [lace] Linen (flax) thread le 3/10/05 4:23, Adele Shaak à [EMAIL PROTECTED] a écrit : I think the fineness of linen thread was more likely the result of careful hand-raising, hand-processing, and hand-spinning, and climate conditions, than it was the result of having some special variety of flax. Again, my 2 cents. my two cents agree with yours .. ;-)) dominique from Paris. - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED] - To unsubscribe send email to [EMAIL PROTECTED] containing the line: unsubscribe lace [EMAIL PROTECTED] For help, write to [EMAIL PROTECTED]
