petermorwood:

tiger-in-the-flightdeck:

domina-honoribila:

thewildyonder:

For the curious, this chap is processing flax, then spinning it into cordage, then twisting those cords into rope.

Spinning it finer, and you get flax thread, to turn into linen cloth.

I grew up in Northern Ireland, school lessons never missed a chance to mention Irish linen, my Dad was Head of Accounts at what was once the largest linen-thread mill In The World and I even worked there myself over a couple of summers.

Linen is impressive stuff, can be woven tight enough to hold water or fine enough to be almost transparent, the thread was once used for bowstrings, and is still preferred over synthetics in high-end shoemaking.

The fibre-making procedure in the video is also done with hemp and nettles. I’ve got a few hemp shirts, well-worn-in and comfy, and @dduane​ has a vintage smock made of nettle fabric.

It isn’t as soft as Egyptian cotton and wasn’t expected to be; however it’s certainly not as harsh as a hessian (jute, burlap) sack, and of course doesn’t sting. After what’s done to nettles to turn them into fabric, stinging is a long way in the past.

The process of turning tough - and in the case of nettles, actively unpleasant - plants into hard-wearing* cloth is fascinating, and has always made me wonder who, millennia ago, discovered it could be done.

* Hard-wearing? Oh yes. We inherited quite a bit of Irish linen from my Mum; the washing instructions on one beautiful damask tablecloth…

…were “rub soiled areas firmly with laundry soap then boil until clean”… Boil literally, in a pot on the stove. Hemp and nettle garments would be treated the same way.

Looking at this (probably while tingling and scratching)…

…might prompt vengeful thoughts of this (here’s our recipe on European Cuisines)…

…but how it ever prompted thoughts of this…

…is a fascinating question