Spinning with bast

[dragonfly]

Does anyone do any spinning with plant fibers? I'm a novice (wool) spinner, but part of my interest in the craft is because of its ancient roots, including the fact that people have spun with hemp, flax and nettles. I know it sounds crazy, but I'd love to try spinning with some of the tall weeds in my garden. Is this a ridiculous idea?

Comments

[squirelawrence]

Not silly at all - in fact, at the SOAR retreat a couple of years back, Stephanie Gaustad taught a class on bast fibers, and a couple of folks went out into the woods surrounding the resort and brought back weeds to try and spin with. That said, most of the bast fibers require a fair bit of prep prior to spinning to separate the small cell, woody "bark" bits from the long-fiber, cellulose inner "threads." Try Googling "retting" for an idea of the process.

I think Stephanie is teaching the class again at this year's SOAR, and I would heartily recommend it (or any class you can find with her).