| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| gil |
Fibre/string/cloth from nettles ?How would you go about it ?Given as I'm so keen on nettles and suchlike. Was talking with some scythers at the weekend, and the idea of making a nettle garment was considered quite amusing (shirt / string vest / underpants). |
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| mochyn |
I've got plenty of nettles if anyone fancies a nettle-fibre workshop. | ||
| Treacodactyl |
No idea why I remember this story, but I wonder if you could contact them or find any research they've published.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7425980.stm |
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| sally_in_wales |
The way we were doing it last week was to harvest mature nettles, split them in half (a flint or small knife blade helps if the stalk is a bit woody),then systematically snap down the length to break up the woody pith. This is then easily peeled away from the fibres.
Let the strands of fibres dry a bit, shred them down finer if required for your purpose, then damp them down before twisting into string. Thats a very basic method, but its reliable and works well. The fibre looks very unassuming, like this, but twists up easily into string. 
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| wellington womble |
I wonder how well it weaves? I want to make some basket, and I don't have much willow or hazel, but I do have plenty of nettles! | ||
| cab |
Isn't there a way that involves soaking the nettle stems in water to rot away the softer stuff? | ||
| sally_in_wales |
yep, you can ret them too just like flax. havent tried it myself | ||
| AnnaD |
I was hoping to try that out this Summer, but I haven't felt like doing much of anything due to sickness. I will try and give it a go next Summer in which case I'll report back with the results 
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| cab |
Judging by the smell of nettle tea (for plant food), I wouldn't fancy it. But the gooey stringy stuff you get when you make nettle tea, I'll wager it makes great string. |
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| cassy |
I've just emptied out a bucket of nettle tea and dumped the remaining stems on the compost heap. I ought to retrieve them and give it a try as they still seemed to be very fibrous (if I can stomach the smell!). | ||
| colour it green |
gawd yeh - the sitnk! made a big bin full of nettle plant food - how does lush green nettles -which amke lovely nettle bear and clean and refreshing nettle soup turn so disgusting when rotted down. it smells like sewerage! |
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| Sarah D |
Retting flax and nettles - both will stink to high heaven. Our native nettle will make a fibrous rope/string, but the nettle yarn imported from Nepal for knitting (imported by eg woollyshepherd) is from a different type of nettle. | ||
| sally_in_wales |
I've had very fine silky fibres off our common nettle, but you do lose a lot of the stuff that will make coarser string  Its a case of deciding in advance what you want to make and processing accordingly, I usually go for fairly functional string cos thats what I'll use, but its definately possible to make fine soft fibre from local nettles
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| Sarah D |
Have you ever tried spinning it? Must have a go before the goats eat them all............ 
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| sally_in_wales |
not on a wheel or spindle, only by finger as per string making, just a lot finer. |
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| Sarah D |
There are a couple of interesting articles in this month's "The Journal" (Guild of Spinners Weavers and Dyers) - one on flax growing and harvesting, another on allo fibre (the Nepalese nettle used for fibres) production; interesting stance on this one when it addresses problems arising from the demand from the west for nettle fibres and fabrics. |