| Archive for Downsizer For an ethical approach to consumption |
| James |
how do you make nettle string?I visited my parents in Shropshire at the weekend and saw a flier for a lesson on making string from nettle fibre ("from Sting to String")Has anyone done this? if so, how? I presume you soak the the nettles to rot the vegetative matter away from the fibre, then twist it somehow. It's the twisting I'm not sure about. Do you need to card it? (is that the correct word? where you fluff up the fibres prior to spinning it) How do you twist the fibres together to make something thats longer than a 3 foot high nettle stem? cheers James |
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| sally_in_wales |
There are several ways, one involves retting the nettle much as you would flax, and this gives the best fibre yield, but you can also break and peel off useful amounts of nettle fibre just using your hands. You sort of bend the nettle stem and peel off the bits that break leaving the stringy bits behind.
Then you twist and ply it together as you would any vegetable fibre you wanted to make string from. Its one of those things thats pretty easy to pick up once shown but a bit awkward to describe in words. |
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| Stacey |
One for the fibre weekend? |
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| James |
I'm not going to be at the fibre weekend but I think it'd be a great subject. I presume a simple garden twine (which is what I'm aiming for) could be made quite simply when you get the hang of it.
Whats Retting? And although its complicated, please could you have a go at explaining how to twist & ply it together? |
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| Blue Peter |
Someone who knows will no doubt explain, but am I correct in thinking that etymological-wise it's related to rotting (I assume because it's allowing the soft non-fibre stuff to rot away)? Peter. |
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| James |
Re: how do you make nettle string?So is it this:
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| woodsprite |
Sounds interesting..... where was this flier for James? | ||
| Stacey |
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Retting |
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| James |
I dont know, I just glanced at it on a notice board in a local church. I read the title before I had to move on. So no info on where or when. Sorry. It would be (or has been...) in south shrophire. |
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| sally_in_wales |
to twist and ply string, imagine you are holding a bunch of fibres (grab some cotton wool if it helps). Tease a bit out into a vaguely string shaped sausage and twist each end in opposite directions until it it quite tight. This is effectively spinning that section. Now fold it in half, it will twist up on itself giving you two ends and a short stretch of plied string. The trick now is to continue twisting each end, adding more fibre as required, and periodically allowing the two spun parts to twist together continuing the ply and forming ever longer string. | ||
| sally_in_wales |
there is a web page here that shows one way to make cordage
http://www.arthurhaines.com/reverse-wrap-cord.htm pics prob much easier to understand than my descriptions 
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| James |
ah, yes, I've done this before.
But I always get stuck at the same point: I twist a length of twine, then double it back on itself and allow it to twist together. But if I twist anymore twine from the loose fibre, I have nothing to double it back on itself. How can I end up with a good length of string? Say I need 2 metres of string, do I need to first twist (spin) 4 metres of single thread, then double it over to make 2 m of double thread? Or is there something I'm missing? {EDIT: sorry, Sally, I posted this at the same time as you posted your link. This looks reasonably self explanatory, thanks} |
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| sally_in_wales |
thats where you need to keep adding in new bits to the two ends, keep twisting, and let the string form as the plied part keeps taking up the twist. Sometimes its called splicing in. When you have teh hang if it ist almost a continuous motion as you twist the two ends then a sort of rolling motion to encourage the ply to take | ||
| Stacey |
Do you have one end wedged in somewhere or tied to a door handle? What holds the twist while the string gets longer? | ||
| sally_in_wales |
I just let it coil up as I go, last time I made literally dozens of yards of grass string at an archaeology event, and I ended up with a coil round one wrist as I made the rest, but everyone ends up with slightly different methods, some people find rolling on the thigh much easier, I tend to work more with my fingers and hands when I make cordage. |
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| Stacey |
I'd really like to have a go at this. We have stacks of nettles and I never get round to using them when they're small  This could be my saving grace 
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| woodsprite |
I'd like a go too...... I'm in Ludlow James, I seem to remember that your folks are B.C. way?
I'll try and track down the course info.
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| mochyn |
Sally: at Wonderwool a couple of years ago I saw someone making cord using a hand drill. Is that the same? Is so, how? | ||
| sally_in_wales |
Heres another link with pics of the fibrous bits being prepared. http://www.zinfinium.net/index.php?id=130 Its worth experimenting though, some people like to use the nettle fresh, some like to dry it out or even use 'dead' standing nettles.
I quite often use fine supple grasses for string that doenst need to last forever, saves a lot of preparation time and is good for practice. You want the ones that look a bit dry and golden even when standing and which don't turn to dust when you scrumple them up |
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| sally_in_wales |
That I suspect is just a way to ply up finer cords faster |
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| James |
I saw the flier at Plowden Church. Take the Bishops Castle road at The Grove (passed Craven Arms). Then at the bottom of the Longmynd, there's a sharp right hand bend- take the left turn to Lydbury North on this bend. Over a bridge, then park in car park on right after a couple of hundred metres. The church is on the left up some steps- the flier is to the right of the door. that notice board isnt exactly up to date, so it probably happend some time last year and the notice hasnt been take down yet. Worth looking into though. |