Flax Spinning

[NancyO]

Does anyone have personal experience with flax and the lovely thread it makes? I've found flax and it's process to yarn, a little of it any way, on the net. Any personal experience would be nicer to read here.

Thanks to those who answer.

knittingnancy

[mullerslanefarm]

Yes, I've spun different types of bast fibers including flax and hemp.
Some folks use a distaff, some folks like spinning it wet (damp) but I like spinning it dry (just wetting my fingers).
To 'set it', you need to boil the yarn. Still, it will be quite stiff until it gets really abused (i.e. a lot of use and washing) to soften up the fiber

[NancyO]

Yes, I've spun different types of bast fibers including flax and hemp.
Some folks use a distaff, some folks like spinning it wet (damp) but I like spinning it dry (just wetting my fingers).
To 'set it', you need to boil the yarn. Still, it will be quite stiff until it gets really abused (i.e. a lot of use and washing) to soften up the fiber

Cyndi, You answered so long ago! Sorry I missed this. Am still learning sites and forums. Thanks for the ideas, they are helpful.

[shantaseema]

Flax can be grown almost anywhere, where the growing season is three months. It has very short roots, and is harvested by pulling it out of the ground instead of cutting it. Once the stalks are pulled, they are stored in bundles, and set aside to dry. Next, they are put through a process called, rippling, which removes the seeds. Retting is the next process, which rots the outer core of the stalk to expose the inner fibers. Hackling is a combing process and the last process flax goes through before handspinning. This is when the short fibers, called tow are removed from the long fibers, called stricks. Stricks and tow flax are the most common forms of flax available to handspinners.

[mullerslanefarm]

shantaseema,
Have you done this yourself!! Wow!