Fun with Fibres

This is an evening of comparing the properties of natural fibres from the animal and plant world. We will split the group in two and then alternate at the half way point. David will be looking at fibres from the plant world, specifically stinging nettle to make cordage and flax to make linen. We’ll peel nettle fibres fresh from the plant and twist into cordage. We’ll also have a go at processing some flax into the fibres that can be spun into linen, using traditional methods such as braking, scutching and hackling to separate our shives from the tow. Janet will be exploring all things wool, including the properties of different fleeces, hand spinning techniques and using a spinning wheel. At the end we’ll reflect on what we have learned from plant and animal fibres