One nettle cordage challenge

[Woody girl]

How about a simple challenge.? Just for fun and to up cordage making skills.
Take one nettle, and make as much cordage suitable for sewing something, that you can make.
Let's see who gets the longest and finest thread.
I decided to do this for myself, and then throw the challenge out there.
Have a bit of fun in these dark and worrisome days.
Photos please with proof of length. Let's go!....

 

[Toddy]

One nettle stalk ?
Two ply thread ?

We used to reckon out that one stalk = one boot lace Surprisingly accurate, and the lace lasted really well.

I have lost most of my pinch grip again, so fine spinning is not happening. I might give it a go with a distaff and roll it on my knee though if I can break out the fibres

M

 

[Woody girl]

One nettle stalk ?
Two ply thread ?

We used to reckon out that one stalk = one boot lace Surprisingly accurate, and the lace lasted really well.

I have lost most of my pinch grip again, so fine spinning is not happening. I might give it a go with a distaff and roll it on my knee though if I can break out the fibres

M

Yes, one nettle, two ply, and as long as possible.
I found a huge nettle about 9 feet tall, and wondered how much I could make from it, which gave me the idea. Doesn't matter what method you use to make it, just whatever works best for you.
My fibres are drying, and I will be making mine in the next few days when I get time.
I've also made a pretty bit of cordage from rhubarb of all things. I got given a few stalks, and I noticed that the outer "skin" was very fibrous so peeled it gently, and ended up with some lovely fibres, which I turned into a little bit of cordage, only about 15 inches, but its a very pretty variegated pink and green.
I've realy developed an interest in natural fibres since my courses on nalbinding and tablet weaving. I'm looking at, and trying everything. I've even tried dried corn shucks, which makes a good looking cordage, but its very weak due to the shortness of the fibres, and many joins needed, but it was interesting to do. I'm going to use that for tying up Xmas presents. I'm wondering if corn shucks would make paper! My head is so full of ideas of late!

 

[SaraR]

Yes, one nettle, two ply, and as long as possible.
I found a huge nettle about 9 feet tall, and wondered how much I could make from it, which gave me the idea. Doesn't matter what method you use to make it, just whatever works best for you.
My fibres are drying, and I will be making mine in the next few days when I get time.
I've also made a pretty bit of cordage from rhubarb of all things. I got given a few stalks, and I noticed that the outer "skin" was very fibrous so peeled it gently, and ended up with some lovely fibres, which I turned into a little bit of cordage, only about 15 inches, but its a very pretty variegated pink and green.
I've realy developed an interest in natural fibres since my courses on nalbinding and tablet weaving. I'm looking at, and trying everything. I've even tried dried corn shucks, which makes a good looking cordage, but its very weak due to the shortness of the fibres, and many joins needed, but it was interesting to do. I'm going to use that for tying up Xmas presents. I'm wondering if corn shucks would make paper! My head is so full of ideas of late!

Try making some nettle yarn from retted nettles if you have the opportunity! It makes for lovely yarn and fabric.

For nålbindning, you can use wool fluff foraged from fences and hedges or (as done historically) cow's and horse hair. I've never tried (crude) plant fibres but think it should work.

 

[Woody girl]

Try making some nettle yarn from retted nettles if you have the opportunity! It makes for lovely yarn and fabric.

For nålbindning, you can use wool fluff foraged from fences and hedges or (as done historically) cow's and horse hair. I've never tried (crude) plant fibres but think it should work.

I got given two raw fleeces amounts ago. One brown , and one mostly white. There is a lot of work there too!
Enough to keep me out of mischief for a few months...we hope! I do have a mischief streak, and it's not always under control.

 

[Toddy]

We could do a list again of what we've used to make cordage this year ?

So far this Spring/SummerI've used

Nettles, a bit early yet for here, just kind of soft
Crocus (really, really good. Dried leaves just pull out in bunches)
Rushes
Flag iris
Blue Iris
Willow bast
Long leaved plantain
Bramble (really too early, I was weeding it out and it was very fresh growth)
Ivy
Honeysuckle
Grass, which makes a rope rather than a fine cord

I've sown some linseed in a big pot, just for the fun of it we'll see.

My hands and wrists are very swollen, very sore. It'll settle, I just get kind of fed up of it.

 

[Woody girl]

Lists of cordage fibres would be great. I've used day lily last year. It made a good thick cordage.
I'm twisting up my cordage this afternoon. It's had 24 hrs drying. I'm off to the project again Friday, I know there are some realy tall nettles in the woods, so I'm going to see if I can make a longer cord than what I can make from the big nettle I found yesterday aswell. See which is longest.
I do love making cordage. It's so satisfying. I was showing my friend S how to do it yesterday with some smaller nettles we cleared from her veg patch and she realy took to it. Popped up this morning to get my secateurs and gloves back I left behind by mistake, and there she was on the patio making cordage!
It's addictive.

 

[Toddy]

A couple of friends and I joked about it; if it wasn't cordage, it was dye

Some of the best ones though are from trees. It's kind of hard chopping down trees to get the inner bark though; not when you're just out for a wander.

Pretty much anything gives something, even the wee dried leaves from the aluminium plant. GFSon1 was making string from them last month.

 

[Woody girl]

I've got a bit of willow bast waiting to be boiled with Ash to soften it enough for cordage. That's the next project.
Been making my nettle cordage this afternoon and have almost two yards already, will finish it tomorrow. Hoping for about 3 yards or more. Got sidetracked with a visitor , so didn't get the quiet afternoon to finish it like I planned.
Come on, somebody beat my efforts, I dare you!
Remember it's sewing thread, so needs to be finer than normal cordage.

 

[Ystranc]

My nettles aren’t far off being ready for cordage but I must admit I’ve never attempted making thread. Apparently nettle fibre performs in a very similar way to linen to the point where it can be spun and woven, I’d very much like to see that in action.

 

[Toddy]

Cotton fibres are lucky if they're an inch long, but they're the seed ball fibres.
Linen fibres are actually only as long as the stem, the fibres we use are the water carrying ones, and with nettle they're only really about four inches long when properly retted out.
Mostly we use the long lengths that are still bound together with some of the rest of the plant cell walls keeping it all together.
Properly made nettle fibres, or hemp, ramie, are fine, as fine as linen, and they come out white whereas linen comes out pale fawn and hemp is a darker shade.
They bleach, sun brighten to white, but the nettle is whiter to start with.

I have spun and woven nettle cloth, it is lovely stuff, but it's a lot of work. I think if I had enough area to grow a decent crop, to make it worthwhile retting out a lot of them (and mind it stinks as it rots, it really, really does, and you can't flush that stuff into any watercourse without upsetting things because it's anaerobic. That's the reason that the lindens were pits where flax was retted.
You can 'dew rett' all of them, but with nettle you have to be incredibly watchful because it'll go to mildew very quickly.
In drier climates than the west of Scotland, they used to let the nettles stand over Winter, and before Spring really came in and the agricultural year took off hard again, they pulled the stems and beat the fibres free from them. Netherlands, Germany, Latvia, etc.,....slightly different climate to our sodden wet one.

 

[SaraR]

My nettles aren’t far off being ready for cordage but I must admit I’ve never attempted making thread. Apparently nettle fibre performs in a very similar way to linen to the point where it can be spun and woven, I’d very much like to see that in action.

I'm pretty sure you can find some stuff on YouTube if you go searching.

I once helped make a fishing net using nettle yarn, so it's useful for a lot of things.

 

[Woody girl]

Well, my sewing cordage is made, and I have a bit over 6 feet. Unfortunately I've mislaid my tape measure for now, but I'm guesstimating based on my own height. I'll get a proper measure tomorrow, and take a picky, will have to join up as a full member again to post a pic.
Has anybody else had a go?

 

[Toddy]

Okay, one nettle pulled up....one stalk of about 5' length.
Took a photo of it lying on two 3' slabs for scale. When I figure out how to shift that onto my laptop and post.......

I then picked off (well used scissors, hands not working properly) the leaves (which are now in a net bag drying for tea ) and then stomped and skliffed right along the length in a pair of clean gardening shoes with small ridges on the soles.
The fibre rich skin sloughed off and is thoroughly broken. It's now sitting in a 2lt jug of rainwater in the greenhouse to rett and hopefully break out the fibres.
If I've done it right I ought to be able to comb them into a rough roving for spinning.



M

 

[Woody girl]

Okay, one nettle pulled up....one stalk of about 5' length.
Took a photo of it lying on two 3' slabs for scale. When I figure out how to shift that onto my laptop and post.......

I then picked off (well used scissors, hands not working properly) the leaves (which are now in a net bag drying for tea ) and then stomped and skliffed right along the length in a pair of clean gardening shoes with small ridges on the soles.
The fibre rich skin sloughed off and is thoroughly broken. It's now sitting in a 2lt jug of rainwater in the greenhouse to rett and hopefully break out the fibres.
If I've done it right I ought to be able to comb them into a rough roving for spinning.



M

I bet yours will be tons neater than mine,I've just used normal cordage making technique.

 

[Toddy]

I suppose it depends on what kind of sewing you intend.....
If your thread is sound, then me being fussy won't be any improvement

 

[Woody girl]

Mine is a basic cordage, just very thin, still thicker than normal sewing thread.
I found a video on YT with a chap spinning the fibres on a drop spindle, and using a flint to prep them. Looks an interesting technique. May have to have a go myself