The process being proposed by Brenda Paternoster is exactly what I have been doing for six years. Yearly, I grow a small plot, harvest, rett, break once my husband finishes building a new break. What is easiest at home is to harvest exactly when ripe. I have read that slightly 'green' flax stalks may produce finest threads. I have a select bunch to test this idea. One issue about saving seed and replanting is that flax must be harvested before the seed heads burst otherwise the fiber strands become overripe and unusable. Hear that the seeds available at harvest are too immature to germinate. I believe back in the day they would have let some flax to fully mature ( over ripen) just for seed.
Really, even if the finest flax plants were developed, commercial processing is virtually non existent. Hand processing ( not even up to spinning yet) would be impractical and expensive. Add a cottage handspinner and no one could afford the thread. I am in the process of spinning small batches for early bobbin lace thesis. Spinning is tedious, messy, dirty. Then threads need to be plied and then boiled to clean and soften. I thrash to break down the fibers to make them smoother, lustrous and not as stiff. Good news is that a little goes a long way. I am planning on vlogging the process as I work on my thesis. Technically, the thesis includes replicating metal wrapped threads but linen thread is also being required. Spinning is the easy part, making lace samples in triplicate will be my challenge as a novice. Sue M I do have slides about my flax growing process but do not know how to share. - To unsubscribe send email to majord...@arachne.com containing the line: unsubscribe lace y...@address.here. For help, write to arachne.modera...@gmail.com. Photo site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/lacemaker/sets/
