“Hoax quietly watched as she spun flax and nettle into thread, twisting the strands of hair in as she twined the fibers together. A bowl of water sat on the floor at her elbow, the scent of rosemary rising up from it every time she dipped her fingers in to wet them while she spun.”
– The Broken Court, Chapter 3, On the Breath of the Storm
One little sentence and I was lost for hours.
It turns out that there are a ton of natural fibers you can spin into thread. There are the common ones you have probably already heard of such as flax, hemp, and cotton. But there are also several less common ones; rose, banana, nettles. Yep, nettles. Stinging nettles, the bane of bare feet everywhere. It was a very interesting process to watch!
A quick note – I am not affiliated with any of the sites whose links I have shared below. I make no money if you click on them, and any of the ads or opinions seen there do not necessarily reflect my own opinions or suggestions.
Youtube – Processing stinging nettles
Youtube – How to make fiber from stinging nettles
How to Root Ret Nettles to get fibre for cloth
How to make nettle yarn- Mother Earth News
Turning nettles into textiles – Mother Earth News
Idyll Dreams & Nonsensical Things 