# Plant fibers



## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Anyone have experience harvesting fiber from yucca filamentosa?
Or nettle? I would love to learn how but I'm not seeing a lot on the web that specifically discusses harvesting /processing yucca filamentosa fiber in enough detail. 
If there is a great book which addresses using plant fibers I would love to know the title. Looking for something fairly comprehensive. Thanks all!


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

I can't help you with either of those, but I did play with harvesting hemp fiber last year, and may do so again this year.
I didn't get very much last year, hence the reason for going at it again.
We have tons of the stuff growing in our ravine in the back of the property.
Just have to make sure the sheriff doesn't catch me hanging it to dry in the trees!ound:


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks for the reply. 
Hemp! The queen of all plant fibers! I'm curious what method you used. Most of the plant fiber literature I've looked at says to cut it and soak it in water for several days and this is supposed to make the fibers separate? Then what? Are they easy to isolate? Do you hang them to dry after separation? Do they require any treatment to keep them supple? Could a homesteader w good weaving skills make (by hand) the good old hemp-denim from days of yore? If the plant is cut down and dried first, do you then re-wet it to get the fibers out? 
I'm sooo curious! Lol. The reason for focus on yucca is mainly because I have that growing here already, but Oregon is looking at industrial hemp and if they pass that I'd like to try that one most of all.
Thanks for sharing w me. :-D


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## hercsmama (Jan 15, 2004)

Here is a link to t he post were we discussed hemp fibers : http://www.homesteadingtoday.com/country-homemaking/fiber-arts/487230-im-thinking-giving-try.html

And here is the link to the article that got me interested : http://www.scacommunity.com/blog/art...iences/96.html

It explains Freeze Retting.
The basic premise was to harvest the plants, and hang them to dry.
Then build a screen table, which I already have for drying my fleeces on, and setting it up outside, in the late fall.
Then you lay the hemp plants on the table and allow them to sit there during the winter, freezing,and thawing, getting covered in snow, and drying.
The principle being that the temperature changes will cause a breakdown of the outer husk of the plant, exposing the fibers inside.
Come Spring you simply removes the now loosened, mostly rotted outer husk, and proceed to hackle as needed.

I did this last winter, and go a decent armload of fibers. But it really isn't enough after all the hackling to spin. In my opinion.
So, I'm going to give it a go again this year.:goodjob:


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Welcome to The Fold cloudhidden! 

Here's a Google search results for Yucca, the first few look really interesting. https://www.google.com/#q=how+to+make+yucca+fiber

And one for Nettles. https://www.google.com/#q=how+to+make+nettle+fiber

I would think both would be similar to preparing flax. It seems to me that Spin Off had a piece on Nettles a few years back. You might go to the Interweave site and search to see if they have the article available on line. Please keep us posted on your adventure, we'd love to learn from your experience. Take lots of pictures.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks all so much for the links and helpful explanations. Funny you use your fleece drying racks, because I just built a bunch of them myself! It's meant to be.
I'll probably start w the yucca since it's handy.
So much to learn!
I will definitely keep you all posted.


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## Jacki (May 13, 2002)

There is discussion on the Ravelry group Medieval Textiles, plus some links to other info on nettle spinning.

Jacki


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Sweet! Thankyou! I'll be cutting some yucca leaves tonight and start playing w them....


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Ok gang- took me longer to get around to the yucca than I thought, but here's how it went. I worked just one leaf for the photos so you can see the quantity of fiber I got.
I pounded the fresh leaf on concrete, first w a rubber mallet (too soft) and then w a hammer (too hard unless ya do it gently-ish. When the outer skin was macerated, I used the edge of a spoon to scrape the plant material off the fiber, then pounded some more to "unbundle" and separate the fibers. I did this process about 3 times, rinsing in between each time. 
Not a bad haul of fiber from one leaf. The texture of the fiber is like sisal, and smells a but like corn husk. That made me wonder if corn fibers are any use. I'm guessing someone long before me would have discovered it if they were, but I may play with some sometime just out of curiosity.

Anyway, I now have my fiber and it's time to learn how to spin/splice it and turn it to useful cordage. That will be my next installment! 

There is a measure on the ballot this year here in Oregon which would allow industrial hemp. I would love to play w it and see how if I can figure out how they take a coarse hairy fiber and come up w denim. Has anyone ever handled a piece of hemp denim? I have heard it's stiffer than cotton denim, but I'm curious about how coarse the fibers are in the weave.


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Hmm, that's interesting - from leaf to fiber. Do you think freezing it in a freezer (if you're testing small batches) might be something to try? We wouldn't have the freezing outside during the winter option here. 

Letting it rot a bit in water might be helpful, but would that damage the long fibers? When processing coffee, after the red husk is taken off, the coffee beans are soaked in water for 48 hours to get the under layer off. So, there might be a critical time frame to get the outer fibers rotted but not the long fibers.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

All good thoughts. In fact, I'll go pluck a leaf and stick it in the freezer now. 
I did try something different on a second leaf. I first tried soaking the whole leaf in hot water to see if it would make macerating the skin easier. Didn't make a dent at all. Then, after macerating it, I stuck it in hot water again for 1/2 hour. It didnt seem to weaken the fibers but neither did it help to loosen the other plant material from the fibers. I concluded that it wasn't in the water long enough so I left the half-macerated half-unworked leaf in the water for a couple days. Didn't seem to make a difference. 
With the fibers I have produced so far, I'm going to play w brushing or combing them to see if I can get them finer so that maybe I could ultimately weave a clothing-weight textile. It's easy to use for rope and cording, but that's not really my primary interest in plant fibers. I want to make cloth! I wish I could time travel and go back and see how the first flag was made! 
I do think that if I can't refine it enough to make fabric, it will make some sweet rugs and baskets and ropes. 
How long do you think I should leave it in the freezer?


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

I know I didn't leave it in the water long enough to rot, but I didn't even detect the least bit of softening in a 2 day soak. I'll have to just put a big bucket out and see how long it takes to actually rot. 
Thanks for the ideas!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Very interesting! Thank you so much for posting pictures. Please keep us posted on how the spinning goes.

As for your inquire into corn fibers? yup, it's already done, they call it Engeo. It's a very different process than what you do. Here's a link to some that is for sale http://www.paradisefibers.com/paradise-fibers-undyed-ingeo-corn-spinning-fiber-top-white.html

I'm a huge fan of hemp and hemp production. It is an amazing plant and fiber. So many great qualities. This country used to be huge in the hemp production. That all ended about the same time as prohibition. I hope your bill passes.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Very interesting! Thank you so much for posting pictures. Please keep us posted on how the spinning goes.

As for your inquire into corn fibers? yup, it's already done, they call it Engeo. It's a very different process than what you do. Here's a link to some that is for sale http://www.paradisefibers.com/paradise-fibers-undyed-ingeo-corn-spinning-fiber-top-white.html

I'm a huge fan of hemp and hemp production. It is an amazing plant and fiber. So many great qualities. This country used to be huge in the hemp production. That all ended about the same time as prohibition. I hope your bill passes.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Marchwind, thanks for the link! I had no idea about the corn fiber. This is all so inspiring! 
I too hope the bill passes. I think the little hemp string bracelets are cute and all but the fiber has been used for much greater things, as you know, and I am most interested in cloth. 
I am pesticide and herbicide free on my property, making hemp something that would do well in my yard. I'd like to try a 10' x 10' patch of it. I don't have much room but it seems like that would be enough space to yield a decent quantity of fiber for experimentation.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

You may have already found this but I thought it was interesting though minimal.
"Yucca fibres were at one time widely used throughout Central America for many things. Currently they are mainly used to make twine.Yucca leaves are harvested and then cut to a standard size. The leaves are crushed in between two large rollers producing the fibres which are bundled up and dried in the sun over trellises. The dried fibres are combined into rolags. At this point it is ready to spin. The waste, a pulpy liquid that stinks, can be used as a fertilizer."


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

I hadn't seen that. That helps give me a pointer as to proven methods.

I just looked at the corn fiber in the link: want!
In exploring spinning (I have zero experience) I was thinking I'd try a spindle first. I think I'll buy a couple of cheap drum sticks and attach a disc toward the base. The spindles I see for sale are beautiful workmanship but I'm all about finding ways around spending. 
What fibers do you use and what method to spin them? If you do use spindles, does my drumstick idea sound crazy or genius?


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## Jacki (May 13, 2002)

There is a group on Ravelry called DIY tools. I've drooled over some of the tools made. There are often links to other tool makers and their video's.

Jacki


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Thanks Jacki! I'll check it out. 
I get such great feedback here. Keeps me motivated! 
I appreciate everyone's time and suggestions. You're all good eggs!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Spindles can be made from just about anything. I will say though that there is nothing nicer than a well made well balanced spindle.

GAM aka Gone-a-Milking made her first spindle from a dowel and a sink drain. Your idea will work but you may want a bit of well distributed weight on the whorl. Read the Spinning 101 thread in the stickie, I think the sticky is called fiber 101's or something like that.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Oooh! I have lots of dowels around! Lol
I will check it out, Thanks!


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## Pashta (Jan 1, 2014)

I have made several spindles for under $2 each with a wooden toy tractor wheel, dowel and a cup hook. I sand the wooden parts to make them smooth; slide the wheel onto the dowel and glue it in place. Then screw the cup hook into the end. Very easy to do. Just make sure your dowel is not warped.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Pashta said:


> I have made several spindles for under $2 each with a wooden toy tractor wheel, dowel and a cup hook. I sand the wooden parts to make them smooth; slide the wheel onto the dowel and glue it in place. Then screw the cup hook into the end. Very easy to do. Just make sure your dowel is not warped.


Thanks! By that ingenious standard, drum sticks are too expensive! 
I thought they had to be tapered and have a collar notch at one end of the wood. Now I know I have to learn about using one before I can build a good one


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## hotzcatz (Oct 16, 2007)

Stab a knitting needle through a potato and you have a drop spindle. Not as nice as a well balanced one, usually, though. Love the idea of a dowel and a sink drain! Although that would be a heavier spindle but if you're spinning bulky that would be good.

If you let your yucca leaves dry out a bit and die before putting them in the water, they will rot faster.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

That's great info on the yucca leaves. Should be easy to dry them in this heat- 100 or more each day! Phew!


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

You also may want to experiment with top whorl vs bottom whorl. Personally I find a top whorl easier to spin and control, less wobble. Others say the same about the bottom whorl :huh: Make one of each they are cheap enough to make.


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## cloudhidden (Jul 4, 2014)

Good suggestion! I was wondering about that. I have some wool I should probably try spinning on them first before I attempt to spin the yucca fibers. I'm reasoning that wool is easier and will help me get the hang of the spindle action.
Right now I'm trying to figure out what's the best way to brush the yucca fibers to get them finer. In their natural state they seem too coarse for clothing. I assume that the ravelry site will have this info, just need to research it. I'll probably experiment w dog slicker brushes first because they are what I have on hand.


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## Marchwind (May 10, 2002)

Wool is a great beginning fiber. Start with the "park and draft" method. You can search it out on Google if you want to know more. Also when you spin your Yucca fibers, keep a small spray bottle close by and gently spritz the fibers while you spin, it may help.


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