Nettle Fibre Experiment: Cold Woodash Lye

Today's video is an update on an experiment that I'm currently doing to get clean, fine fibre from Stinging Nettles.

It's very much an ongoing idea, but certainly has some potential benefits for those that like to scrape their nettles but don't have facilities for more traditional retting processes.

[rens]

Together with a friend, we've tried the technique with boiling in woodash for 5-10 minutes. Afterward coating the nettles with a thin solution of clay and let it dry. Then when rubbing, the clay assists like an abrasive and the fibres came out clean for spinning.
Thank you for sharing this cold bath technique!

[MMacNicol]

So exciting! I've heard that most Northern European fine linens from the past were really nettle cloth, which needs an electron microscope to be distinguished from flax cloth. And that the finest threads were preferred whenever possible for making the finest cloth. And here is a tidy solution! It makes so much more sense to use a "chemical peel" on the fibers to preserve the desired threads. Thank you, thank you! 
What a treasure lye is, from cold rinsing laundry to remove grease and sweat before soap was commonly used, to making amazing bast fiber threads!

[defalur]

These are great results. I tried boiling my nettles in plain water for 30 minutes, and I found that they were also far easier to scrape and got similar results to your first batch. I'll have to also try your method now!

[susankoziel]

When soaking in water if you toss some soil (a handful to a barrel of water.. so a sprinkle in your little pot) in the initial rett in water will happen faster.
(As another possible experiment to try).
Thanks so much for showing this as a video, I love it.

[Appellonia]

Always love to see ypur newest videos! You have so much knowledge! Thanks so much for sharing and letting us into your world to see all of the amazingly wonderful creations! You have a beautiful gift. ❤❤

[johanna]

It's sounds really close to what I've read in the book "Brennessel - Anbau, Sammlung, Verwertung; von Dr. Oswald Richter aus dem Jahr 1917". He write down on page 30 that after the nettle fibers are split out fresh, you can cooking them for 15-30 minutes in soap water. Then you can heakle the fibers and you will get really white fibers in staple length between 3_5 or 10-14 cm long fibers.
I really want try out the recipe with ash (30 grams for 1 litre water for 150 gramm fiber material) like I use this recipe to wash my sheep wool in 50-60°C warm water for 7-8 minutes, and clean them out in fresh water for 7-8 minutes (maybe 2 times) and after this, hang them out for dry before I begin to heakle them.

Thank you so much to be one step before me, because I'm still in the stadium to seperate out the fibers from my rotted nettles from last year 🤗❤

[feralmaine]

So exciting! after one of your previous videos I soaked some nettle cordage with ashes in hot water, and another piece simmered in the same amount of ashes and water. The one that soaked came out with a lot of the gums removed, and I was able to rub off a lot of the skin. The simmered one came out beautifully clean and soft, and a lot smaller!

[lopsan]

What a joy to watch! Keep us updated on the latest ancient discoveries, Sally! Much love!

[witchways]

I'm always so delighted when you come out with a new video.

[auntietara]

Fascinating! Thank you for sharing your process!

[LindzTheLooneyOfLondon]

Another awesome video. I have a question for you, has the process of soaking them in the lye solution altered their strength, flexibility, colour or ability to take on colour, compared to other methods you have used?
As ever you have created not only a cool video but a huge number of I wonder ifs lol thank you ever so much for sharing x

[penihavir]

Your experiments are always so interesting and informative. ♥️

[mollipopification]

thanks for this!! excited to try out woodash lye.

[saoirse]

I think the next question is "do you need to process the wood ash to Lye?"
We use hard wood ash (as is) to "slip hair" off hides in leather making. Just by wetting the hair on hide, dusting heavily with hard wood ash and then soaking in a hard wood ash & water slurry.
Could much the same be done with Nettle Fiber?

[deborahdanhauer]

Thanks for another fascinating video❤️🤗🐝

[debrabrooks]

Fascinating, I once had the thought to try and run the nettles between two very heavy rolling pins to see if that would help remove the flesh part. with all that has happened with my living situation I have never been able to try it sadly. I wish you all the luck, this definitely looks promising!

[MrBradWi]

Well, I am a complete beginner and I don't have any nettles in my weed patch. But I do have some rather tall "catnip" with a thick main stalk, but many many branch nodes along the way. I also have a few yellow coneflowers, which I could harvest at the end of the season. They also have long stalks and fewer nodes. But I have far fewer of them.

Would any of these other weeds work ok? I have a bunch of thistles and velcro pickerbushes, too, but they are nasty to get near!

Keep up the experimental archeological investigations!!

[MoniqueAO]

Thanks for the interesting video !!!
After watching your first nettle-video years ago, I thought by myself, that the early folks surely also had put nettles in their stew and maybe saved the now softer stems for making cords...just an idea. 🙂

[alex]

going to try this with spruce bark to see what happens. a branch fell down and i have some less than perfect pieces (not suitable for basketry, but perfect for cordage if this works)

[bonitareardon]

Have you ever tried hackling, like they do with linen? You may be able to forgo some of the scraping as the combing would break up the outer coat and refine the fiber.