Flax to Linen: Growing my own yarn! || Craftmas Day 1

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I've spent more than a year growing my own flax to turn it into linen. I had a difficult time growing hardy flax (though I probably planted far too early!), but I found wild growing flax to harvest and process. I learned a lot about braking, scutching and hackling the flax and am one step closer to a linen fabric that I grew, harvested, processed, spun and wove myself.
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Engineering knits is a place for people who enjoy all kinds of vintage and antique crafts - from sewing to knitting, crochet to embroidery I like to try it all. I definitely have a preference for historical fibre crafts, and it is my dream to one day make an entire outfit from sheep to sweater. I hope you enjoy watching me and my favorite companion, Nutella, struggle through some fascinating projects!

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Опубликовано:

1 дек 2023

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Комментарии : 112

@genier7829 6 месяцев назад

Horticulturist and professional grower weighing in.... The overcrowding not only led to the lodging but also the fungal issue- poor air circulation. As you found out, seasonality (e.g. Spring) is often the answer. With sowing seeds, usually more is not better. I;m glad you got good results at the end. i think your basic problem was insufficient sun- not anything you were doing. You were just swimming against the tide, so it is significant that you got anything at all, I think!

@VultureSkins 6 месяцев назад

Cool insight, thank you for sharing!

@ulla.umlaut 6 месяцев назад

I think it's easy to forget that even without cold temperatures, plants are affected by daylight hours and the strength/angle of light. Winter growing is MUCH slower than summer, even in places that stay warm.

@awilson8521 6 месяцев назад

I thought you were supposed to sow flax densely?

@genier7829 6 месяцев назад

Typically dense sowing is more like 1-2 per inch, unless the seedlings will be thinned aggresively. .@@awilson8521

@ThePixiixiq 6 месяцев назад

You'll probably find this fun to hear: When my grandmother was young in the late 20's/30s part of her pay on the farm was in form of flax. Her employer would grow flax and a certain amount of square meters was hers - as all other employees and family members living of the lands. They would start to process of making it into fibers and hand it over to a factory that would finish the rest. They would then later in the year pick up fabric to make their own clothes and linens from.

@TheHeritageArtsPodcast 6 месяцев назад

2:50 “lovingly neglectful” I’ve never felt so seen as a gardener. 💯 it’s me. 😂

@joshmyer9 6 месяцев назад

TIL that hackles aren't just figurative things that one gets up(ped?). Also: "steps that are basically just violently beating at your flax in order to remove the bits that are not [linen]." This gave me a real (and relatable) "engineers will do anything to avoid going to therapy" feel 😅

@NouriaDiallo 6 месяцев назад

Somebody mentioned the fact that flax is a spring crop, usually sawed in March (in Northern France, Belgium and the Netherlands). I'll add that they don't like soil that is too rich in nitrogen (nitrate fertiliser make them lay down like yours did). They like deep soils rich in carbon. I'm not sure if planters are deep enough. If there is a community garden you can participate in near your place...

@nanettebromley8843 6 месяцев назад

Brill video. I've looked into doing Plant to Fibre to Fabric. Is a long labour intensive process that most don't seem to realise these days. Sally Pointer (she has a youtube channel) has made videos on this type of thing. Mostly using nettles and other plants. I weave and have to work out how much yarn I need to weave a project. It starts getting to "Yikes" when you start getting into kilometres of yarn.

@jjudy5869 6 месяцев назад

I love watching Sally Pointer and her hedge bothering!

@Hippiechick11 6 месяцев назад

I'm fascinated by the process. Next year I will be looking for nettles abd oak trees for the acorns too. Sally in awesome!

@Hippiechick11 6 месяцев назад

I love this! I have fascinated by the process of making plants into usable fiber. I've watched Sally Pointer's you tube channel on nettle fiber and lime bast which is bark from the lime trees in the UK. Linen is sure a lot of work! I'm amazed at how much work there is to get to cloth to clothes. Thanks for sharing!

@laurawilliams7782 6 месяцев назад

Seconding Sally Pointer :)

@jjudy5869 6 месяцев назад

All that work kind of explains why you had to guard you wash while it was drying in days gone by.

@Hippiechick11 6 месяцев назад

@@jjudy5869 that is a good point!

@Entleingelb 6 месяцев назад

I love watching your progress. There is an animated czech short film from 1957 where they show children the flax production process with the help of animals. It's called "Jak krtek ke kalhotkám přišel" or "How the mole got his trousers" in english or "Wie der kleine Maulwurf zu seinen Hosen kam" in german. I haven't found a video with captions on RU-vid, but the 13 minute watch should still be worth it.

@eyesofthecervino3366 6 месяцев назад

If you're short on sunlight, you might consider painting the wall/planter boxes behind the growing area a bright, shiny white -- or maybe even line it with something reflective like foil or a space blanket. Just something to reflect light back at them from behind, so they can get as much sunlight as possible.

@ChayatsujiKimono 6 месяцев назад

I come from a region, east of the Netherlands, where historically linen growing (and weaving too) was a HUGE part of the textile industry. Most farmers had a loom at home or at least someone in their direct neighbourhood had. 😄 One rule of thumb that was used here that flax seeds were planted around the 100th day of the year and then harvested around 100 days later. I'm sure this would vary depending on the climate that you live in? 🤔

@gozer87 6 месяцев назад

Linen is such a cool fabric making process. We went to a living history park in Holland and the bronze age village section was growing flax and making linen. I hung out with the artisans there and got to help out and do the various smashing things.

@crowznest438 6 месяцев назад

But the point of growing flax for linen is for length and most flax grown for seeds or linseed oil is not long enough. Fiber flax should top out over 3'.

@zelphiaellerson6283 6 месяцев назад

"Lovingly neglectful" is my new phrase!!! Thanks so much!

@resourcedragon 6 месяцев назад

Someone may already have mentioned this but it sounds to me as if flax needs a certain number of daylight hours to flower (the fact that yours flowered on the equinox suggests that may be 12 hours). Less likely but also possible, it may not just require a certain number of hours of daylight but also an increasing number each day. And the daylight requirements/flowering triggers may very between sub-species of flax.

@StetStitches 6 месяцев назад

What a process! It’s amazing how humanity has found ways to work with anything we could possibly imagine working. 😅 How stubborn the first flax processors must have been!

@mirandahinton3250 6 месяцев назад

Fantastic! Happy Craftmas! I know it must be a huge labor to do your craftmas stuff, but we sure appreciate it! Linen is so labor intensive!

@sinntax1647 6 месяцев назад

As a horticulturist and a fibre crafter this is peek vibes for me!! Definitely recommend growing your own cotton for spinning. It’s loads easier and you get more yards 👌🏻💕

@knittingwithbetty 6 месяцев назад

Dayum, I had a dream last night that I found some flax seeds in amongst my vegetable seeds and grew my own flax. Note to self - don’t watch RU-vid before bed 😂😂😂

@tissue522 6 месяцев назад

The dedication that went into this project! BRAVA!!

@magnoliaweathershield443 6 месяцев назад

snap! I used my cats’ comb to help process my wild nettle plants for fibre. I’m really interested to see how you get along - my sister planted some flax seeds for me and harvested the plants - i hope to pick up the dried stems when I see her at Christmas. My Great grandfather came to my home town to be spinning master in a linen mill - Like your Belgian viewer above, my home country of Northern Ireland was famous for its linens. Thank you for your great videos.

@KnitDesserts 6 месяцев назад

wow, you have so much dedication to do this in an apartment! I am mega-inspired!

@AliciaB. 6 месяцев назад

that's more than impressive. I applaud your dedication.

@brslaby 6 месяцев назад

Well I’m now totally invested in this journey!

@yinnykun 6 месяцев назад

Frohe Weihnachten und Craftmas! 😂

@mariebray9831 6 месяцев назад

Awesome, I had no idea that flax plants were so pretty. I just am learning about growing plants from seed, I've always before brought seedlings to plant. The idea of seed to plant to fiber to a useable clothe or yarn is so interesting, but so much work.

@anonymousperson4214 6 месяцев назад

This is close enough to processing nettle fiber, which we did a bit when I was a kid, that I didn't feel lost at any point by the process. But I'd still rather stick to wool, I don't have the patience to make more than string out of plant fibers

@ravenouscuriosity 6 месяцев назад

Your videos are getting better and better. They do make my To do list quite long 😅

@faithcantrell8378 6 месяцев назад

Okay the fact that you did the wood working inside your house but you processed the fiber outside 🫠

@venomwoolknits 6 месяцев назад

This is very cool - I learnt the flax processing... process (need more words 🤨) as part of my material science degree, as it's used in biocomposites - but I never thought about doing it on a small domestic scale! Might have to give this a go at some point... I find the process kind of magical when you go from a handful of plants to actual fibre, it's so amazing to watch 🤩

@SundaysQuilts 5 месяцев назад

I like to call my gardening style "benign neglect" 😂 luckily my minimalist cottage garden doesn't mind

@jeansando6849 6 месяцев назад

It’s so much fun, having been on your Patreon when this all started, to see the whole process come together!!

@melissac8006 6 месяцев назад

so interesting! really looking forward to the rest of this series!

@ashajoannaszary350 5 месяцев назад

You absolutely blow my mind with your projects! I love your channel.

@wondering_stars_in_oz8462 6 месяцев назад

Wow. So much work into that

@999Giustina 6 месяцев назад

Planting in a shady spot in October isn't the best time of year. Planting in January when the days are getting longer would be a better bet. Plants are quite light sensitive and lights, unless using a strong commercial type, won't be enough.

@hannahinjapan7087 6 месяцев назад

What hardiness zone? I live in zone 8.

@su.mioiyu-5008 6 месяцев назад

I'm pleased to see you go through the process of working with flax to make a usable product and encouraged to see you making the tools to do it. And seeing the flax growing too!

@ipurpleprincessdj 6 месяцев назад

I’m so happy Craftmas is back!! Loved it and learned so much last year!

@elsadavis3871 6 месяцев назад

Such an interesting project. Something we all get to learn together. Thanks for sharing your experience with us. Happy Craftmas!!

@jessicav2031 6 месяцев назад

Oh my gosh, LINEN! I can't wait to see more.

@allielittlelegs 6 месяцев назад

I love this! There's so much wild vocabulary involved in flax processing! I also love that you built so much of it yourself (and used a lovely Japanese saw!). I remember seeing all these updates on patreon, and it's so exciting to see them in a video!

@Wildevis 6 месяцев назад

Sounds so much like my natural dye journey and I am actually getting to do it soon with Indigo

@kywire._ 6 месяцев назад

Congratulations, that's so exciting!! Look forward to all you get to do next year :~) I live on the east coast and have been letting a raised garden bed run wild as an experiment to look at colonization and succession (ecologist by day) and I got so excited when native fiber and dye plants showed up (fiberist by night) -- specifically butterfly milkweek and pokeberry!

@Pauline_cute_little_oak 6 месяцев назад

What an adventure !

@baileyk1989 6 месяцев назад

The Tamagotchi effect! They thrive when you ignore them 😂

@robinroemer865 6 месяцев назад

Really inspiring video! I'm excited to hear about the rest of the process and about the dye plants.

@Emthe30something 6 месяцев назад

Thanks for sharing with us!

@wildsheepc 6 месяцев назад

It took me a while to piece together that you started this project LAST YEAR. Epic! And I luled at co-opting Nutella's brush for your needs. 🐶

@bowerbirdstyle7661 6 месяцев назад

A very amitious and interesting project. I love linen! It is great to see how it is made.

@saraquill 6 месяцев назад

First Bernadette, now you. Is this the beginning of a DIY linen trend?

@eyesofthecervino3366 6 месяцев назад

Honestly, how cool would it be if it just became common practice for people to plant a slice of their yard to flax? It's pretty, you don't have to mow it, and if you don't want to deal with the rest of the process you could probably just dry the plants and sell them online, providing affordable supplies for small artisan workers and encouraging some textiles that aren't made of plastic. It looks a lot lower effort than growing a vegetable garden, too, if you're looking for a way to save/earn a little money on the side.

@motenema 6 месяцев назад

First, half my ads were for Nutella and Ferrero Roche, which I thought was sweet. Second, it’s a dream of mine to do this as well, and I’m so grateful for all the resources you showed, this is so cool and exciting!

@tashacano3324 6 месяцев назад

I remember seeing these plants in the background of some videos & wondering what they were. I'm so excited to see what the results of this long experiment are

@caylarivera2804 6 месяцев назад

Fascinating content. Its one of my biggest dreams to grow and process my own flax one day. Learning to spin wool has been fun, but experiencing the full range of fibers and getting a feel for the history behind it would be so much fun. Thanks for taking the time to share your process!

@Diniecita 6 месяцев назад

I would love to do this too.

@supremetuna 6 месяцев назад

so this is some kind of authentic diy own yarn but you start it from planting it 🌱

@plumberrygardenpatch4869 6 месяцев назад

Thank you SO much for this! This is something I have wanted to do as well but since I’m planning a move it hasn’t happened yet. I’ll be watching for the next installment and checking out your book recommendations. ❤

@daedubois9428 6 месяцев назад

Growing flax for linen is quite the project. It is pretty interesting 😊

@gretchenfalkenburg3244 6 месяцев назад

I have been contemplating this as a project. Your video was extremely helpful. Thank you!

@raneemfathy2581 6 месяцев назад

So so excited to see more!

@awilson8521 6 месяцев назад

Oooo! I qas thinking about doing this next year! Im glad you did it first, so i can learn first

@sophiemaetz4798 6 месяцев назад

Incroyable! Félicitations

@chareseshinabery 6 месяцев назад

This was such a fun process to listen to! Thanks for sharing!

@elainelear4982 6 месяцев назад

Exicting project.

@EphanyasisOwleyes 6 месяцев назад

Happy Craftmas

@pennyfawcett3643 6 месяцев назад

Wow, that’s commitment to craftmas! We’ll done!

@knittingwithbetty 6 месяцев назад

Love the sweater you’re wearing in this ❤

@bernicelycklama7619 6 месяцев назад

Enjoying while I'm stiching Lynette Anderson's 'My Home or Yours'. I'd use a piece of your linen to cross stitch or embroider on. Love from AB CA.

@werelemur1138 6 месяцев назад

Happy Craftmas!

@gypsyjade7170 6 месяцев назад

Haha I am in upstate NY and when it’s in the 50’s we wear tshirts and enjoy the nice weather 😂.

@lyndasmith593 6 месяцев назад

Bless your heart. That was so labor intensive and mind-numbing I could not believe that you had the courage to soldier on. I know what you were going through and I'm very proud of you. I will never whine again at the price of linen 😂

@elena---c1558 6 месяцев назад

this was so interesting! look forward to seeing more of the process

@ktotolishniy 6 месяцев назад

Wow! That's soooooo much work you've done. It's absolutely stunning! Love your approach to craft, can't wait a new video. Thanks for the video❤

@JennCampbell 6 месяцев назад

The interesting thing about plant fibers is that many can be made into thread or cord by hand. I want to try making some yarn by hand and then knitting or crocheting it into a hat or bag. ❤

@mimi_user 6 месяцев назад

omg, this is so exciting to me!

@melahatali2104 6 месяцев назад

Awesome..looking forward to the next episode. Thank you ❤

@gbuireh6497 6 месяцев назад

This whole process is fascinating. Can't wait till the next video.

@fikanera838 6 месяцев назад

This is so interesting! Thankyou for the start of a fascinating series.

@mollipopification 6 месяцев назад

SO STOKED FOR THIS SERIES!!! I too want to make my own linen from homegrown flax one day! Merry Craftmas!

@pauladavitt7554 6 месяцев назад

Oh this is going to be an interesting craftmas. Your jumper is super cute.

@Teerae11 6 месяцев назад

Wow so interesting , love this !! Good luck !!

@amelia13131 6 месяцев назад

wow, so cool!

@jeaneford6895 6 месяцев назад

That was fun!

@sis9622 6 месяцев назад

I love this, thank you for sharing

@CobraCreates 6 месяцев назад

I am always fascinated with the process of making and using bast fibers 😍 I've been sorta trying my hand at processing nettles for their fibers, but I found the retting process to be more fiddly than I thought and I over-retted my whole harvest. I'm hoping next summer I can finally get it right and go further from there! I might also plant flax as well to double my chances of actually getting something to work 😂 I'm so jealous of your growing region. I live in Wisconsin so the window to grow or harvest anything is so short.

@sewlavie 6 месяцев назад

Such a cool project, and thank you sooooo much for sharing!! I wanted to one day do it myself, but I was honestly just really intimidated. It is so wonderful that you did the first step and can even suggest good books and share some experience from a smart beginner's perspective👍 Maybe I give it a go in spring with 1m2 test field outside in the flower bed. I love the color of the flowers as well😍

@microplastique 6 месяцев назад

this is cool

@IISheireenII 6 месяцев назад

Did you take sone seeds from your home grown flax too or just the wild one?

@jennglow4647 6 месяцев назад

Cool 😀😮

@SusanS588 6 месяцев назад

So glad to follow along with your journey. Two questions. In what part of Utah do your parents live? And which noxious plant will you be using for blues?

@eyesofthecervino3366 6 месяцев назад

I'm guessing it might be woad. I've done a little research on growing it, and there were a lot of cautions that it can become invasive if you let it go to seed, and that in some areas it has gotten out of hand and been labeled a noxious weed.

@KnitfulMadison 6 месяцев назад

this makes me want a house with a backyard to grow my own fibers T_T

@ariellesherbak1639 6 месяцев назад

your sweater! is it hand knit, is there a pattern? so beautiful!

@bxstar5276 6 месяцев назад

Do you use fog fur?

@applepansy 6 месяцев назад

I'm in Utah. What area did you find the wold flax?

@MariaOliveira-hh4iz Месяц назад

Hi I love your jumper Where can I find the pattern Thanks Adel Maria

@Puppy52 6 месяцев назад

Black thumbs unite😂

@MariaOliveira-hh4iz Месяц назад

Good morning Did you receive my message about your beautiful jumper? I live in UK and I don't find nothing similar Please advise me because I want to do one for me. Do you have or will have videos to help about Thanks and sorry Adel Maria

@user-wl8rr7wb4y 6 месяцев назад

Please forgive 🙏 me I actually assume you were from one of the New England states.

@clayhawes8636 6 месяцев назад

Such a neat concept❣️ @bernadettebanner did something similar where she spun flax into linen thread. I don’t think it was quite usable yet, but I’m sure she may have a follow up on honing her spinning skills. 🧵