Linen: Difference between revisions
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[[File:Men's Linen Work Shirt.jpg|thumb|200px|Men's linen work shirt.]] | [[File:Men's Linen Work Shirt.jpg|thumb|200px|Men's linen work shirt.]] | ||
'''Linen''' is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than [[cotton]]. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also has other distinctive characteristics, particularly its tendency to wrinkle. Linen textiles are among the the oldest in the world. | '''Linen''' is a [[Textiles|textile]] made from the [[fibers]] of the [[flax]] plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than [[cotton]]. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also has other distinctive characteristics, particularly its tendency to wrinkle. Linen textiles are among the the oldest in the world. Flax fibers are woven into linen cloth, but some cloth made of cotton, [[hemp]], or other non-flax fibers, are sometimes referred to as "linen". However true linen is made from flax. | ||
== Fiber production == | |||
The flax fiber is harvested by pulling the entire plant out of the ground in order to maximize fiber length. After harvesting, the [[seeds]] are removed by brushing the flax through a "comb" of metal spikes called a [[ripple]], which can be made by driving nails through a piece of wood<ref>https://www.wildfibres.co.uk/html/rippling_flax.html?redirect=false</ref>. Another way of rippling flax is to use a [[rolling pin]]. The flax is then subjected to a [[retting]] process where [[microorganisms]] partially break it down to expose the fiber - either dew retting or water retting is used for linen<ref>https://www.britannica.com/technology/retting</ref>. Dew retting is heavily dependent on climate, but is useful when water availability is limited. It involves spreading the harvested linen in the field and leaving it to be exposed to the elements for 2-3 weeks until the fiber can be separated. A quicker and often more controlled method is water retting, where bundles of flax are submerged, typically taking 1-2 weeks. It is effective in moving water such as a stream. After either method of retting, the fibers are dried for several weeks. Dried retted flax can be stored for decades before processing if necessary. Once the flax is dried, the cellulose core must be broken in order to isolate the linen fibers. A [[Wood|wooden]] [[Tools|tool]] known as a [[break]] is used to pound the flax. The flax is then scutched to remove remaining stalk material, shives, from the fibres. This can be done with a scutching knife and board. Once scutched, the linen fibres are hackled in order to align them. Hackling involves drawing the fibres through a series of combs starting with a rough hackle and then a fine hackle. After hackling, the linen fiber is ready to be spun, either using a [[Spinning wheel|Spinning Wheel]] or by a [[Drop spindle]]. Once spun, the flax thread is ready to be woven into linen using a [[Loom]]. | |||
== See also == | == See also == | ||
* [[Cotton]] | * [[Cotton]] | ||
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* [[Nylon]] | * [[Nylon]] | ||
* [[Silk]] | * [[Silk]] | ||
* [[Wool]] | |||
* [[Textiles]] | * [[Textiles]] | ||
Latest revision as of 21:54, 16 June 2025
Linen is a textile made from the fibers of the flax plant. Linen is very strong, absorbent, and dries faster than cotton. Because of these properties, linen is comfortable to wear in hot weather and is valued for use in garments. It also has other distinctive characteristics, particularly its tendency to wrinkle. Linen textiles are among the the oldest in the world. Flax fibers are woven into linen cloth, but some cloth made of cotton, hemp, or other non-flax fibers, are sometimes referred to as "linen". However true linen is made from flax.
Fiber production
The flax fiber is harvested by pulling the entire plant out of the ground in order to maximize fiber length. After harvesting, the seeds are removed by brushing the flax through a "comb" of metal spikes called a ripple, which can be made by driving nails through a piece of wood[1]. Another way of rippling flax is to use a rolling pin. The flax is then subjected to a retting process where microorganisms partially break it down to expose the fiber - either dew retting or water retting is used for linen[2]. Dew retting is heavily dependent on climate, but is useful when water availability is limited. It involves spreading the harvested linen in the field and leaving it to be exposed to the elements for 2-3 weeks until the fiber can be separated. A quicker and often more controlled method is water retting, where bundles of flax are submerged, typically taking 1-2 weeks. It is effective in moving water such as a stream. After either method of retting, the fibers are dried for several weeks. Dried retted flax can be stored for decades before processing if necessary. Once the flax is dried, the cellulose core must be broken in order to isolate the linen fibers. A wooden tool known as a break is used to pound the flax. The flax is then scutched to remove remaining stalk material, shives, from the fibres. This can be done with a scutching knife and board. Once scutched, the linen fibres are hackled in order to align them. Hackling involves drawing the fibres through a series of combs starting with a rough hackle and then a fine hackle. After hackling, the linen fiber is ready to be spun, either using a Spinning Wheel or by a Drop spindle. Once spun, the flax thread is ready to be woven into linen using a Loom.
See also
References
| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article Linen, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors). | 
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