Flax crop in the Round is a new project for the growing season of 2024. Growing flax in the round area of the meadow at Kestle Barton, Cornwall, will provide a series of events with opportunities for learning about and helping to tend the flax crop, finishing with a fibre processing weekend in the autumn.
Flax (Linum usitatissimum) has been grown for linen by many cultures worldwide over thousands of years. The nature of flax’s ‘bast’ fibres, which are long and strong, make it one of the most important fibre crops throughout history. Flax is shallow rooted and grows well in our northern European climate. There are various steps of processing to remove the spinnable fibres from the other parts of the plant. It is ready to pull up around 100 days after sowing. The seeds are removed – called ‘rippling’ – and the plants are left to ‘ret’, after which the fibre can be removed through a series of steps including breaking, skutching and hackling. This leaves us with long ‘line’ fibre and the rougher ‘tow’, both of which can be spun into linen thread.
For more information about the project and how to get involved: Kestle Barton.