The fibre from the inner part of the plant was removed. The bark is stripped and can be used for basketry. To soften the fibre, the inner bark was simmered overnight in a solution of water and wood ash. The fibre is then beaten and rubbed with oil to make it easier to separate and tease for spinning. The fibre is dried in the sun and handspun with a hand spindle.

Nettle Cultivation
An exploratory study was done by FAIR-CT98 to reintroduce the cultivation of stinging nettle Urtica Dioica. The nettles are planted on trial fields of 10 hectares and the fibres will be spun into yarn and woven into fabrics to determine different applications.

Kardia - The Weavers Guild
A story about a visit to a weavers guild, that is filled with the "rich, animal scent of lanoline, the clean crisp grassy scents of flax, and behind it, underneath it the acrid traces of dyeing mordants."

Hemp & Nettle
Jennifer Heise discusses the uses of hemp and nettle as fiber and food plants in the Middle Ages.

Grado Zero Espace is researching the use of nettle as an environmentally friendly alternative textile. Nettle yarn was used in WW1 and WW2 as a substitute for cotton yarns. Stinging nettle has a hollow core making it a natural insulation. For warmer winter garments the yarn is spun with less twist so the hollow fibre can remain open. For summer wear the fibres are more tightly twisted, reducing the insulation .

Nettles were also used as a natural dye. The leaves produce a green and the roots were boiled with salt or alum to yield a yellow dye.

Forum Discussion
Join the ongoing discussion about spinning with stinging nettles.

American Stinging Nettle
Brousseau Collection
© Br. Alfred Brousseau, Saint Mary's College