Festival of Nettles, Scottish Crannog Center.

[shambling shaman]

Have booked Monday off so I can go to This Will try to get some photos and may be some vid's




http://www.crannog.co.uk/docs/cranno...nts_diary.html

http://www.crannog.co.uk/index.html

[doogie]

Looks interesting. I need to get over to Scotland sometime....especially since I am a Stewart.

[mugs]

Looks interesting. I need to get over to Scotland sometime....especially since I am a Stewart.

Especially because I am a McCoy

I actually have traced/researched my family lineage, and now want to got visit the area from which my McCoy "clan" came from.

[MacEntyre]

I wish I could go!

[shambling shaman]

So went to the Crannog (we go so often were on 1st name terms with the staff )

Now the main reason for going was to get some hands on with the nettle weaving.

So...

The nice lady in the hat was the teacher.





Some of the things she had made out of nettle




Me bashing some dry nettle stems





what you get after the bashing.





Sorting out the fibers





The pulp thats left over is saved




And if mix with water in to a kind of Paper Mache you can make something like this





Carding the fibers





After carding its like a ball of cotton fluff





Then roll the fibers in to a tube





Then it can be twisted in to a rough yarn




Was my 1st go at making this and I did learn a lot, I did however use some of my nettle cordage knowledge to twist the fibers at I had no luck useing a drop spindle



A photo of the Crannog from the carpark




All in all a nice day out and some knowledge gained.

[MacEntyre]

Great report!

I learned about nettle last October when Mors pointed out that it is the strongest fiber in the boreal forest. He also said you can eat it, and make good tea with it!

- MacEntyre