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Plants and Sheep: An adventure with wool, flax and ramie

You know when something catches your attention and keeps catching your attention, until you stop and do something about it? I had that happen to me with wool and flax/linen/ramie fiber blends.

They aren’t prevalent in the fiber world by any stretch, but they kept catching my eye and winking across the bar. I don’t spin flax or ramie with any regularity, but combed together with wool it couldn’t be too hard, could it?

60% wool/ 40% flax top from Dashing Mouse Fibers

I started with a plain undyed 60% wool/ 40% flax top from Dashing Mouse Fibers [wholesale only, check your favorite fiber shop]. The wool isn’t a specific breed, but the micron count is listed at 27, so I’m thinking Corriedale-ish. The fiber felt like wool with stuff in it. It was dry, but not as harsh as I expected. It was very interesting.
I sat down to spin my regular spin (woolen draft on top) and it 100% got away from me. It was over twisted, got too big, and the flax sprang out like a surprised cat. Take two was a little better, I spun it worsted so the flax was controlled, but I still over twisted and made some rope-like yarn – it’s really pretty though.

Wool/flax take two

I next tried to spin from the fold. I’m not even sure why, maybe to try and control the different staple lengths? I got more of the bottle brush tail look. Next!

By the fourth try I had it. I spun a little worsted and a little woolen, with a whole lot less twist. The yarn was much softer. I controlled the sticky-outies (that’s the technical name) of the flax in my woolen draft by doing a sliding draft, fingers still open to let the twist through but I slide my fingers along the outside. It helps the flax tuck in. I would knit with this and it would be amazing woven. I would use it right against my skin, but it has potential for near architectural stitch definiton.

Wool/flax worsted drafted on the left, sliding woolen draft on the right

A couple of my favorite dyers, Jill of Hipstrings and Katie of Hilltop Cloud, have wool/flax and wool/ramie blends, so I bought some to spin. It’s for science; I’m shopping for science! I decided to ask them why they added flax or ramie to their blends, what tips they have for spinning their blends, and what they would make from it.

After they answered my questions, I sat down and spun and knit their blends. All of the fun is below.

Hipstrings Polwarth/Tussah/Flax in the color Beets

Jill Duarte of Hipstrings has a blend that is (62.5% Polwarth/ 25% Tussah/12.5% Flax). I bought the color Beets.

Q: Why do you include flax in your blend?  
A: I find that a touch of flax (no more than 20%) in a blend makes drafting easier and adds drape to the final yarn without adding weight. Flax isn’t as dense as other fibers that add drape such as silk, alpaca, viscose.  

Q: What tips do you have to spin this blend?  
A: Spun as is, with a short forward draw, this blend creates a beautiful smooth yarn with excellent drape. If you want more loft, spin from the fold to introduce more air into the yarn.


Hipstrings flax blend, worsted spun on the left and woolen spun on the right.

Q: What do you recommend using the yarn for?  
A: The high proportion of Tussah silk and flax in this blend provide a beautiful drape without being heavy.  It’s wonderful for shawls that will stay nicely on the shoulders as well as cardigans and pullovers for warmer climates. It is really fantastic for weaving and crochet.

Hipstrings worsted left, woolen right

I spun this blend worsted and woolen into 2-ply yarns. I like having a smaller amount of flax in the blend, and it seemed much finer than the flax in Dashing Mouse blend, obviously there are different types or grades of flax, though both are line flax.

The combination of tussah and flax makes the blend very grippy, not in a bad way – the fibers cling to each other. There is the difference in feel between the soft, smooth Polwarth and the flax, which has texture. Spinning this blend helped me learn why I got into twist trouble with the first wool/flax blend. Because the fibers cling to each other due to the difference in surface texture, it takes a little more pull to draft. The little extra draft time combined with my regular whorl and treadle speed put extra twist in my yarn. I could feel it happening in this fiber as I spun.

It made gorgeous yarn. Visually I like how the flax doesn’t take the dye and gives the yarn an overall earthy look, and Jill’s colors blend so beautifully with the natural flax color. The yarn certainly doesn’t feel like a 100% Polwarth yarn, but it is soft enough to wear at my neck. It has great character in the knitting, a little more body, but still with drape. It would make spectacular lace yarn. The extra body of the yarn would help to frame all of the open stitches.

Hilltop Cloud Romney/Tussah/Linen

Katie Weston of Hilltop Cloud has a two blends: Superwash BFL 75% / Raimie 25% (I got color 6093), and
Romney 50%/Tussah 25%/ Linen 25%, no color number.

Hilltop Cloud Superwash BFL/ ramie

Q: Why do you include ramie in your blend?
A: It’s a great way to increase the strength of the blend. The staple length of the Ramie matches really well with the BFL, and because the Ramie doesn’t take up the acid dye you get a really interesting effect in the finished yarn.

Hilltop Cloud Superwash BFL/ ramie worsted spun left , woolen spun right

Q: What tips do you have to spin this blend?
A: Personally I like to spin it straight from the end of the combed top with no further preparation needed. I’ll used a short forward draw to get a smooth shiny yarn.

Q: What do you recommend using the yarn for?
A: I recommend a finer yarn (fingering and below), and then this blend really shines by giving great stitch definition for lace. The superwash treatment on the wool also means it’s a great sock fibre, the ramie acts a wonderful natural replacement to nylon.

Hilltop Cloud Romney/ Tussah/ linen, worsted spun left, woolen spun right

Q: Tell me about the difference between ramie and flax/linen.
A: I like the ramie better than the flax because it’s a smoother, more even fibre. The flax tends to be more uneven in the staple length, and a bit more clumpy. I can get the ramie to be blended really evenly, so it’s much easier to get a smooth yarn. I have another base which uses linen, and the finished yarn definitely has more texture, though I don’t think it would be a good sock yarn because it has 25% linen, and it’s just too drapey, and has no elasticity (I use Kent Romney as the wool component).

The difference between the ramie and flax/linen in Katie’s fiber is huge. The difference between the flax/linen in this blend and the Hipstrings blend is big. This is much chunkier and rougher than the other two. It still spun very consistently which I didn’t expect, but it’s got a more textured surface than the ramie blend. It’s not as soft as the ramie/BFL blend – I wouldn’t wear it as a scarf. Like the Dashing Mouse blend, when the flax feels strong I want to weave with it. It would make amazing pillows that would last and soften with time.

Mixing wool with flax and ramie makes an unusual and compelling blend. I can’t quit touching it. It ‘s different yet just-out-of-reach familiar. My knitting hands recognized a glimmer of Louet’s classic Euroflax yarn combined with other wool fibers that have run through my hands. They are fascinating blends that I can’t quit thinking about. I hope to do a little sample weaving with them next.