2026

src/posts/2026/2026-01-11-spinning-plants.md

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+---
+title: spinning plants
+image:
+  src: 2026/plant-handspun.jpg
+  alt: "6 small skeins of handspun yarn, each made from a different plant fiber. from top, we have flax (medium brown, rough); what is probably lotus (golden, shiny and soft); banana (white and semi shiny); hemp (light brown, rough); tencel (white and very shiny); ramie (a particularly small skein, white and semi shiny)"
+tags:
+  - reference
+  - yarn
+---
+
+> work in progress! To be updated as I continue spinning.
+
+in picture, from top:
+
+1. flax
+1. (probably) lotus
+1. banana
+1. hemp
+1. tencel
+1. rose
+1. ramie
+
+notes on handspinning various plant fibers. Fibers were purchased as a [sample pack from Hearthside Fibers](https://www.etsy.com/listing/1141552359/plant-based-fiber-top-sampler-pack-vegan){target="_blank" rel="external"}. Unfortunately, I spun the first sample - flax - in 2023, so don't have thoughts on that left in my head. I also received a mystery sample along with the 12 named samples that *may* have been lotus - it's the smallest skein in the image. The lotus was also spun in 2023.
+
+- overall, these are broadly more slippery than wool
+- most if not all of these benefitted from pre-drafting moreso than I usually do for wool
+
+## ease of spinning
+
+- **easy:** flax, hemp
+- **middling:** banana, tencel
+- **hard:** rose
+- **worst:** ramie
+
+## texture (of final yarn)
+
+- **softest:** rose
+- **pleasant:** banana, tencel
+- **meh:** ramie
+- **itchy:** hemp, flax
+
+## density/thickness
+
+I am estimating this via yards per gram of fiber. Other than the flax and lotus (can't promise anything there), I aimed for my average spin with all of these and spun them on the same tool (Wheeliam, an Ashford Kiwi 3). Per-fiber notes mention whether they spun thick or thin if notable.
+
+| fiber | yards | grams | yds/g |
+|---|---|---|---|
+| banana | 33 | 22 | 1.50 |
+| flax | 33 | 27 | 1.22 |
+| hemp | 41 | 26 | 1.58 |
+| lotus | 16 | 12 | 1.33 |
+| rose | 60 | 29 | 2.07 |
+| tencel | 31 | 29 | 1.07 |
+| ramie | 7.5 | 5 | 1.5 |
+
+## per-fiber breakdown
+
+written up in order of spinning.
+
+### banana
+
+- felt a bit wear-y on the hands - that may have been the silk I spun earlier that day though
+- a bit hard to draft, quite liked to stick to itself and clump, but once moving was *quite* slippery
+
+### hemp
+
+- awful feeling. awful awful awful. hate.
+- easy to spin
+- quite grippy
+- easy joins
+- difficult to tell apart from stray plant matter
+
+### rose
+
+- incredibly soft; shiny and very pretty
+- quite difficult to spin
+- wanted to spin thin
+- joins were tough, it's quite slippery
+- needed slow and careful drafting because of the above - I brought my wheel down to a lower ratio which is rare
+
+### tencel
+
+- also felt a bit wear-y like banana
+- spun a bit thick and liked to clump
+- not as bad as rose on the slippery front
+- very shiny, almost glittery in spots
+- dense and spun up fast
+
+### ramie
+
+- hated this
+- slippery af
+- **constantly** splitting all over the place so I couldn't keep the fibers aligned in the slightest
+- stopped after 5g because it sucked and I didn't care to finish it