We love exploring spinning fibre and celebrate it each year with our Fibre Prep February Make-Along. This year, we highlighted bast fibres, inspired by lessons from the Spinning Bast Fibres: Tow Top & Bast Blends course at the School of SweetGeorgia.
Each member of the SweetGeorgia team chose a bast fibre (and some chose to sample them all), and prepared multiple wool and bast blends. In this Taking Back Friday video, Felicia shares her explorations with ramie while highlighting the work from the SweetGeorgia Team!
Getting to Know Ramie
Ramie is a bast fibre taken from the inner bark of a plant stalk, placing it alongside flax, hemp, and jute. It belongs to the nettle family and is sometimes called vegetable silk because of its natural shine.
Ramie is strong, absorbent, breathable, and quick drying. These qualities give it a cool, crisp feel, much like linen. It also grows quickly and can be harvested multiple times each year, which makes it an appealing fibre to explore from a sustainability perspective.
On its own, ramie has no elasticity. This can make it feel slippery while spinning. Blending it with wool softens those qualities and makes the fibre far more approachable.
Exploring the Unknown
Many of us begin spinning with wool. Over time, we find fibres that feel comfortable in our hands, like Felicia’s favourite SweetGeorgia BFL+Silk. When something works well, it feels natural to stay there. At the same time, stepping just slightly outside that comfort zone can feel refreshing.
Fibre preparation is another place where many of us find a comfort spot and remain. This year, the entire team explored with hand cards, blending boards, and drum carders. Some of our team tried new tools, like Felicia with a Lock Pop, while others stayed with tools they knew. There is no right or wrong approach here.
Spinning Small: Sampling Ramie with Wool
Blending ramie with wool brings out the best of both fibres. Wool offers warmth, elasticity, and softness. Ramie adds strength, durability, and lustre.
Spinning small samples creates a sense of low commitment and quick accomplishment. A small sample allows us to observe how the fibre drafts, how it accepts twist, and how it changes after washing. That is part of the joy of sampling. Not every experiment needs to result in a finished masterpiece. Sometimes the goal is simply to understand the fibre better and carry that knowledge into the next project.
Learning Through Exploration
This exploration reminds us that learning happens through doing. Each experiment teaches something useful, even when the yarn does not turn out exactly as imagined. Across the SweetGeorgia team, everyone approached bast fibres differently. Seeing those differences reminds us that there is no single right way to work with fibre.
If ramie or other bast fibres spark your curiosity, consider this a gentle invitation to try. Although Fibre Prep February is coming to a close, there is no wrong time to explore something new. Start small. Adjust as you go. Notice what you enjoy. Every experiment adds to your understanding and keeps your spinning practice feeling fresh and exciting.
We are glad you are exploring alongside us. Please share what you are spinning with us in the SweetGeorgia Community.
The post Fibre Prep February: SweetGeorgia Explores Ramie & Bast Fibres appeared first on SweetGeorgia Yarns.
