Flax Yarn

I tied using flax yarn for a crochet dishcloth. It was very absorbent and durable. I also made one out of cotton for comparison, and the linen dishcloth was much better.

Flax has no elasticity so when used in knitting or crochet it's better for patterns than areas of smooth stitching.

Care

Items made from the flax fiber, also called linen fiber, actually become softer with use and washing. Yes, you can machine wash and dry linen!

It becomes softer and more absorbent over time. Take care not to fold linen at the same place each time or the fibers will weaken in that area and eventually break along the crease.

Flax can be gently ironed to give it a little shine, but it will not need much ironing since it doesn't wrinkle like cotton.

History

Fragments of cloth made from linen yarn have been found in Middle Eastern archeological digs dating to 8000 BC.

The ancient Egyptians produced very fine linen, even better than we can produce today. Scientists are still trying to figure out how they did it. Of course, solving the mystery of the pyramids receives more publicity, but I find this fiber fact interesting!