What is the Ramie fiber?

Google is your friend:

"Ramie is one of the oldest fibre crops, having been used for at least six thousand years, and is principally used for fabric production. It is a bast fibre, and the part used is the bark (phloem) of the vegetative stalks. Ramie is normally harvested two to three times a year but under good growing conditions can be harvested up to six times per year(2). Unlike other bast crops, ramie requires chemical processing to de-gum the fibre." "Ramie is one of the strongest natural fibers and exhibits even greater strength when wet. It possesses little elasticity and is somewhat brittle and stiff. This causes fiber breakage and abrasion where creased or folded repeatedly. To reduce possible damage, avoid ironing sharp creases in fabrics such as napkins or skirt pleats. The long, fine ramie fibers are naturally white and lustrous with an almost silky appearance. It is a cellulosic substance as is cotton, linen and other plant fibers. The inner structure of ramie differs from the other plant fibers in that the physical form of the cellulose is rigid and crystalline like linen but is a more porous sieve-like form providing it with even better absorbency than other cellulose fibers. The unevenness of fiber has a strong resemblance to the thick and thin appearance of linen but at a reduced cost. In addition, it is softer with better dyeability. "

HTH,

Beverly

I looked at Wikipedia's article and illustration. I swear I have a similar nettle growing as a nasty weed in my yard here in Pennsylvania, and have been painfully scratched up with the stuff. Knowing that it has a cousin that is the basis of a fiber makes it a little more tolerable.

Thanks for enlightening me. Sharon

I dunno, why *didn't* you??? Gotta love Google!

You're welcome.

Beverly

Dear Sharon,

Ramie is sometimes called rhea or rhea grass on a label. While it dyes readily, the color is not very colorfast, unless it's mixed with a synthetic that takes color well. Red will become pink in just a few short washings. It's also a very brittle fiber, making it a poor choice for things that will be folded (napkins) often.

Teri

Nettles were grown for fiber until the introduction of flax, and were still used for particularly-fine fabric for some time after that. Probably not the same nettles found in Pennsylvania, though.

Joy Beeson