Flax Study Group 2020 –Seed removal PART 2
When we last left off, we had just started rolling the seed heads Cole had removed with his bladed implement and the rakes when Henry returned from his quest. He had gone off to seek grated screens so we could sieve out the chaff and sand and leave less wast with the seed.
51-53 the sieving begins, There were a lot of screen options and it took a moment to work out the right order.
54-55 The seed fell further than the chaff, the sand fell further than the seed. It was a brilliant idea!
56-58 Cole tried the rolling method without the pillowcase and then added the squished bits to the sieves.
59-60 The fine sieve got rid of a lot of the sand
61-67 The sieves removed a lot of chaff and sand! What a brilliant idea!
68 Some of the chaff had tiny stones that would not fit through the sieve.
69 We labeled the bags as sieved and unsaved.
70-71 we had a couple of cow supervisors checking our work. We continued to keep an eye on the cleaners in case they went for the bags with chaff and seeds (with a team effort I am sure they would have carried the bags away!!)
72-75 Henry moved the flax back to the wagon, we pulled a few bundles for Bernadette to try field retting. The rest of the flax will be off to the trough to rett. We made sure to take all the bags of seed and chaff with us. (Those cleaners look vary through)
We called it a day and headed home via a couple more stops.
One was at Ann’s to pick up butter tarts and cookies we had pre ordered and see the bulging box of wool bomb from World of Wool!!
76 best not to open it we will never get it back in the box.
77 Surprise!! You have lambs!! In August!
78 Turkeys!!(Ann’s lawn ornaments stair at you then all talk at once!)
79 some of her Boys, look at those lovely colour coats!!!! (i hope they get a trim before there off to where ever boy lambs go so you don’t have august lambs.)
A last word on the flax
While I get back to felting, Henry and Cathy Louise will give the flax a spa day, two or three submerged in the trough. I am unsure of the name of this particular spa treatment. It dose not seem to be covered in my hydrotherapy notes from school, since we never submerged patents in hydrotherapy using a layer of cinder-blocks to keep them under. Where would you get therapeutic cinder-blocks?
Have fun and happy felting, i will let you know when the flax has emerged from the “spa” and is ready for some heavy tapotement!
11 thoughts on “Flax Study Group 2020 –Seed removal PART 2”
Thanks for all the photos, it really helps explain the process so much better. Love the review of Ann’s menagerie.
thanks Ruth! it is amazing to see and to try little bits that i can. its fun to fotograph since the tools are ones you dont normaly see, there is lots of action, and the flax is quite fotogenic itself! the next part should be full of sharp implements, wooden swords, and brakes! i hear the first part of the flax is out of the spa treatment and is relaxing on sticks in the feld to dry. i hope you will enjoy the next step!
the Boys in the seperated pen are going for a trip in the future, partly so Ann dosent get more its the end of August, SUprize you have Lambs!!! bad boys!!! no fratinizing with the girls!!
the turkeys were hallarious thay would stair at you then all yell at once then all go quiet. actualy it was a bit creepy after a few minits.
I was so fascinated with this year’s posts, that I went back and looked at last year’s too. What a lot of hard work you all put in.
Last year one of the group made some flax dressing (the frog slime). I wonder if you are able to let us have the recipe for that? It sounds revolting but useful. Google doesn’t appear to know what it is at all, let alone how to make it.
Looking forward to the next instalment.
Ann
Ann i will check with Bernadette to get the amounts for you. just dont make too much at a time it will not keep but last longer if you keep it in the fridge when your not spinning. it aslo works on warps to keep the linin better behaved. if you havnt fount the guild (OVWSG Flax study gourp) face book page. there are more fotos and some vidios from both last year and this years study-ing. if you ever get a chance to join a flax study group definatly try with lots of partisipents it is less daunting in the amount of work!
YouR group are becoming quite the experts now & findings better ways/tools to do the job. Next year you’ll be so slick at it, it will Take half the time!
Looking forward to reading about all the beating & slapping After the spa treatment….then of course the hair stylist will be needed to dress the tresses!
We have been having fun Antje! i hope you have been enjoying vacariously! if we are lucky we will have taller flax next year and be able to prosses it more eficently. we dont feel like we are flaling wildly this year (but we still have the next step in the processing when flailing may be helpfull!)
i will have to see if i can get shots of the hair stylist techniques too!
Absolutely love reading about this and looking at the photos – thank you for taking the time to share this with us.
Annielynrosie i am glad your enjoying the progress. with all the steps involved in turning flax into linin, its amazing that someone vary long ago discovered how to do it. Fiber arts people are smart and vary ingernious! what a grate group to be connected with.
i will do my best to get good shots of the next part for you to enjoy!
You are so right – it’s a wonder how things like linen were ever discovered!
This is such an intricate process and it’s not over! Thanks for for all the pics and humorous animal pics.
Amazing how our ancestors worked out how to do things. I always wonder how they worked out various cooking procedures: cooked meat tastes better than raw – something fell in the fire obviously and was too precious to be wasted; but what about making bread? How did that come about – let alone Butter Cakes!
Ann