Working on the Flax Hoard

Working on a flax hoard acquired from one of the last working scutchers* in Ireland. This scutched flax is in a raw state and requires several transformative steps to bring out its natural qualities of lustre and strength, the first of these is hackling which teases out the fibres, removes the short fibres (called tow) and orders the long ‘line’ fibres in preparation for dressing the distaff. 

*Scutching is a process whereby flax fibres are separated from the woody tissue of the flax plant.

Opening the flax hoard after several years of storage.

Hackling pins - large pins spaced a pin width apart this set is know as the ‘rougher’

Hackling in action

Hackling - combing the scutched flax fibres through the hackle pins

Hackling - drawing the fibres through several times

Hackling - ‘rougher-hackled’ fibres are now ready to be worked on the finer set of pins

Hackling scutched flax on a set of large hackles (the rougher).

Dressing a distaff with hackled fibres in preparation for spinning.

Spinning flax fibre into linen thread