OVERRETTING A WHITE CLOUD
It was like inhaling an outdoor toilet! Little did I know that the slimy, broken stems hid such a beautiful surprise!
Earlier this summer I put some nettles in a bathtub for retting. The stems were stripped of leaves and wrapped in strawberry cloth. Everything was put in the same bathtub, - the strawberry cloth worked as a tea bag or strainer, so it would be easy to move the stems. The idea was to let the leaves and stems lie in the same tub for a day or two, and then move the stems to a separate tub with new water. I put plates over the tubs so that birds don't drown. Anyway, - this time I went to the cottage the next day and forgot to separate the stems and leaves before I left.
After a sunny and warm week I came home to something that smelled like a mass grave. And as fertilizer this is good! But when I pulled out the stems they were slimy and disgusting. The wood was bare and naked, only covered in lumpy, green goo. I threw the nettle bundles onto the wood that was outside under cover and they have been there for a month.
In retrospect, I saw that the green goo had turned into white fiber! The stalks were gathered in knots, and when I pulled them apart, I saw clusters of fibers that could be pulled from the stalks. In retrospect, I should have spun the fibers as they were, but to get rid of the debris and lint, I carded them. The result was a soft, white cloud!
It was like holding cotton in your hands. Unfortunately, it turned out not to be that strong, but I imagine it would have been great mixed with other fibers. Or was it perhaps my carding or spinning that made it so fragile?
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