A flax spinning wheel made by Joel Farnham, now in the Missouri History Museum collection. Spinning wheels like this were used throughout early North American settlement to process plant fibers before weaving. Public domain via Wikimedia Commons.
Overview
Natural fibers fall into two broad categories: protein fibers derived from animal sources, and cellulose fibers derived from plant sources. Each behaves differently under tension, responds differently to moisture, and requires different finishing treatments. For weavers in Canada, the practical question is often which fibers are available domestically, which must be imported, and which require specialised processing before they can be used on the loom.
Wool
Wool is the most commonly used natural fiber in Canadian hand-weaving. The country has a long history of sheep farming, with significant flocks in British Columbia, Alberta, Ontario, and the Maritime provinces. Canadian wool varies considerably by breed: fine merino-type crosses produce soft, high-loft fleece suited to clothing items, while coarser breeds such as Corriedale and Romney produce more durable fleece suited to rugs and outerwear.
Properties
Wool's core weaving advantage is elasticity. Individual wool fibres have a natural crimp that allows them to stretch slightly under tension and return. This means wool warp threads absorb tension variation better than plant-fiber warps, making wool more forgiving for beginning weavers. Wool also felts when agitated in hot water, which can be used deliberately to full a fabric after weaving, closing the weave structure and adding durability.
The protein structure of wool makes it naturally moisture-wicking and flame-resistant without chemical treatment. Lanolin content (the natural grease in raw fleece) reduces the fiber's coefficient of friction, which helps it slide through heddles and across beams without catching.
Sourcing in Canada
Domestic wool yarn is available from several Canadian mills and small-scale producers. Salt Spring Island Fibre Arts Guild in British Columbia facilitates access to island-grown fleece. Briggs & Little Woollen Mills in Harvey, New Brunswick, has operated since 1857 and produces mill-spun wool yarns from Maritime fleece. Many provincial guilds maintain a roster of local farms selling raw fleece and hand-spun singles to weavers who prefer to wind their own yarn.
Cowichan Weaving Tradition
The Cowichan peoples of Vancouver Island developed a distinct approach to processing wool that differs from European spinning conventions. Raw fleece is washed, dried, and hand-carded, then spun by hand without a spinning wheel using a supported technique that produces a thick, unplied single. The resulting yarn is denser and less elastic than commercially spun equivalents. Cowichan weavers and knitters use this yarn in a specific way that produces a water-resistant, dense cloth with a characteristic texture. The technique is documented by the Quw'utsun Cultural and Conference Centre in Duncan, BC.
Linen (Flax)
Linen is the woven textile produced from processed flax (Linum usitatissimum) fibers. Flax cultivation in Canada has a documented history in Quebec, where settlers grew flax for both linseed oil and fiber. Today, Canada is a significant producer of flax seed for export, but commercial fiber flax production is limited. Most linen yarn used by Canadian weavers is imported from Belgium, Ireland, or the Baltic states, which have maintained industrial linen processing infrastructure.
Properties
Linen is significantly stronger than wool of equivalent diameter and has low elasticity — it does not stretch and return under tension. This low elasticity makes linen warp threads unforgiving: inconsistent tension during warping produces visible warp-face irregularities in the finished cloth. Experienced weavers using linen warp often add more careful leasing (the process of maintaining thread order while winding the warp) and use a strong back beam tensioning system.
Linen softens and gains lustre with use and washing. New linen fabric feels stiff; after several washes it becomes noticeably more pliable. This transformation is part of the material's character and should be anticipated when sizing warp sett for household textiles such as towels and table runners.
Wet Finishing Linen
Linen woven cloth is typically washed in moderately hot water and tumble-dried or ironed while damp to achieve its characteristic smoothness. Unlike wool, linen does not felt. It can tolerate high washing temperatures better than most protein fibers, which makes it practical for textiles that require frequent laundering.
Classification of textile fibers. Diagram by Wikimedia contributor / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0).
Hemp
Hemp (Cannabis sativa) fiber has been used in textile production for thousands of years and is among the strongest plant-based bast fibers available. Canada legalised industrial hemp cultivation in 1998, and the country has since developed one of the larger industrial hemp sectors in the world, primarily for seed and grain. Fiber extraction from hemp stalks is a different industrial process and remains less developed as a commercial operation in Canada, though small-scale fiber hemp growing and hand-retting is practised by a number of craft producers in Ontario and British Columbia.
Properties
Raw hemp fiber is coarser than linen and requires more processing to achieve a smooth, even yarn. Mill-spun hemp yarn available through craft suppliers is typically blended with cotton or linen to improve hand feel and processing consistency. Pure hemp yarn has a characteristic greenish-grey undertone in its undyed state and takes natural dyes moderately well.
Hemp cloth has documented durability and becomes softer with repeated washing, following a similar trajectory to linen but from a coarser starting point. Its tensile strength makes it practical for utilitarian items: market bags, tool rolls, floor coverings, and rope-twisted wall hangings.
Other Plant-Based Fibers
Cotton
Cotton is not grown commercially in Canada due to climate limitations but is widely imported and commonly used by Canadian weavers, particularly for warp threads on rigid heddle and floor looms. Mercerised cotton (processed with sodium hydroxide to improve lustre and strength) is especially popular for towel and kitchen textile warps because it is smooth, non-elastic, and takes dye evenly.
Nettle Fiber
Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica) fiber is one of the oldest textile fibers in Northern Europe and has been documented in archaeological textile finds in Scandinavia dating to the Bronze Age. Processed nettle fiber (sometimes sold as ramie, though botanically distinct) produces a yarn similar in hand to linen, with high lustre and low elasticity. Several small Canadian producers experiment with hand-retting and spinning nettle from foraged or cultivated plants, though no commercial production exists at the time of writing.
Alpaca
Alpaca fleece is a protein fiber like wool but lacks the lanolin content that gives wool its natural water resistance and felting behaviour. Alpaca does not felt under agitation, which makes it suitable for garments that require regular washing, but it can be more slippery on loom equipment than wool. Alpaca farming is established in several Canadian provinces, and farm-direct alpaca yarn is available through provincial agricultural fairs and craft markets.
Fiber Comparison Reference
| Fiber | Type | Elasticity | Felts? | Canadian Source? |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wool (merino) | Protein | High | Yes | Domestic farms available |
| Wool (Romney/Corriedale) | Protein | Medium-high | Yes | Domestic farms available |
| Alpaca | Protein | Low-medium | No | Domestic farms available |
| Linen | Cellulose | Very low | No | Primarily imported |
| Cotton | Cellulose | Low | No | Imported |
| Hemp | Cellulose | Very low | No | Limited domestic; mostly imported |
| Nettle | Cellulose | Very low | No | Small-scale domestic producers |
References
- Broudy, Eric. The Book of Looms: A History of the Handloom from Ancient Times to the Present. University Press of New England, 1979.
- Briggs & Little Woollen Mills — Harvey, New Brunswick.
- Quw'utsun Cultural and Conference Centre — Cowichan textile traditions documentation.
- Health Canada: Industrial Hemp Licensing in Canada.