Felting

Our Rami, from Italy, can be used in felting, spinning and paper making. It can combined with linen and cotton or any kind of fibers to make blends. It’s shinier than cotton.Ramie is made from the stalks of the plant called Chinese Nettle (Boehmeria nivea).  Linen is similar, but it is made from the stalks of the flax plant.

Ramie has been used for over five thousand years in China, India and  Indonesia, so it’s older than cotton. It was traditionally very popular in Japan, although it is hardly known in North America.

The spun threads have an inherent stiffness, like linen, and so can be woven into a lightweight open-weave pattern that is very cool and refreshing in humid climates.  Since silk was reserved for the upper-classes, the working folk in Japan used ramie as their luxury fabric.