linen

Yarn spun and the textile woven from the fibres of the stem of the flax plant. Pieces of linen cloth have been found in the remains of Stone Age settlements and wrapped around mummies from Ancient Egypt. Linen was introduced by the Romans to northern Europe, where production became widespread. Religious refugees from the Low Countries in the 16th century helped to establish the linen industry in England, but it began to decline in competition with cotton in the 18th century. Linen is cool to wear and very resilient, but it is expensive to produce and can crease quite badly unless treated with a crease-resistant finish.

To get the longest possible fibres, flax is pulled, rather than cut by hand or machine, just as the ripened fruits, or bolls, are beginning to set. After preliminary drying, it is steeped in water so that the fibre can be more easily separated from the wood of the stem, then hackled (combed), classified, drawn into continuous fibres, and spun. Bleaching, weaving, and finishing processes vary according to the final product, which can be sailcloth, canvas, sacking, cambric, or lawn. Because of the length of its fibre, linen yarn has twice the strength of cotton, and yet is superior in delicacy, so that it is suitable for lacemaking. It mixes well with synthetic fibres.