A field of flax
Harvesting flax
A flax dam is a pool in which flax is kept as part of the process of turning it into linen
Frogspawn in a pond
A Note on the Production of Flax
The woody bark surrounding the flax fiber is decomposed by water or chemical retting, which loosens the pectin or gum that attaches the fiber to the stem. If flax is not fully retted, the stalk of the plant cannot be separated from the fiber without injuring the delicate fiber. Thus, retting has to be carefully executed. Too little retting may not permit the fiber to be separated from the stalk with ease. Too much retting or rotting will weaken fibers.
Retting may be accomplished in a variety of ways. In some parts of the world, linen is still retted by hand, using moisture to rot away the bark. The stalks are spread on dewy slopes, submerged in stagnant pools of water, or placed in running streams. Workers must wait for the water to begin rotting or fermenting the stem—sometimes more than a week or two.
Blank verse - lines of iambic pentameters that do not rhyme
Iambic pentameter - a line of poetry made up of 5 pairs of syllables
