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What to do with linen "practice" thread?

I, too, had this problem when learning how to spin flax. Whatever would I *do* with the resulting uneven 'experimental' thread? Once I had learnt how to spin it decently, the question became 'Whatever would I do with this thread, since I do not weave?'. After a couple of years of finding uses for it in various situations, I have a small, and clearly not complete, list. Please feel free to add any further uses you may know of!

Some uses for flax/hemp/other vegetable fibre threads:

Cord
Ply into a 4-8 (or more) ply cord for a stout lacing that *never* wears out. For extra sturdiness, wax the thread by soaking in melted beeswax, remove, let cool until hand-hot, wring out excess and ply while wax is still warm and soft. Knot the ends.
Unwaxed thread is good for:
lacing bodices, corsets; emergency hair ties; etc. Also useful as a drawstring or cording in constructing garments.
Waxed thread is good for:
shoe and boot laces; tethering a spoon/bowl/cup/etc to one's belt; securing one's scrubber to one's washbasin...etc. If it is a fairly fine plied cord (more like very heavy thread), it may also be used for heavy duty sewing. It can be waxed after plying, but it may not be as waterproof.
Thread can also be used the following ways:
Can be knitted/crocheted into snoods/bags/scrubbers/hats/etc using a larger than normal needle/hook (gauge to size of thickest parts of thread), plied or unplied. It also makes lovely doll's hair :) If slubs (thick bits) are not very thick and thin parts are not very thin (in other words, if the thread is fairly even), then it can be used for sewing, waxed or unwaxed.
Unplied, it should not be forced to go through tightly woven fabrics if it is fairly slubby. It will break. Waxed, it is sturdier and does not need to be plied for use in shoemaking unless it is very fine. I have made 2 pair of shoes from I. Marc Carlson's wonderful page, using thread I made & waxed myself, and they have held up nicely.
When you get better at spinning flax/hemp/etc, you will be able to supply yourself with a *very period* handsewing thread.
If it is spun coarsely, but smoothly, and is fairly silky in appearance after spinning, it makes a satisfactory embroidery thread. It may also be plied, if desired.

Some other notes on learning to spin flax

Flax will hold itself together well enough, provided you are spinning the thread with wet fingers. This is because the flax/hemp/ etc has very long fibres (up to 3 feet!) and is equipped with its own 'starch'. Spinning with wet fingers glues the fibres together as you spin, as well as lubricating them so they spin more smoothly.

You will not have to ply all your linen thread. My waxed linen shoemaking thread is 1-ply. I have done embroidery with 1-ply. Test your thread, if it breaks easily, then ply it. Practice will improve fineness, as well as evenness. Don't worry if it takes awhile. Just make all the lumpy skeins into cordage, or scrubbers, or hats! Make your husband a pair or two of stout shoe-laces, and that should stop the grumbling :) Best of luck, and much patience!

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