Plant Fibers Spinning

– Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bhutan, Cambodia, Japan, Laos, Nepal, Philippine, Russia, Sri Lanka, Thailand

Amenia

The fibers spun in Armenia are cotton, silk, and linen for fabrics.[1]

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Azerbaijan

Spun wool dates to the 4th millennium BCE in Azerbaijan, and while dyed spun flax date to 34,000 BCE.[2]

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Bhutan

In Bhutan, nettle or stinging nettle, though now rarely used, is said to have been the original and chief fibre used by weavers in ancient Bhutan.[3]

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Cambodia

Fibers produced in Cambodia were silk, cotton, and hemp, [4]  and banana fibers are used to make resists strings.[5]

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Japan

In Japan, before the innovation of cotton and silk, all there was to wear was hemp.[6]

Laos

When the Tai Kadai arrived in Laos, the people there, the Mon- Khmer, had a tradition of weaving cotton and hemp.[7] While it’s possible they imported spun cotton and hemp, it’s more likely they spun it themselves.

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Nepal

The primary fibers in Nepal were yak, camel, hemp, and cotton.[8]

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Philippines

Fibers in the Philippines are mostly cotton blends with other plants, such as abaca, pineapple, and banana fibers.[9]

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Russia

Russia was a main grower and producer of flax, not just for Asia, but for Europe.[10]

Sri Lanka

Hemp has also been processed and spun through history in Sri Lanka, also using the wheels.[11]

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Thailand

Found that Thailand used hemp as a major fiber type.[12] The hemp is treated very similarly to flax, where it's dried and retted, then the fibers are spun. That's been spun in Thailand since 3,000 BCE.[13]