"Spinning the Wild" article

Some notes about nettles I took from Judith MacKenzie's "Spinning the Wild" article, Spin•Off Winter 2009, p. 56:
-impervious to water and mildew
-collect in late summer or early fall
-look for the stem to yellow two-thirds of the way up, after seeds start to form
-collect before the seeds absorb all the oil from the stalk to get durable fibres
-pull up by the roots
-let dry hanging by the roots
-when dry, strip leaves and roots
-use water retting
-stop retting when the outside layer comes off when rubbed between fingers
-rinse and let dry
-comb
-spin wet

And I will tuck that information away in case I get the chance to collect some nettles.