I'm interested in the technology behind machines though technology may sometimes be over my head.  I admire this YouTuber's ingenuity in coming up with this device though I'm not sure it can be called a "machine" as it isn't operated by a handle or a motor.  It's more like a knitting comb or knitting rake.

I've searched on the site for "rope", "yarn", "cord" and "cordage" and have had no luck so am putting a link here.  I found this video of interest - a lady showing how to make cordage from stinging nettles.  This is definitely a case where I will watch the methodology but I won't be going out in person to collect stinging nettles to make string from.  I have heard of people collecting nettles to make an alcoholic drink something akin to wine.

In WW1 when Germany ran critically short of cotton due to the RN blockade, it resorted to using nettles to produce fabric. Over two thousand tonnes were gathered from the wild, although it was found that generally took about 40kg of nettle stems to make just a single shirt. During WW2 - when the UK faced the same type of blockade but this time from German U-Boats - much work was done in Britain on the possibility of using nettles in the same way, to make fabric, but in the end it wasn't feasable, and so nettles were chiefly used for extracting chlorophyll as a cheap camoflage dye.

Some years ago, out of curiosity after watching a Ray Mears survival skills video, I did make some nettle string in very much the same way that your youtube shows. With confidence and practice - and remembering the expression "to grasp the nettle" - one can usually strip nettle stems of their leaves without getting stung but it is of course a lot easier and quicker to wear a pair of gardening gloves. I produced some quite acceptable garden twine but because the fibres shrink down when they dry, you do need a lot of nettles to make a decent amount of cord and to be frank it was all a bit of a palavar, especially when a big ball of sisal/hemp string costs just pennies. I do however regularly collect nettle leaves in spring to eat as a vegetable rather like chopped or puréed spinach. The nettle leaves I boil for about 5mins, then squeeze out as much water as possible, chop up fine, and finally freeze as balls for later use, typically in quiche-like eggy tarts, in cheesy pastries like Greek-style spanakopita, or just added to curries and the like. Just note that you should not generally eat nettles after the plants have flowered as they develop gritty particles of calcium carbonate in the leaves that might cause minor digestive problems, as well as the leaves being of less nutritional value, so in summer nettles are probably best left as food for butterflies.

I liked those Ray Mears programmes, MM, though I missed the one regarding nettle string.  I didn't know about the experiments in Germany circa WWI.  Ray Mears I used to watch and admire his knowledge - I know when I am out of my depth vis-a-vis trying something myself.


Sally Pointer - the lady in the YouTube - works in museums and on heritage projects.  Her YouTube channel has examples of diverse projects from history and pre-history. Her website has a shop selling kits among other items.  Some are out of stock currently.  She has a cordage kit for £5 with hemp or flax which is not a bad price but I have a couple of projects (small) I intended to try during the pandemic which I haven't started yet.