I bought 2 sweaters at the thrift shop yesterday to try undoing and reusing. They are 55% ramie and 45% cotton. I’ve never heard of ramie and was wondering if that is a type of acrylic yarn or something else. Thanks!
I’ve had sweaters made with Ramie and I liked them, if that accounts for anything.
Just found this on google. I always thought it was a synthetic.
Ramie (Boehmeria nivea) is a flowering plant in the nettle family Urticaceae, native to eastern Asia. It is a herbaceous perennial growing to 2 m tall; the leaves are heart-shaped, 7-15 cm long and 6-12 cm broad, and white on the underside with dense small hairs; unlike nettles, the hairs do not sting. It is also called Chinese silk plant, Chinese grass or rhea.
Cultivation and uses
Ramie is one of the oldest fibre crops, having been used for at least six thousand years, and is principally used for fabric production. It is a bast fibre, and the part used is the bark (phloem) of the vegetative stalks. It can sustain up to six harvests per year. Unlike other bast crops, ramie requires chemical processing to de-gum the fibre.
Ramie fibre is known especially for its ability to hold shape, reduce wrinkling, and introduce a silky lustre to the fabric look. It is not as durable as other fibres, and so is usually used as a blend with other fibres such as cotton or wool.
Ramie is also used as an ornamental plant in eastern Asia.
Today, ramie is principally produced in China, Brazil, Philippines, India, South Korea, Thailand and Indonesia.
thanks for the info ladies! I’m starting to undo the first one and the yarn is seperating something terrible. I’m sure I must be doing somethig wrong…first time doing this. Guess I’ll keep going and see what I get. Good proactice anyway.
thanks from me too. I love all I learn here
Nikki
I always thought that it was synthetic, too…I love knitting with bamboo, so ramie has got to be fun to knit with, too 
This is an interesting site.
very cool site, Jan!