Come spend an evening together getting to know nettles through foraging, fibre, making and conversation.

🌿 Did you know nettles are more than just the plant that stings you as you walk past?

Come and spend an evening getting to know nettles in a different way, through making, foraging and conversation.

Nettles have been used by people for generations, from food and medicine to cloth, cordage and string. They’re also an important part of the ecosystem, supporting a surprising number of other species. We’ll spend some time exploring these different relationships with the plant, and thinking about what it means to really notice and work with something that we often overlook.

With our facilitator, Zoe, we’ll learn how to work with nettle fibre, turning it from plant to cordage. We’ll have dried nettles to experiment with, making simple cordage and trying our hand making smooth strings. At the beginning, we’ll also have the opportunity to gather fresh nettles and learn how to begin preparing and processing them, a process you can also continue at home.

The evening will be relaxed and hands-on, with plenty of space for questions, shared knowledge and conversation along the way.

No experience needed. Just come curious, bring your hands and be ready to get involved.

If foraging, please bring your own work gloves and secateurs/good scissors ✂️ (some will be available too). If not, just suitable clothing for being outdoors 🥾 and an open mind.

When/Where: 19th August · 6:30-8:30pm · Heaton Park (what3words: ///shack.stones.stand)

If the weather is not allowing us to be outside, we’ll gather at the Tipsy Toad instead.

Come and let's find out together what lies beneath the stingy 'weed'.

About Common C:

Common C is an open collective of doers, initiated by Roxana Caplan. We bring people together to creatively celebrate our connection to nature, land and one another through craft, collaboration and collective care.

Our mission is to connect and empower individuals and communities through creative opportunities, building skills, nurturing nature and shared resilience.

Description supplied by the event organiser.