Linen produced from tow (the shorterflaxfibers produced by the retting process), spun on small table wheels, then plied and twisted a second time with additional strands.
The yearly allowance of clothing for the slaves on this plantation, consisted of two tow-linen shirts—such linen as the coarsest crash towels are made of
1995, Daryl M. Hafter, European Women and Preindustrial Craft, →ISBN, page 34:
The tow linen was the fiber of choice for making soft yarns for such end uses as undergarments, and for the making of thread.
2007, Karla J. Nielson, Interior Textiles: Fabrics, Application, and Historic Style, →ISBN, page 41:
A scutching machine pulls out the linen fibers, which are then hackled or carded and combed. Hackling separates the long line linen fibers from the shorter tow linen fibers.
