by Woodsbum
I got into a discussion the other day about natural cordage and 2 strand twists. Now, I am not the best person at natural cordage because I tend to over stress the material and break it. This has led me to practicing with man made cordage. At the end of this post are three videos. Two are about making cordage out of natural materials and one shows how to do the 2 strand twist with man made materials to get the technique down.
In my area, nettles are very common and easy to harvest. Cordage material is in no short supply here, which is lucky for me considering how much I break. Lots of material really are necessary to practice with to become even slightly proficient.
To effectively find cordage materials, just go out and see what is available in your area. Most plant materials that pulls apart into long strands of fiber can usually be twisted and made into a cordage of some sort. The last video gives you a look at how to strip willow bark for use.
Here is the practice video to show you how the whole 2 strand twist works and is done.
This video shows how to use nettles to make cordage. Be sure you are careful when you strip the fibers off the plant. I tend to break them more often than not. Just practice and be careful.
This last video shows you how to strip willow bark for cordage material.
The techniques seen in this video should give you enough of a basic knowledge to go out and do some testing of different materials in your area. Just go out and have some fun!
