| Kevin and Kate Finney conducted a cordage workshop. They taught us to make reverse twist cord from Indian hemp, swamp milkweed and the inner bark of basswood. They had several examples of intricately crafted bags made entirely from cord that had been hand twisted. The picture on the right shows Kevin and Kate "skutching" dogbane stalks to remove the dark hard outer shell. | |
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Kevin seperates fiber from the stalk. |
This is what Dogbane also known as Indian Hemp looks like close up. It grows 2.5 to 3.5 feet high with slender 6 inch pods containing seeds similar to milkweed seeds. The dead stalks can be harvested in winter or early spring. |
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After removing the dogbane fibers from the stalk , the fibers are then reverse twisted into very strong and useful cordage. |