bamboo
very little weaving being done here – the weather is warm, sunny and dry
thinning out the black bamboo I decided to build a trellis
should have cut the grass before I started
hopefully the vine will grow quickly – unless the deer get in again
“bamboo is one of nature’s most productive renewable resources..”
April in Japan, harvesting bamboo shoots
fresh, grilled on the hibachi they are delicious
split very fine they have been used to make loom reeds for centuries
Bryan, in Fujino, demonstrating reed making
here is my reed, weaving a linen/shifu scarf
made with Bryan’s help during the ANWG Conference 2017
bamboo yarn isn’t as eco-friendly as I was originally led to believe
handspun – dyed with indigo and kakishibu
it is actually a man-made fibre created from the cellulose found in any plant or tree including bamboo
the fibre that is produced is a viscose rayon
http://www.nsweave.org.au/articles/2008/01/dyeing-bamboo-fibre
and now I’m off to mow the lawns
nasty extruded fibers masking as “green”. and to my great shame i never finished my reed.
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Velma – I love tools and the reed is very special, it takes so much work just to get the bamboo to the building stage. Have to ask if bamboo fibre is more or less environmentally friendly than cotton??
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The uses for bamboo are amazing! It’s neat to see your reed in use–I remember when you made it!
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Kerry – I don’t have the skill or tools to prepare the very fine bamboo so it was a wonderful treat to make one.
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Thank you. A very interesting and informative post. I’ve seen bamboo yarn, but never tried it. You also found so many ways to use the stalks. 😊
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Hi Mary – in the countries where bamboo grows naturally it is used in hundreds of different ways. I’ve seen it used as scaffolding on mega buildings in Tokyo, back before safe baby car seats my son’s first seat, in Singapore, was made from bamboo and now flooring on basketball courts, kitchen cutting boards and knitting needles. It is a fast growing renewable resource which can be recycled when no longer needed.
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Thank you so much for sharing this. I had no idea how versatile it is. Renewable definitely helps the environment.
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Mary – welcome 🙂
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