Mother Earth News_December_2016_2017

52 Mother earth News December 2016/January 2017

as you continue to work them between your hands. This is the

stage at which they can be easily worked into cordage.

If you look really closely, you’ll observe a few small slivers of

woody materials still among the fibers. These can be removed

with further buffing.

After you’ve reached a satisfactory level of buffing, you can

then reverse-wrap your cordage. You can certainly choose not

to take your materials this far, and make some “quickie” cord-

age instead, though it will no doubt be less durable and more

likely to fail under pressure.

Reverse-Wrap Technique

One way to start this cordage-making technique is by tak-

ing one thin bundle of the prepared fibers and holding it with

both hands. Then, twisting your hands while they’re a few

inches apart, move in opposite directions until a loop or kink

forms in the material.

From here, you’ll need to pinch the loop or kink you just

made and hold it firmly. You can do this with two fingers of

one hand, or you can hold it in your teeth. Feel free to experi-

ment with what works best for you.

Assuming you’re holding the fibers in your teeth, you’ll need

to grasp the two lengths of the fibers, with one in each hand.

With two fingers on each hand, twist the fibers in the same

direction to put pressure on the kink between your teeth. After

you’ve twisted, you can then wrap.

To do so, still holding the cord between your teeth, take the

two lengths of fiber you just twisted and wrap them around

each other in the opposite direction you just twisted. When

wrapped, the tension of the twist pushes the two lengths of

From top: As you buff your bundle, the fibers will progress from

smooth and waxy to pale and fluffy, at which point they’ll be primed for

crafting cordage. Form a loop and pinch it firmly using your fingers or

your teeth — experiment to find the method that works best for you.

Then, you’ll do a bit of twisting and turn out a tight length of rope.

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