rope walking break

There will be a break for a few weeks until mid May when I will resume
for the last 31 ropes.

Rope No.70

Plant - Soft rush
Location - Moorland around the house
Notes - Always hard to find long stems of rush without too much brown
on the tips...

Rope No.69

Plant - Cabbage palm
Location - garden waste, probably effected by the cold last winter
Notes - Spotted in the ditch as I was walking along the road. These
are really strong fibres and it has a particular distinctive smell.

Rope No.68

Plant - Heather
Location - I noticed this particular plant and its thin red stems on the edge
of the old road, which isn't used anymore
Notes - Always interesting how the same plant specie can vary so much
depending on its very particular place, the way the wind hits it, what other
plants are nearby and may shade or protect it as well as particular soil
conditions.

Rope No.67

Plant - Broom
Location - Windblown plant on the roadside walking along the old road
Notes - These can be long, but I couldn't find any particularly long strands
on this bush but they did twist really nicely, you just don't know until you
try. The stem is a square section with strong corners so the rope may stay
strong, will just have to see when it dries out.

Rope No.66

Plant - Hair moss
Location - slightly sheltered spot with heather and rush
Notes - I really like working with this plant, it is so flexible
and the contrast between the bright green and the orange
brown stem is great....

Rope No.65

Plant - Daffodil
Location - The garden
Notes - Thought the leaves were long enough now to try and use them for rope
I don't know how this will dry out, it may crumble, still nice smooth texture
when making it and lovely green just now.

Rope No.64

Plant - Bramble
Location - Seems to invade everything, we didn't used to have it but the last
few years it has inveigled its way into the heather moor along the fence
Notes - These used to be used for basket type work, binding- it is extremely
strong, long and pliable once you get rid of the thorns

Rope No.63

Plant - Eared willow, leaves not out for a while yet but buds just beginning to show
Location - Roadside scrub bushes, very good wind breaks
Notes - Nice shoots, red to purple but not very long not so easy to make a length

Rope No.62

Plant - Purple moorgrass
Location - All around; white curved lines on the dark heather
Notes - Spring showers, very heavy bursts of rain and hail interspersed
with bright sun, feeling warm...

Rope No.61

Due to technical problems I wasn't able to access the internet so sorry about that

Plant - Palm leaf some sort of Cordyline I think
Location - York park beside the museum, under trees
Notes - These are wonderful to work, really strong and easy to split. These grow all
around in people's gardens so may well try this again. Am back on Skye after the
inspiring week of netmaking and knotting, always good to get home.

Rope No.60

Plant - Bog myrtle
Location - Heather patch of bog beside the house
Notes - Such strong colour, really lovely with rain on it - a vibrant
red / orange. Thought I would try this again in, but I can't find any
long lengths so it is a short rope and not very strong, but smells
lovely!

Rope No.59

Plant - Oat straw
Location - On the BA basket making courses in York
Notes - I am learning netting, knotting and tying techniques from Shuna Rendell
which is great, really exciting; the other courses are with Mary Butcher, Ted
Kelly and Joe Hogan. Ted is working with straw making hen houses.

Rope No.58

Plant - Grass short stems
Location - On the sheep grazing moorland on the way to the shore
Notes - I will identify this particular grass when it flowers later in the year. I
really like the way the different grasses look; the changing subtleties of texture,
colour and form.

Rope No.57

Plant - Soft rush
Location - Boggy ground beside the house
Notes - It forms thick clumps which no other plants can grow in

Rope No.56

Plant - Soft rush
Location - Clumps in grassland and heather
Notes - Invades where it can get a foothold and if not checked gradually
turns the ground boggy, because its roots clog the soil, but has other uses
and does make nice rope. This is from rushes which were left to dry a few
days before making the rope, it means they are more flexible and also the
rope doesn't shrink afterwards.

Rope No.55

Plant - Honeysuckle
Location - Climbing in a tree, the white strands remain from last year
Notes - This was a small scrap found on the track, made into a small
scrap of string

Rope No.54

Plant - Moss  Hylocomium splendens
Location - Entangled with other plants in the undergrowth, amongst heather, grass etc.
Notes - It still amazes me that I can make a short rope from this delicate moss, which
isn't particularly strong or long

Rope No.53

Plant - Hazel
Location - Cleared land beneath electricity cables, trees and bushes are cut down beneath
power lines to stop them getting entangled and causing power cuts
Notes - I had been thinking Hazel was one tree that I would try soon and here all the branches
were cut down ready for use