Rope note 02

The ropes are all in the freezer for conservation so I have been missing
them on the walls of the studio.

rope note 02
'In St.Kilda climbing ropes were a prized possession passed down from
father to son. They were 50m long and lasted for 50 years'
Source Am Baile website

Rope Note 01

Whilst making these ropes I have been collecting anecdotes, stories, facts
about hand made ropes, their practical and mythical uses. I will be putting
some of these into Rope notes along with some pictures of the finished ropes.

rope note 01
'a piece of heather rope was found at Scara Brae on Orkney, 5000 yeas old'

Rope No.100

Plant - Purple moor-grass
Location - Mixed heather, peat moor
Notes - This is the last rope for this piece where all these ropes will be displayed
together as one wall piece. I chose the Purple moor-grass as this was the first rope
and it is good to see it all green now. over the next few weeks I will put up rope
facts and anecdotes and some overall pictures.

Rope No.99

Plant - Deer grass
Location - On the land going down to the shore, rough moorland
Notes - This is tough grass, very fine and I enjoy the delicate line
it forms with the flower heads showing.

Rope No.98

Plant - Another rush yet to be identified
Location - Edges of the pond, very distinctive flower heads on the tips
Notes - I am beginning to notice much smaller differences between these
plants and realise how many different rushes, sedges and grasses there are
and they are different to work with too. This particular one was hollow with
very delicate stalks which are surprisingly strong.

Rope No.97

Plant - Heath rush
Location - Above the shore on rough grazing ground
Notes - The black fruiting bodies show up against the greens of the
different grasses as they grow up. This is tough so less nibbled than
others.

Rope No.96

Plant - Purple moor grass
Location - Heather moorland
Notes - This is the summer version of this rope, green, with the winter one
being white. So interesting to see the different greens that they all dry out as.

Rope No.95

Plant - Bottle sedge
Location - Around the edges of the Old Mill pond
Notes - I am now noticing small differences in rushes, sedges and grasses.
The more you look the more there is variety both within the same species
and with the rich variety of different species.

Rope No.94

Plant - Plantain
Location - Lots to be found around the garden edges!
Notes - Makes a lovely smooth rope. I am not sure how this will dry out
and how flexible it will stay.

Rope No.93

Plant - Dock
Location - Garden edges
Notes - I have often noticed the stems once they dry, as dark brown
stalks that are very easily broken. Twisted when fresh they seem to
be very strong.

Rope No.92

Plant - Thrift / Sea pink
Location - On the rocks at the sea shore
Notes - Always a sign of this particular time of year, lovely clumps
of pink along the shore. They are very brittle and snapped a lot
when making the rope...

Rope No.91

Plant - Buttercup
Location - Wilder parts of the garden
Notes - This has such long stems where it is growing amongst the plantain
that I thought I would try it too. It is still amazing to me how stems like these,
which are so fragile and brittle when alive become strong and pliable when
dry. This was very fiddly to make with all the fine flower heads getting
entangled with the stems as I twisted them round.