milkweed! flowers, fiber, twine

[asakiyume]

This year I'm mainly growing milkweed. Milkweed for flowers, milkweed with the garlic and other vegetables:





In part that's for pollinators and monarch butterflies, but it's also in large part for the super strong, super beautiful **fibers* that milkweed produces. I realized I can put that chambira fiber knowledge to work here with my own, local fibers. I used to have a goal of trying to spin the fibers... in spite of the fact that I've never spun anything. But in the Amazon, they're not spinning the chambira fibers, they're making twine--well I can do that! There are a thousand videos on Youtube of people turning milkweed fibers into twine.

Here are the dried stalks from last year.



And here's some of the fiber:



You separate the fibers from the inner pith, and you end up with long ribbons. They're not pure white like those fibers in the last picture, I think because of the mildew and weathering from being outside. I'm going to experiment with processing fresher stems. The ribbons remind me so much of the chambira palm fibers!



And here it is as twine! I have several little bits of twine now. Next two projects: (1) dyeing it with the madder I've got growing in the yard and (2) making bracelets!

Comments

[ranunculus]

I have a love-hate relationship with milkweed. It is a deadly poison to horses so I spray it when it grows in those fields, but the stuff in my creeks, a native not-quite-so-poison version that isn't growing in the horse pastures is lovely. Local Native Americans used it extensively for fiber. It's nickname is "Indian Hemp".
Your string looks nice and even. Bet it is really strong.

[sovay]

And here it is as twine! I have several little bits of twine now.

That's so cool! I look forward to the bracelets.

[sartorias]

Those are handsome plants!

[yamamanama]

I knew about the butterflies but not about making fibers with it.

[adore]

That's a lovely project! :D

[or_midnight]

oh, wow, that twine looks so cool! I've grown flax a few times, and it's super labor intensive to turn it into proper spinning fiber, but I bet it would work perfectly for something like this, and with a fraction of the processing. (also, hi! I found your journal in some kind of friend-of-a-friend way clicking around on DW, and I've been reading for a while but this might be the first time I've commented.)

[queenoftheskies]

How wonderful!

I remember watching someone separate milkweed fibers when I was very young. So young I don't remember what they were doing with them.

[minoanmiss]

Hooray for twine! But if you wanted to learn about spinning I'm sure you could talk to my roommatr rachelkg

[mallorys_camera]

Damn! You just reminded me I had intended to plant milkweed this year because I love the Monarch butterflies.

But I totally forgot.

Oh, well. Next year.

Will you bring some of your milkweed twine to our cherry outing? I would like to see it.

[amaebi]

Brilliant. Magicky.

And also, I love milkweed. I grew up spending a lot of most summer days wandering milkweed fields near my house enjoying insects, and then planned to have a milkweed field myself, when I got to be an adult. (I haven't. But I have some milkweed.) Such rich, complex environment.

[noachoc]

Neat!

[wayfaringwordhack]

LOVE your fiber experiment. I STILL have the seeds you sent me. I have to prep ground for them and figure out where I want them and even though we have a lot of space, that just always seems like such a hard question!

[squirrelitude]

If you need more stalks, I maintain a patch of milkweed that might be somewhat convenient to you. Last year's stems are still there. (I also have a ton of milkweed seedlings to find homes for, and should harvest seed this fall to distribute... or put up a sign asking people to take some.)