Twined card: paper napkin

On By CarynIn Craft, Uncategorized

It is actually possible to make a decorative twine with paper napkins. It isn’t strong, and don’t get it wet, but it is useful for decorating, and fidgeting while waiting.

Photo description: laser cut flat wood spool with twine made from unbleached paper towels

Paper has a grain, tear it one way and it is fairly easy to get a relatively straight line, tear it the other and everything goes awry. I find the direction of the easiest tearing on a napkin and tear it into about 1” strips. You could cut it, but the ragged edges don’t matter once the paper is twisted.

To start, I twist the center of one strip gently, then bend the twist roughly in half. I twist one side away from me, bring it to the front, then twist the other side away, and bring it to the front. Each individual “leg” gets twisted the same way, and the two “legs” twist together in the opposite direction. This opposite twist energy balances the twine and strengthens the material.

To add in more strips I use a different method than usual. I fold the new strip onto the old strip and twist them together. I find this creates less bulk for this kind of twine than laying in a new piece from the middle. Staggering the length of the “legs” also helps smooth transitions.

Twined card: milkweed

On By CarynIn Craft

I have spun milkweed seed fiber before, but I have not yet worked with fiber obtained from the plant. I purchased it from Conserving Threads and it came uncombed in a large cloud of fiber. I pulled out long strands to twine, knocking loose many tiny fibers. Combing or hackling the fiber first would remove most of the short bits.

Photo description: laser cut flat wood spool with twine made from milkweed fiber

The milkweed bast fiber is more course than the seed fiber, but it is also stronger.

Twined card: agave

On By CarynIn Craft

The agave plant, native to Mexico, has many beneficial uses, including providing a strong fiber good for rope and other textiles. It is a long line fiber, like flax, which makes it easy to twine.

Photo description: laser engraved flat wood spool with agave twine wrapped around it and long untwisted fiber hanging from the end

The bundles of fibers I was working with were cut on one end, giving the section a blunt end with many fibers ending at the same place. When twining, all those fibers would pop out of the twine at the same place. I used a small pair of sharp scissors to trim them.

Twined card: snake plant

On By CarynIn Craft

I was very excited to see snake plant fiber available at Conserving Threads. I had heard that snake plants can be retted to free the fiber, but my own plants are not big enough to harvest yet. The fiber from snake plants is a long line, thin filament, perfect for twining.

Photo description: laser cut flat wood spool with twine made from snake plants, the darker color at the top is due to the twine absorbing the oil finish on the wooden card because I didn’t wait long enough for the card to dry

To start I take a small section of fiber and twist it near the middle. I then bend the twist in half to make two “legs” and bring the top leg toward me. I twist the back leg away, then bring it forward, and keep repeating this process to twine. The individual legs are twisted away and the two legs are twisted together toward me. The opposite twist energy balances the twine and strengthens it.

To add in more fiber I take a smaller section and lay the middle between the two legs, then twist the new fiber with the old fiber. With practice, the addition blends in and is nearly undetectable. It helps to keep the two legs different lengths to spread out the ends along the length of the twine as well.

Twined card: raffia

On By CarynIn Craft

Raffia palms grow in tropical regions of Africa and the leaves can be dried and torn into very long strips to create a natural ribbon. Raffia is a crafting staple, easily found in craft stores and floral departments. I ordered mine online and it came bundled and vacuum packed which gave it very crisp creases where I didn’t want creases. I used a steamer to straighten the strips, which worked extremely well.

Photo description: ironing board with steamer, a rubber banded bundle of raffia, and an open bundle after steaming (some bends still visible)

I could absolutely twine the raffia without steaming it, but the bends make an awful tangle, so it was useful to use the steam to make fiber management easier.

Photo description: laser cut flat wood spool with raffia twine

I use raffia to teach twining because it is readily available, you can twine for a long time before having to add in fiber, and it is sturdy. I made a simple two knot sliding bracelet and wore it for a week where it got wet and dried several times and it held up to the wearing. Raffia is used to make hats and bags and mats and can even be woven to make clothes. Here is a fascinating article.