…Joy & Woe are woven fine
A Clothing for the soul divine
Under every grief & pine
Runs a joy with silken twine…

~from Auguries of Innocence, William Blake

Back on April 1, I referenced some fundraising I was doing for the Chittenden Asylum Seekers Assistance Network. You can see more about the effort here. I thought I’d share with you the videos that came from that over the next few weeks.

This first one, Winter Worn Field Grass Cordage ~ 2-Ply, is a simple little ditty, and is my first video in the series I’ll be sharing. No words. Just quiet learning.

I discovered after making this video that it is good to coat your cordage in beeswax to keep it supple and strong. That bit didn’t make it into the video but do try it! Winter grasses have frozen, thawed, frozen, and thawed again, breaking down the fibers and contributing to brittleness, which comes back once your cordage dries. Coating in beeswax once the cordage is dried will reinstate moisture, making it useful as well as beautiful.

And here’s a fabulous video on making 3-ply cordage from Sally Pointer who shares all kinds of knowledge on her YouTube Channel. She’s awesome. Watching her videos is like going to the best kind of school.

Enjoy! This is a great time to think about gathering plant materials to store and prepare for cordage making where I live (in Vermont). Just be sure to know your plants, don’t take too much or more than you’ll use, and have a blast.

Until next time,
Bradie