Processing The Fiber From Chinese-Bur & Bur Mallow Plants For Cordage Making

Bur Mallow Fiber

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I’ve always been fascinated by wild plants more than the garden variety plants. I must have been 6 years old when I first took interest in gardening and plants in general. My eyes always searches for the wild ones, the ones which are almost always ignored by others.

Recently, I began working out in the wide open greenery. I have 2 related goals, first one is to keep on working out daily without any breaks and second one is to explore the surrounding areas. By surrounding areas, I mean the plants that grows naturally wherever I exercise.

The great thing is, I can identify plants like a pro. It’s like a bubble with a name just pops up over my head when I see most of the plants. Sometimes, I even know their scientific names.

In a nutshell, I’m a person who loves plants, a fiber artist & a yarn designer. Mix all these factors together and you have a person whose mind is constantly filled with ideas to use natural materials for making crafts, especially making yarns with natural materials.

I love experimenting with different fibers. So I keep exploring the possibilities of different fibers and making it into yarns. Today is the turn of the plant kingdom. I processed a small sample of 2 fibers today:
1) Chinese-bur(Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq. – Malvaceae)

Chinese Bur 1
Chinese Bur

2) Bur Mallow(Urena sinuata)

Bur Mallow 2
Bur Mallow

Here’s how I did it:
Chinese-bur(Triumfetta rhomboidea Jacq. – Malvaceae)

Chinese Bur Fiber 1
Chinese Bur Fiber

I took 1 small stem out of this plant to make this fiber. I separated the bark layer, threw away the inside woody portion. Then, I separated the fibers by rubbing it vigorously over a granite stone mortar and pestle. I used my hands for this process. I noticed that using a little water helps taking off the green outer vegetable matter easily.

This process took me a lot of time. I was too eager to make the yarn sooner. The best way is to use the retting method. For retting it, you have to keep the bark in water for a couple of days so the vegetable matter come off easily and naturally after a few weeks. But, anyways, now I have the wet fiber in my hand ready for further processing and much sooner than waiting for weeks.

Here are a few things I noticed about this fiber:
1) It smells strongly like mustard oil.( Yup! I am a nose)
2) The color of the fibers is olive green.
3) It turned a little browner while I was processing it.
4) The fibers feels stronger than the Bur Mallow fibers.
5)It is also more softer than the other fibers.

Bur Mallow(Urena Sinuata):

Bur Mallow Fiber
Bur Mallow Fiber

I took 1 large stem out of this plant to make this fiber. The process I used for processing this fiber is the same as the one for the Chinese-bur.

Here are a few things I noticed about this fiber:
1) It smells mildly like coriander leaves.
2) The color of the fiber is a softer sage green.
3) The fibers are a little easy to break. However, I guess, when I make the cord, it will be a bit stronger.
4)The fibers were a bit difficult to process than the Bur Mallow fibers.

The Fibers Are Now Straightened And Drying Up
The Fibers Are Now Straightened And Drying Up

I hope the fibers dry soon so I can make the cordage. I know, it is such a small quantity of fiber. But I wanted to try a small batch before I processed a larger quantity. Let me see how this turns out. If I like how it turns out, I’ll be making more of it soon. I’ll keep you all updated.