spring clean-up (2 of 3)

this is the twisted and braided ‘cordage‘ i made with yesterday’s over-wintered garden leaves. i put the word cordage in quotes, because i did not actually ret (soak and soften) the leaves to separate the woody tissue from the fibers. nevertheless, i am happy with the results, and may play with making proper cordage this summer. i have a side yard full of nettle which is excellent for extracting fiber–sort of like flax. one of the rules of STILL is no non-natural subjects (except for sea glass ;-) but i am often finding that i’d like to bind some of my compositions with something, especially bouquets. how tempting it is to reach for the florist wire. alas, i never do. but i will allow this cordage–even though it is manipulated, it is still entirely natural. i feel like a carpenter with a new tool in my toolkit.

twisted and braided over-wintered leaves (mostly lily)