I was visiting a friend of mine a few weeks ago, and she was picking my brain on gardening stuff. While we were walking around the garden I idly picked a leaf off her Harekeke plant. I think ye call it New Zealand Flax up here, and I had never wondered about the name.
Anyway, it started raining so we went indoors and continued chatting. Now I am one of these people who just cant sit and do nought. So while we were chatting my hands were fiddling with the leaf. I took out my pocket knife, and started to scrape the green off the leaf. And then I turned it over and scrapped the other side. Then I started to tease out the fibres.
Finally I started to twist and wrap the threads, and make a lovely little bit of twine.
My friend was all amazed at what I had done, and just had to learn how to do it too. Up until then, I thought everybody knew how to make string. It's funny the things you take for granted because that is the way you were brought up.
Well, to get back to the main point, Harekeke is called New Zealand Flax because it is what the Maori use to make thread, twine and cloth from. It is so easy to use, far easier than any other material I have ever used. And the thread or twine it makes is lovely and soft, but remarkably strong.
Anyway, it started raining so we went indoors and continued chatting. Now I am one of these people who just cant sit and do nought. So while we were chatting my hands were fiddling with the leaf. I took out my pocket knife, and started to scrape the green off the leaf. And then I turned it over and scrapped the other side. Then I started to tease out the fibres.
Finally I started to twist and wrap the threads, and make a lovely little bit of twine.
My friend was all amazed at what I had done, and just had to learn how to do it too. Up until then, I thought everybody knew how to make string. It's funny the things you take for granted because that is the way you were brought up.
Well, to get back to the main point, Harekeke is called New Zealand Flax because it is what the Maori use to make thread, twine and cloth from. It is so easy to use, far easier than any other material I have ever used. And the thread or twine it makes is lovely and soft, but remarkably strong.
