How to Prepare Spanish Moss for Weaving
Used for centuries along the Gulf Coast, Spanish moss yarn produced durable and waterproof clothing for Native Americans. The yarn also replaced expensive wool for enlisted soldiers' horse blankets during the Civil War. Still created today---mostly for re-enactors---spinners and weavers looking for a challenge should explore creating and weaving yarn from this non-parasitic plant.
Things You'll Need
- Protective clothing--long pants, long-sleeved shirts, gloves
- Long stick
- Large tub
- Rake, optional
- Rack
- Wooden paddles
- Bees wax, optional
- Spinning wheel or drop spindle
- Niddy-noddy
- Yarn swift
- Yarn winder
Instructions
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1
Gather Spanish moss from trees. Don protective clothing for protection from small animals, insects and spiders living near the moss. Use the stick to lift moss from tree limbs.
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2
Cure---or rett---the moss. Pile moss in tub; fill tub with water. Let moss soak for 3 to 9 months, turning moss over occasionally. Over time bacteria and heat will cause the moss' green outer cortex to rot and loosen. For a more authentic---but messier---approach, soak moss in a nearby pond until cortex is loose. Use the rake to reach into pond and turn the moss over from time to time.
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3
When most of the cortex is loose, remove moss from the tub or pond and hang over a rack until dry. Beat dried moss with paddles until dust, sticks and dead cortex separate from the inner fibers. If necessary, shake fibers in the wind to remove final chaff particles. Spanish moss fibers will resemble shiny black horsehair-like threads.
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4
If desired, coat fibers with bees wax to maintain its flexibility.
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5
Spin fibers into cord-like thread. Spin 2 threads together in the opposite direction to make a 2-ply yarn.
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6
Wrap yarn over the pegs of the niddy-noddy---a gadget looking like a capital "I" with the bottom crossbar turned 90 degrees from the top bar---to wind Spanish moss yarn into skeins.
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Place a skein on the swift---a gadget with interconnected parts that can contract or expand to hold yarn in a circle; extend swift until skein stretches snugly on swift but not too tightly.
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Pull yarn from swift through the yarn winder to make a center-pull ball of yarn.
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Tips & Warnings
Use the Spanish moss yarn only as weft while weaving.
Faster retting processes include placing wet Spanish moss into a microwave for several minutes or boiling it until the cortex falls apart.
Boiling Spanish moss yarn to set the twist will not be necessary, because of its waterproof properties.
If the fibers become too messy while spinning, wear an apron to protect clothing.
Observe any applicable regulations when collecting Spanish moss; don't trespass.
References
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Comments
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Very interesting; trying to learn the hows in order to use in a childrens class in our new Museum.
