Preparing the Vine. The Kudzu vine is comprised of 4 visible layers of tissue: the outer, protective cuticle, the skin, the main stem, and the pith. Much of the work at this stage is dedicated to progressively softening the vines in preparation for hand processing. Our freshly harvested shoots are first placed in a pot to cook. (As it steams, the fiber releases an aroma reminiscent of cooked artichokes – mellow and slightly starchy.) After cooking, the still-steaming fibers are transferred to the retting pile – a simple mound onto which the coiled fibers are spread and then covered. For a time we must surrender to the alchemical work of bacteria as it begins to digest and soften the outer layers. If left here indefinitely, bacteria and other organisms would eventually break down the entire plant and return it to nature. However, for our purposes a few days will be sufficient to take us to the next stage.
Cleaning and Grading the Fiber. Rinsed and retted vines in tow, we relocate to a stretch of the Tallulah River to separate and grade the fibers. As it courses through eroded boulder cuts, the water provides perfect conditions for our work. We now bring our attention to the painstaking process of separating skin from reedy stem. What remains of the loosened cuticle is removed and the thin, almost transparent plat of skin is lifted away from the main stem. For weaving, the skin is further separated into narrow threads which are knotted together to create a longer contiguous strand. Sitting on ancient rock at water’s edge, Kudzu vines in hand, we are much like our archaic counterparts - time falling away, marked only by the accumulation of separated fiber coiled by our sides. It is a gentle and absorbing process. Leaving the river behind, I carry my collection of fiber home contemplating its many uses and look forward to the opportunity to work with it again.
