Converting Waste Agricultural Biomass into a Resource - UNEP

2. Cooking the Fiber: A rope is laid in the bottom of a big pot of boiling
lye--an alkali solution. The separated fiber is bundled and put in the
solution and cooked for several hours with the lid on. The alkalinity of
the lye is critical. After boiling, the fiber is washed to remove the alkali.
3. Rolling up: Next the fiber must be paired from the skin. First the skin is
separated lengthwise into two or three flat strips and separated with a
bamboo tool. The soft fiber is used for the weft and the hard or colored
fiber is used for the warp. Having dried the fiber in the shade it is rolled
up.
4. Yarn: A thread is now 'spun' from the fiber. First, the fiber is put in
water and lightly squeezed. Next, it is separated by running the nails or
tips of the fingers along between the fibers from the root upwards. The
thickness of the thread depends on what is going to be woven. If it is
for a kimono cloth then it is made very fine. The individual fibers are
joined together to make a continuous thread, which is drawn to stop it
separating. The ends of the thread where joined are cut short. This
work is very time consuming and requires much patience.
5. Twisting: In order to make the warp and weft ikat or kasuri threads
more robust and to prevent napping, they are twisted up on a spinning
wheel, while being moistened with a spray. If the twist is too loose the
thread will nap and make weaving difficult. If, on the other hand, the
thread is twisted too tightly it becomes difficult to beat and much more
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