what I got and how I got it.
A brief history of rope acquisition.
First, it was basic white nylon, twisted. From, I think, Canadian Tire. I can’t even remember what I bought it for. I think I may have just purchased Bridgette Harrington’s “Shibari You Can Use” and wanted something to practice with. Nylon wasn’t the best choice, but I could get a lot of it for not much cash. Finished the ends and used them only a couple times, with n. Fun but nothing to write home about. On the thinner side. Basically, I don’t use it anymore, but am loathe to pitch it.
After that, it was the black theatre sash cord. MFP. Woven not twisted, so no real marks left just dents. Again, I was able to buy a lot of it pretty cheaply from Rotblotts, a fantastic buy-anything hardware store on Adelaide. Finishing the ends was easy, just a bit of flame and attention. I bought HEAPS of it, cut to various lengths, and used it all pretty consistently. This was 6mm stuff, and although there was 8mm I could buy at the time I thought it was just a bit too thick.
White cotton clothesline was next. Again, from Rotblotts (I wonder how many other ropegeeks were buying stock from there?), again not too expensive. Thicker than the black MFP but not quite at 8mm. I found it to be way more inflexible than the rest of what I was working with. I’ve washed it a few times and it’s getting better. No real texture to it, which is unfortunate. I’d cut it to longer lengths, so I was doing more body ties with it. Still stuff I use, in conjunction with other rope.
Then, thankfully, the Twisted Monk rope – this was a treat. Monk is based out of Seattle, somewhere I’ve always wanted to visit. I’d noticed on the site that Monk was selling the remnants of some 4-strand Bavarian hemp, in 6mm. I’d never played with hemp before and everything I’d read and heard told me that I should be. So, went online, ordered two 15′ pieces. They arrived a couple weeks later and boy oh boy do I love those two pieces. Probably my favourite stuff to use, right now. The restriction of two fifteen foot pieces is fun. I’ve used it in conjunction with pretty much everything else I’ve got. I want to order more from Monk – and I will do – but the international shipping is killer.
Bought a few more books and thought that maybe I should try finishing my own hemp. Went to the Toronto Hemp Company (I think… a shop on Yonge St., just south of Charles) and bought just under a hundred feet. Of course, I purchased it as 30 meters, this being a metric society. Boiled, dried, singed, and oiled two of the three pieces of it and it’s lovely. I’ve used it once. 8mm, undyed. I’ll probably try doing more of it, once I can really figure out how to get it softer and less stringy. I might do a re-boil and re-singe on one piece, see how much of a difference that makes.
In Montreal, now, and last Sunday I went to a shop in the Village, along Ste-Catherine E, and bought a rope kit from a company called Maitre Gargouille (Gargoyle Toes). Don’t think I really need the WHOLE kit, but it was the way I could buy it. All hemp, 8mm, and a good deep red colour. The way they had it knotted, though, makes the ends all twisted in a non-pleasant way. Hopefully over time it’ll straighten itself out. I can’t wait to use this stuff, though. Yes please.
