Nettle Net Bags

June 27 / 28 (Fri/Sat)

Two days, 10.30am – 5pm both days

£255 

Venue: open air woodland setting in a 70 acre ancient coppiced wood on a family-run working  farm: peaceful and beautiful Dernwood Farm Nr Heathfield, East Sussex.

Making a netted bag is one of the best uses for natural cordage, and there’s archaeological evidence that our ancient hunter-gatherer ancestors did the same: using knotting techniques to make bags, fishing nets and other traps. If you’ve ever had a go at making cordage you’ll know what a satisfying experience that is. But you might have then wondered what to use the cordage for.

Come and make your own useful and beautiful bag, using a knotting technique and a bone / wood needle, just as our distant ancestors would have done. Perfect for carrying foraged edibles or modern day things like your water bottle, phone, etc.

Nettles are a wonderful source of fibre, and you’ll harvest some yourself on the day. You’ll learn how and when to harvest and prep nettles, and how to extract their useful fibres. With two days available there’ll be time for in-depth learning, processing/extracting all your fibres and sinking into the repetitive rhythm of making your cordage and then knotting it into a bag. You’ll have time to refine and consolidate your cordage-making skills, becoming confident in the technique.

You’ll leave knowing all you need to make a knotted net bag from living plant to finished bag, and with a new-found relationship to the stinging nettle.

Suitability: this course is suitable for people who’ve made cordage before and/or have experience with crafts using knotting / looping etc. If you have only a little experience you’re still welcome, just bear in mind that you may make a smaller bag in the time.
Groups are kept small to allow for individual attention.

If you’re a complete beginner, the Wild Cordage course is recommended as a starting point. The Looped Rush Bags day-long course would be good as an introduction to netting.

A simple but hearty vegetarian lunch is provided, we’ll have have a kettle on the camp fire, plus a huge tarp on hand for cover in case we need it. I aim to offer you a satisfying learning experience as well as an enjoyable time away from it all. To support you in getting the most from the day, we’ll connect to the woodland surroundings through a short and simple, guided mindfulness-based practice.