Hemp, the cool fiber!

Hemp is another word for the plant Cannabis sativa L. Now this does not mean marijuana, though they are in the same family. For that matter so is broccoli and cauliflower. No, I’m talking about the fiber hemp, or industrial grade, which is making a big comeback. Note that industrial grade hemp doesn’t have very much THC (the stuff in Marijuana that makes someone high) so it really can’t be used as a drug. It is incredibly durable, and makes great jewelry. So I went looking for an example, and who did I find but Etsyblogger’s very own RoseWorksJewelry! As you can see she does a lovely job with it.

One of the neatest things about hemp fiber, other than how quickly it grows, is that the paper made from it is naturally acid free, as is cloth! That makes it great for babies, as you can see in this adorable burp cloth made by Tushcouture.

Now I personally adore Washi paper for card making. Washi is a type of paper made in Japan. Washi is commonly made using fibers from the bark of the gampi tree, the mitsumata shrub, or the paper mulberry, but also can be made using bamboo, hemp, rice, and wheat. Washi comes from wa meaning Japanese and shi meaning paper, and the term is used to describe paper made by hand in the traditional manner. This pendant was made by Prettified over on Artfire. Too cool!

Not to be outdone, there is a lovely piece of art by Pyramidfarms that uses hemp paper in addition to brulage, which is a burning technique. The dark brown paper is made from industrial hemp.