In Norwegian we have quite a few different words for cordage and rope. From thinnest to thickest we have at least these: hyssing, snor, tau and rep/reip. The last two have clear cognates in English: “tow” and “rope”.

Back when I was learning to spin (I got some basic instruction and was sent off to play with fiber), I remember making a cabled four ply yarn, not really knowing what I was doing. Nice to have a name for it, all these years later! Sally, I really appreciate your presentation/teaching style. There really is no One True Way of doing these ancient crafts. I remember being told, "Oh, you can't ply on a drop spindle" and showing them the basket full of skeins I'd spun and plied with my spindle. Silly people!

As someone who's been growing their hair out to fiddle with it i'm understanding more and more now how i went from playing with dolls to playing with threads

A comment for your algorithm, and to say how much I enjoyed seeing you on the TV the other day applying cosmetics and explaining their history to an eminent historian. Sadly I am hamfisted when it comes to crafts (I find the topic of this video fascinating even so!), but I really do enjoy dipping in to your videos for inspiration about foraging and making food and drink from bothering my hedges 😊

I learned to make cordage for primitive uses. This video will be helpful for me. Thank you

You have a great teraching and presenting style, Sally. Thanks for that. I hope your health is on the up. So sorry for your losses.

oh! back in the early 90s when i learnt whipcracking, i also learned to make replacement poppers (the skinny bit right at the tip) and a cable is what we made, using heavy duty carpet thread, but i didn’t have the word before. now 30 years on, i know it was a cable. thank you, sally!

Thank you for this instruction. Always willing and eager to learn more about how our ancestors were able to live and thrive.

So nice to know the actual terminology. I never really knew what 'cable' meant before in terms of cordage and rope. This explains the structure of some rope that I saw on a visit to a historic ship as a small child that I've wondered about most of my life!

Thank you very much for those lovely crafts and videos. I'll try to make a lavender basket like you did (in an other video). (I hope it works 😊). Greetings

So glad to see you again. I am going to try the 4 - ply cord.

Thank you! Looking forwards to the Braiding episode. I really love the differences in the ply.

I always love seeing your videos go up! Thank you for making them.

Loving this!! Can’t wait to try it this summer!

Brilliant Beautiful

Nice video. Though as ropemaker I think that knowing the terminology helps to understand the process. What you made so elegantly in the video was actually S twisted yarns that you formed Z laid strands with. Strands that are laid together forms S laid rope (hawser), not cable. Cable is laid from 3 (or more) ropes. Sorry but these are things that I have to explain so often.

I love spinning cabled yarns, and I'm looking forward to learning more in your next video! Thank you!

I love these videos so much!

Hello Sally, always a treat to see you've posted, good you've had a restful Xmas and all good things to you for 2023 😘

Oh my goodness! The evidence of early ropemaking is so exciting!

Thank you, Sally, for this video. I am looking forward to your next video.

This is a really interesting series on cordage making, thank you!

Turns out string is fascinating 🧐

Another very interesting and informative video, thank you Sally. x

Always a delight: Thank you!

you are amazing! Thanks for teaching!

Thank you! The cabled 4 ply cord will definitely come in handy this spring when I get the garden set up. Love your videos ❤️

Such wonderful videos - thank you, Sally!

Wonderful stuff, cabling is fun (z-twist to s-twist) and you got me started on nettle then bramble. TY Sally.

As always informative and well presented

So interesting. Also nice that you added some information on prehistorical research. I've heard that ninjas in Japan made realy sturdy cordage out of horse hair, maybe you can tell somethging about this. is there maybe also an evidence for cordage made from human hair?

This was a very useful explanation! I love that you include archeological sources -- seeing evidence of these practices from tens of thousands of years ago fills me with awe for our early ancestors. I would love to see a future video showing how the Hohl Fels tool might have been used to make rope! The articles I found only said that archaeologists believed it was used for making rope and didn't explain the process.

My definition is that if I can easily tie a knot in it, it's cord, and if tying a knot is difficult, it's rope. :)

For 2-ply laid cord, have you tried the thigh rolling technique rather than finger twiddling? Put the two strands a couple of inches apart at the top of your thigh, near your lap, put you hand to cover both strands, and then push your hand towards your knee, rolling twisting each of the strands in the process,as they get suitably twisted they wind themselves together (several wraps in one go, not just one)... this allows a significant amount of cord to be done very quickly. It takes a bit of practice for consistency and you need the right hand pressure and right fabric to roll against (not too slippy or they won't twist) - jeans generally work. But for blokes with hairy legs, do not do it on bare skin, or you'll be threading your thigh!

🎩Hi, what is the best way to tie off the ends of the cordage that you are making ?

Thank you for sharing. I’m just getting to grips with 2ply. I missed 3ply. 4ply…….wowzers! What fibres are you using? Could I use nettles? I love your videos.

When and where do we see rope waxed to improve strength and durability? I've made Flemish twist bow strings for years which is exactly the same process with a wax material. Just curious.

Oh come on! Let meget confidfent with three strand before setting the next challenge!!! What is next? 5 strand???? LOL ;-)

would this method have any benefit using hide/rawhide or leather cordage?

When it’s thicker than your little finger it’s rope otherwise it’s cord.