My friend pruned his yucca plant the other day so I asked him if I could take a few of the leaves to make a yucca needle and thread and he kindly let me. Apparently Native Americans used to make these needle and threads from Yucca and carry them to repair there moccasins and clothes. As you can see this is the point of the yucca leaf,it hard and really pointy. To get the leaf the thickness I wanted I stuck my Case knife into my oak block and then pulled the leaf along the blade as this method is a lot easier and safer than trying to pull the blade along the leaf. I pounded the leaf with a stick to liberate the fibers. I split a stick so that I could place the leaf in the crack and pull it through,this takes the green outer material off and leaves you with fibers. I then split the fibers into three and plaited them and tied a knot in the end which left me with a needle with 14" of cord,more than enough for minor repair jobs. Also I trimmed up the needle with my knife to make it thinner and more user friendly. You can use various methods to make the cord like the reverse twist but plaiting it gave me a longer cord but still a strong cord
I have the same thing in my out and about bag. Here we also use Agave. It comes in fatter leaves, but shorter than Yucca. I think it's important to mention if you want regular cordage, the same technique applies- just cut the "needle" off. Another useful tip- if the meat of the plant doesn't want to come off, try soaking. A soak overnight and the flesh will be soft enough to pull off with your thumbnail. Making cord this way is so easy. It can kill some spare time while still hunting or sitting next to the campfire. And you will always have plenty in your possibles bag (or whatever you carry).
Thanks for the walk through, Sticks! There's a yucca in my yard that needs pruning, and this is a good idea for the leftovers! Are there more ideas out there?
