Our first stop was at a home of coir-rope producers. We climbed ashore and came upon three women working together. One sat at a wheel, which she turned by hand. The wheel was rigged so that it turned metal loops, through which were attached the beginnings of the ropes. The other two women carried bags stuffed with the prepared coconut hair. To begin the procedure, they pulled out enough of the coconut hair to attach to the metal loops. It naturally adheres to itself in a way that is similar to wool after it has been carded.
Once the ends were attached to the loops, the two women pulled out two threads each, feeding it towards the twisting wheel, which was turned by the woman in red. (Thank God I have some photos to illustrate this – am I making any sense?) The turning of the loops twists the coir as it is being paid out by the two that walked backwards as they were creating the rope. When they had gone as far back as their arrangement allowed, they twisted their two strands together to make a two-ply rope. The final product was about 3/8 inch thick.
When Thampi explained the process, he did a personal little demonstration of the whole thing, just using his hands. When his ten-inch-long sample was finished, he challenged anyone to break it with his hands. A couple of volunteers gave it a whirl but, of course, were unsuccessful.
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