Another fruit that produces fabric is pineapple. Well not from the juicy fruit part, but from the leaves.

Pineapple fabric is an eco-friendly and sustainable because the plants are a renewable and natural resource.

100 % pineapple (leaf) fiber is lightweight and stiff. Some describe it as similar to linen but softer than hemp. This fabric is called piña, it’s Spanish for pineapple.

Main producer of pina comes from The Philippines. For Filipinos, piña clothing is usually reserve for wedding attire such as “Barong Tagalog” shirt for men. The colors are naturally white or cream.

Anne Harte gave a neat description of how families process pina fabric with the Textile Society of Hong Kong newsletter.

Ms. Harte describes the extraction process as being done by hand.  The material is scraped from the pineapple leaf by using a broken plate or coconut shell.

These are usually done by families who get their pineapple leaf from the island or imported from Hawaii.

The number of pina weavers are limited so these fibers are expensive. So they usually blend the pineapple fiber with cotton or silk.

The resulting fabric is very soft and lustrous. I have yet to see any pina fabric for sale locally. I’m sure it would make the perfect summer outfit.

In the meantime, when I do cut up that pineapple, I’ll be sure of think of it’s contribution to pina fabric.

Photo from Wikipedia.  Pineapple leaf being scraped by hand  with a broken ceramic plate.

There’s been a recall of radioactive metal tissue boxes sold at Bed Bath & Beyond. The “Dual Ridge Metal Boutique Tissue Holder” were sold at select stores from California to New York. Wonder how many were bought as Christmas gifts?

The company reports many were sold at the southern California locations and some were sold at four stores in the San Francisco Bay Area.

The OC Register reports that the metallic-blue tissue boxes sold in Orange County may get their color from radioactive cobalt 60.

The Cobalt 60 is suspected to have been fused into the covers during the smelting process, said the Nuclear Regulatory Commission. The products allegedly arrived on Dec. 27 in a shipment from India.

A radioactivity detector operated by the California Highway Patrol went off when a truck containing a shipment of “Dual Ridge Metal Boutique tissue boxes” went through a weigh station.

Here’s what the EPA has to say about Cobalt 60:

“How can cobalt-60 affect people’s health?

All ionizing radiation, including that of cobalt-60, is known to cause cancer. Therefore, exposures to gamma radiation from cobalt-60 result in an increased risk of cancer.

Because it emits such strong gamma rays, external exposure to cobalt-60 is also considered a significant threat. The magnitude of the health risk depends on the quantity of cobalt-60 involved and on exposure conditions:

* length of exposure
* distance from the source (for external exposure)
* whether the cobalt-60 was ingested or inhaled.”

Instead of fabric softeners, I was using the blue plastic dryer balls with rounded spikes for a while. I practically grew up with Bounce, but after realizing how much chemicals was in that stuff I’ve switch to dryer balls.

I used the blue ones for a few years until they started to fall apart. The noise factor was also very loud. It sounded just like tennis balls being thrown around the dryer.

So I switched to these from Joanne’s sold at $4.99 for two. This one doesn’t make any noise. But it also doesn’t remove the static cling too well.

And the folks at Treehuger had this to say, “(PVC) material the supposedly “nontoxic” dryer balls are made of is one of the most poisonous plastics ever created, posing great environmental and health hazards in its manufacture, product life, and disposal.” They were talking mainly about the blue ones made by Nellie’s.

There are also these PCV-free dryer balls but a bit costly at $25 and not to mention the fragrance stick is additional $10. I know I am not going to spend $35 on dryer balls.

After looking at this for a while I came upon people talking about wool dryer balls which are more budget and eco-friendly.

The wool dryer balls absorb moisture from the clothes and separate them to make drying time faster. It’s also suppose to remove static too. And very eco-friendly since it’s from natural wool fibers.

Photo from Amazon. EveryDay Willow Set of 3 Organic Wool Dryer Ball Gift available for $19.95. Still a bit too expensive! The best way is to make it yourself. Spinning Alpaca Yarns has a DYI and it came out looking very nice. I will have to make some of these soon with some 100% wool leftover yarn.

I’m also thinking of using wool from some sweaters I’ve felted and wrapping them with the wool yarn. Hopefully will get to do it soon and post my review later. As for fragrance, I’m thinking of adding a few drops of essential oils in the wool dryer balls before putting them in the dryer.

Bananas aren’t just for eating as they also give us fiber for making yarn. Well not exactly from the fruit, but from the stalks and shoots of the plant. According to Textile Exchange, banana plants have long been a good source for high quality textiles around the world. With Japan and Nepal leading the pack.

The fibers come from the banana stalks and shoots. As the outermost fiber are more coarse, it’s used for making ropes and mats. But the inner part is much softer and used to make fabric.

In Japan, some traditional dresses like kimono are made with banana fiber. It’s lightweight, comfortable, and perfect for summer time clothing. With the fabric being similar to rayon and bamboo.

In Nepal they process their banana fiber to become as soft as silk. They use the outer aged and decaying bark of the banana plant. An eco-friendly way of using all parts of the plant. The pulps are extracted and processed then hand spun and hand dyed into colorful yarn.

Photo from Yarn Market.  A skein of banana silk yarn in blue.   I can imagine a knitted soft and silky scarf with this yarn.

200 grams at $13.85 from Yarn Market.  More info:

“Frabjous” means joyful, excellent, fabulous, and these are definitely the terrific feelings you’ll get when you create with heavy-worsted “Banana Silk.” Handspun from the readily renewable banana stalk, “Banana Silk” is similar to rayon in terms of softness & sheen but keep in mind that some of the profits go to support fair trade women’s cooperatives in Nepal. “Banana Silk” is spectacular knitted & crocheted into hats, shawls, scarves, bags & more.”

Next post… fiber yarn from Pineapple. Not the fruit either, but the pineapple tops. Once processed, the material is similar to linen, however it is softer and more lustrous. Stay tuned!

Reference notes: Textile Exchange

I got these neat gloves from Agloves. These gloves allow users to effectively operate many touchscreen devices while staying warm. Before I had these gloves I was using my handknit fingerless gloves while using touchscreen device such as iPod or eReaders.

There are 3 varieties available and I chose the one made with eco-friendly bamboo yarn. 70% bamboo, 15% silver yarn, 11% spandex, 4% rubber thread. Both bamboo and silver are naturally antimicrobial.

From the company’s website:

“Agloves has developed a patent-pending technology that makes them work brilliantly on all touchscreen devices.

Unlike other gloves, Agloves harnesses the body’s natural bio-electricity from the surface of the entire hand by using silver - the most conductive element on the Periodic Table of the Elements.”

I can’t say that it’s warm or comfortable as regular winter gloves. As it does feel a little stiff and somewhat itchy. But it does the job well.

I also like that silver and bamboo fibers are antimicrobial so it helps protect me from dirt and germs. Especially if you want to use the ATM machine!

Prices start from $17.99 and the bamboo one retails at $23.99. Mine were offered for $15 by Groupon Goods but shipped by Agloves. Agloves offer 90 day test period too. So it’s worth a try.

Note: The brand tags are folded over to touch the skin inside and it was itchy. So I ended up removing it and it’s much more comfortable now.

Moss are interesting little plants. Little patches of bright green in an otherwise dark corner of the forest. Moss are different than plants because they do not have flowers, leaves, or seed. But reproduce with pores.

There are also many different type of moss. Here I’ll break down the differences.

Photo below are one of the many uses of moss. These are really nice ones from “Twig Terrariums.” Photo from flickr.

Sphagnum Moss - Comes in dried form used in floral arrangements. Bonsai hobbyists also use them for air layering. The live Sphagnum moss is used in terrariums or miniature indoor garden.

Spanish Moss: Found growing on large trees in the SE United States, where it’s warm and humid. Not related to moss, but part of the bromeliads family. They are “epiphyte” and also called air plants.

Moss: Usually found on damp and shady parts of the forest, or if you’re lucky in your backyard. Also used to decorate gardens and terrariums.

The Georgia Gardner had this tip about propagating moss.

“You can “propagate” moss by taking a handful of moss adding about one cup of buttermilk and one cup of water and mixing it in the blender. Take the concoction and pour or paint it onto the surfaces that you want to grow moss.”

Sphagnum Peat Moss: The dead material that accumulates in the lower levels of a bog. There are peat moss bogs found in Ireland and Canada. Used in garden beds and for growing grass.

I got Sphagnum peat moss to grow catgrass and got this within 2 weeks. Sphagnum peat moss is also great for growing lawn seeds. Just spread out the seeds and apply the Sphagnum Peat moss as a top layer.

After picking apples, we stopped by Santa Cruz to catch the sunset.  It was a perfectly clear day and the weather was nice for the coast.

There were lots of nice beach homes along Cliff Drive. It must be wonderful to wake up and see the ocean right in your front yard. And to breathe in the fresh ocean air.

A little sandy cove along the cliff. The green plants are mostly ice plants.

Some sea moss and also more ice plants.

Ice plants in bloom. These are white, but I especially like the purple variety. The leaves are plump and juicy - not that I ate them. It was just filled with juice.

There’s even a lone palm tree here. Not something you see often in Northern California, especially along the coast.

Sunset at Natural Bridges State Beach. Santa Cruz, CA.

Nature Walk Note:

We also walked the Monarch Butterfly Trail to check out the Monarch butterflies.  I didn’t photograph any because it was dark in the grove.

There weren’t many butterflies when we got there. But they say the best time to go is early morning when the butterflies will cluster among the leaves. From middle of October thru February, they cluster in eucalyptus groves. So if anyone is interested in seeing them, there’s still time.

Apios Americana (groundnut) is not peanuts, but they are closely related because they are legumes. Native Americans and early European colonist depended on these ground nut for survival.

Photo from kgNaturePhotography.com

The flowers are beautiful, reminds me of flowering peas. The plant is a climbing vine producing flowers and bean-like fruits. But it’s the tuber that is mainly eaten. Ground nuts are high in protein and grows well in this area.

A healthy harvest of ground nuts here. I just hope they taste better than how they look. Photo from First Church of Dirt.

Ground nut are native to North America and grow along riverbanks to woodland. This unique plant would be a good addition to the garden as food source. Even urban gardeners can get into the fun and plant these in containers.

More info from Herb Roots: “Always chew this nut to a very smooth paste before swallowing or it will resist digestion. Roasting helps it to breakdown in the body too. Groundnuts are the only nut in the world that grows below the ground (peanuts are not nuts by the way!). The plant sends shoots into the earth and form pods. Allow this to develop for 2 months(the plant will turn yellow).”

You can order some from Herb Roots.

I have a pair of denim (jeans) and noticed it’s made with both cotton and lyocell. I like that lycoell made this jean softer than most denim material.

It’s comfortable and cooling to wear in the summertime and warm in the winter. And the sheen and drape is nice too. So what exactly is lyocell?

According to the Ohio State University’s fact sheet, lyocell is made of cellulose fibers from wood pulp. The first commercial production of lyocell in the U.S. was in 1993 by Courtaulds Fibers, under the Tencel trade name.

Lyocell is considered to be an eco-friendly fabric because the wood pulp is harvested from sustainable tree farms. And dissolving agent used in production is recycled.

Because it is made from a plant material, it possesses many properties of other cellulose fibers including cotton, hemp, linen, rayon and ramie.

The fabric fact sheet also states that Lyocell is more absorbent than cotton and silk, but less so than wool, linen, and rayon. Stability, overall, is similar to that of silk and better than cotton or linen.

It is the strongest cellulose based fiber when dry. Even stronger than cotton or linen and is stronger than cotton when wet. Lyocell is much stronger than rayon when wet. This property of high wet strength usually determines the extent to which fabrics can be machine washed successfully.

It’s an easy to care fabric and has not lost it’s sheen after several washes.

Prices of vegetable oils have been going up and prices of organic oils are a bit higher too. Luckily I was able to save on shipping by getting my organic oils from a local source. Not a huge savings since I still have to drive to the next city over to get them.

I am proud to be making my soaps with these new organic oils. Especially love that the palm oil is from a sustainable farm and no orangutans or humans were harm while gathering them.

This is Organic Neem & Kelp soap. The kelp is the top portion with swirls. According to skincare experts, this slipperiness is from the gel like quality of kelp which helps to protect and restore hair and skin. It’s very hydrating and healing ingredient in skincare.

Made with all organic oils (coconut, olive, and palm), organic neem and kelp. Neem oil has a strong smell so I had to add sweet orange essential oil to make it more usable. Once you realize how good is it for your skin, you’ll just think of it as the smell of healing and good health.

Handmade soaps are gentle on your skin. They contain no parabens, sulfates, or artificial color. All my soaps are Eco-friendly and bio-degradable. All the suds going down the drain are harmless, so even the fishes are happy too.

More soaps available at Cambree Naturals Etsy Shop. Enjoy!