Bamboo Clothing

Wild Nettle Shawls, a beautiful alternative

Nepalese village women hand pick the wild nettle from the forests of the Himalayas to make into beautiful and delicate scarves. Wild Nettle, also referred to as the Himalayan Giant Nettle or 'Allo', grows wild in the mountains in eastern Nepal. It reaches a height of three metres and has long, stinging hairs covering its stem and leaves. The nettle for these scarves comes from Sankhuwasabha District. Processing of the wild nettle fibre involves stripping the fibrous inner bark from the plant then boiling in water and wood ash. The mixture is then left to simmer overnight. The next step involves beating the pulp to remove the fibre. The f...