Banana Fiber Craft - Anegundi, Karnataka
Making process of banana fiber varies from product to product, generally knitting is used (similar to that of woolen knitting) to weave uniformly and form a shape to complete the product. Making process involves various steps like extraction of stem, drying, extraction of individual strands, making ropes of varying sizes & finally weaving according to required patterns.
The thrown away stem of banana plant, after extracting the fruit & leafs are dried in sun, naturally, after which it becomes golden yellow or brown, after the drying is completed, it is peeled in two separate pieces, the one with less thickness is thrown away, as it does not have required strength to make rope strands. The thicker piece goes into further processing of peeling away thin strands, as this is done it is soaked in water to soften it, so that it can be handled with hands and would not leave any scratches on it. It is then taken 2 to 3 or more (depending on the thickness of rope) at a time and is rubbed with bare hands on a textured rubber mat, such that it forms a single durable fiber which can be used for weaving.
Knitting etc. while rubbing the fibers to a rubber mat, it twists to each other and forms a tighter bond ropes of different sizes are made from finest for small products to thicker for much larger product. there are numerous products made out from these banana fiber ropes, which varies in style, size, fashion & requirements. Variety in products require various making process, each product is knitted in different design pattern and through various knitting process.
