Palm Sunday

As Easter fast approaches, so does Palm Sunday. And to get in the mood for crafting over the holiday, we turn to Sarah Jane Downing's examination of rattan, published in Selvedge issue 52...

In the past recalcitrant school children were intimately acquainted with rattan, as it was a switch of the vine-like member of the palm family, used as the cane. Thankfully, rattan is more often used to weave wicker furniture, creating a sturdy yet flexible result capable of taking a variety of finishes.

In 2010, rattan became part of a remarkable experiment by the Istec Laboratory of Bioceramics in Italy, to use rattan wood treated with calcium and carbon, and fired under intense pressure in a furnace, as a revolutionary material for bone grafts. Early experiments show that bone will successfully knit with the organic rattan to create a secure and seamless join that, unlike other bone substitutes, will not need replacing...

You can read this article in full in Selvedge issue 52.