Here's a little more feedback from the reader who is using the pre-ironed straw:
I am absolutely convinced that they 'SHAVED' THE STRAW before they chopped it up--you get transparency. And the knife--the act of drawing the blade against the straw--actually seems to burnish the pieces. The resulting product is soft--it's light, fluffy and easy to chop up fine by hand
The back--the unshiny part of the pre processed pre ironed pre dyed straw is called the pith. The front is the shiny part. It doesn't seem to matter which part you scrap with the knife. But it is easier to shave from the pith/back side.
Draw blade in short movements to avoid curls. After just one or two rough chops, the stuff seems to break apart on its own. I got very small light pieces with transparency and shine!
Wish this picture was better--see attached
Attachment:
shaving_preironed_straw1.jpg [ 110.65 KiB | Viewed 13631 times ]
Attachment:
shaving_preironed_straw2.jpg [ 116.83 KiB | Viewed 13631 times ]