[Cob] pine needle cob

[Brad Calvert]

I made some pine needle cob, maybe more like light straw, though it seems 
fairly heavy to me.

First I soaked the pine needles in water overnight, then mixed them in a 
clay slurry and made a bread loaf sized lump.  It took a few days to dry 
out, it seems OK, has been out in the rain without falling to pieces.

The needles were dead needles gathered from the ground, probably Pinus 
radiata, a north american species that grows like a weed in Australia, the 
main species used for plantation softwood timber here.  The needles are 
about 4" long.

As someone mentioned, the needles are prickly, not ideal for bare feet.