The Danphe Stores Blog
The Handmade Journal
How the things we sell are actually made, and what they mean. Hemp from the stalk in the retting pond to the bag on your shoulder, the stories carried by the symbols printed on them, and the reason a cat will claim a wool felt cave and ignore whatever you bought it.
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Journal
What Is Hemp Fabric, and Why Does Nepal Make the Best of It?
The stalk, the retting pit, the drop spindle and the handloom. How a plant that needs no irrigation becomes a bag that outlasts you.
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Om, Mandala, Turtle and Shiva: What the Motifs on a Nepali Bag Mean
Every symbol on a Himalayan bag is carrying a story. Here is what each one actually means, and where it comes from.
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How to Care for a Hemp Bag So It Lasts a Decade
Hemp is close to indestructible, which makes the few ways to damage it worth knowing. Washing, drying, storing, and what to do after a soaking.
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Why Cats Love Wool Felt Beds (and Ignore the Expensive One You Bought)
Your cat sleeps in the box the bed came in. There are three good reasons for that, and a wool felt cave satisfies all of them.
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Felt Cat Houses: What They Are, How They Are Made, and How to Pick One
A wool cave is a bowl your cat sleeps in rather than a cushion it sits on. What that means when you are choosing one.
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Hemp Tote Bags and Backpacks from Nepal: Which One to Carry
A tote for the day, a backpack for the load. What separates a hemp bag that lasts a decade from one that lasts a season.
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The Danphe: Nepal’s National Bird, and the Name Above Our Door
Nine colours on one bird, four thousand metres up. Why Nepal made it the national bird, and why we put it on the sign.
Read the storyFrequently asked questions
What is Himalayan hemp?
Hemp grown for fibre in the Nepali hills, where it needs no irrigation and no pesticide. The stalk is retted, hand spun and woven on a narrow handloom, which is why the cloth comes in stripes and why no two pieces are identical.
Are your handmade pieces really made by hand?
Yes. The hemp is handwoven and the felt is wet felted by hand in Nepal, which is why the stripe placement, the colour depth and the exact set of the pockets vary from one piece to the next.
Do you ship handmade goods outside Canada?
Yes. Handmade pieces ship worldwide from our Vancouver store on live carrier rates quoted at checkout, unlike our groceries, which are Canada only.
How should I wash a hemp bag?
Spot clean where you can, hand wash cold when you cannot, and air dry in the shade. Never tumble dry, never bleach, and never iron directly over a print.