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We love seeing what you try after class. Ping us any time:

If you post photos inspired by what you learned, we’d love being tagged so we can cheer you on!

Rope

Purchasing

From us

When stock allows we sell 8 m lengths at near cost so folks can keep practicing:

  • Ogawa Jute · 6 mm premium japanese, hand-treated jute
  • POSH · 5 mm synthetic (low stretch, washable)

To purchase or for more information, see our Rope & Safety Kit for Sale page, or we can arrange after a workshop.

From stores

Tried-and-true European suppliers when our crates are empty, mention us if you order:

  • Ellipsis Rope (Rotterdam) - workshops plus hand-finished rope · FetLife: Ellipsis
  • Magnum Ursus Sadistic Tools (Rummen) - BDSM toys and rope · FetLife: MUST, Etsy
  • SM-speeltjes (Kasterlee) - BDSM toys and natural/synthetic rope · sm-speeltjes.com
  • Anatomie / Shibari Store EU (London/EU) - curated kits and conditioning gear · eu.shibaristore.com
  • Art of Ropes (Torhout) - workshops plus jute and synthetic rope · artofropes.com
  • Local nautical shops - grab 5–6 mm static cord with minimal stretch for synthetic practice lines.

Buying tips

  • Natural jute / hemp feels traditional; synthetic, but designed to behave like natural rope, (POSH, Hempex, nylon) is durable and laundry-friendly.
  • Start with at least three matching 8 m lengths so handling stays consistent.
  • Ask sellers whether the rope is pre-treated or needs breaking in.
  • Only synthetic ropes ship with tested load ratings; natural fibers vary wildly, so plan accordingly.

Stuck on how to choose? Natural rope is the high-end Japanese carbon steel blade. It needs care, but rewards you with feel, performance, and beauty. POSH or Hempex is the stainless steel workhorse. It handles rough use and you can throw it in the wash without worry. Both “cut” the same, so it comes down to what you enjoy looking after and working with.

Need a second opinion? Message us and we’ll nerd out with you.

Treatment

POSH

POSH needs almost no treatment and softens quickly with use.

To speed things up, run it back and forth through a carabiner or over smooth metal to warm and flex the fibers.

Jute

The pre-treated Ogawa jute from Japan that we sell has been worked and sealed to knock back fuzz and reduce loose fibers.

However, you can extend their life with gentle care, or self treat your own rope by:

  1. Apply a trace amount of natural oil (jojoba, camellia, or mineral) to keep fibers supple.
  2. Optionally seal with a light wax layer.
  3. Let regular use add the final softness, natural body oils are a great finisher.

What to avoid:

  • Excess water weakens natural fibers over time.
  • Flames, ovens, or too much heat reduce strength.
  • Aggressive “breaking in” literally breaks fibers and shortens rope life.

Most Japanese jute, including ours, is processed with jute batching oil (JBO) so it may have a light smell even after treatment to remove. Hanging the rope to dry plus gentle handling helps the remaining oil dissipate.

Other community methods exist (air drying on curtain rails, light blue-flame singes, dry tumble cycles with rope butter, jojoba wipes plus beeswax, etc.). They work and are up to personal preference, but there is always a trade-off between strength and level of treatment. Message us if you want help choosing an approach.

Safety

Shibari is edge play. It always carries inherent risk, even when you tie with care. Play within your shared risk tolerances and be honest about your limits.

Safety is a skill you build over time. Keep learning, reviewing, and updating how you tie together.

Always have dedicated safety scissors within arm’s reach, and agree consent and an emergency plan before you start. In an emergency it is easy to get flustered when untying. If you are ever unsure, cut the rope. Rope is replaceable, your partner is not.

To start: Watch for early warning signs. End a tie and remove rope at once if the bottom feels sharp or electric pain, pins and needles, numbness, loss of movement, or unusual coldness, or colour changes.

For a deeper dive on what to watch for and why, The Duchy’s nerves and circulation guide is a good reference.

Always have dedicated safety scissors within arms reach and have pre-negotiated consent and an emergency plan. It’s easy to get flustered when untying in an emergency situation, if you’re ever unsure, just cut the rope.

Scissors

Use scissors designed to cut rope fast and clean. Standard household scissors are not good enough. They are slow, slip on rope, and their sharp tips increase the risk of cutting the model instead of the rope.

Some specific recommendations, in rough price order:

  • EMT or rescue scissors - designed for cutting clothing off a patient. They cut rope reasonably well, are affordable, and have a blunt tip.
  • Rock climbing utility shears - heavy-duty rescue scissors used in climbing, such rescue shears. They are built to cut tough, even loaded, rope.
  • Rock climbing rope-cutter scissors - specialist rope-cutter tools like the CT Rope Cutter, with sharp circular blades for cutting tensioned ropes
  • Leatherman Raptor Rescue shears - folding trauma shears with a blunt tip and extra emergency tools. Very sturdy, with cheaper non-brand clones also available.

Before you trust any scissors in a scene, test them on a small piece of your actual rope. Can you confidently cut it in one firm, committed squeeze? If not, choose a better tool.

Keep your scissors in a fixed, easy-to-grab place so you can reach them without thinking. Check them often for rust, loose parts, or dull blades, and replace them as soon as they stop cutting rope in one smooth motion.

Workshop Resources

What we learned?

For the 101 Beginners

  • Soft skills:
    • Consent, risk, and the origins of shibari
    • Nerves and compression — radial nerve, wrist arteries, and checks
    • Choosing rope (jute or hemp, 6-8 mm, treated vs untreated)
  • Three building blocks:
    • A single column
    • How to modify the single column into a double column
    • Reverse tension
  • Three examples:
    • A handcuff using the double column
    • A futomomo (leg wrap) using single column and reverse tension
    • A harness (chest wrap) combining the two
  • Model-side:
    • Expectations of being tied
    • Self checks and asking for adjustments

For the 102 Beginners

Applications of the 101 building blocks:

  • Soft skills:
    • Reading your partner
    • Tying with intention and connection
    • Tips on driving the rope
  • Further building blocks:
    • Hitches
    • Extending your rope
    • Frictions
  • Three examples:
    • Hip harness
    • Agura
    • Mermaid tie
  • Model-side:
    • Body positioning
    • Communicating where rope feels right
    • Muscle engagement under tension
  • What is the purpose of the scene? Instructional? Demonstration? Exploratory?
  • What do you intend to tie? Share and explain
  • What mood? Playful? Serious? Sensual? Demanding? Dark?
  • How proprietary do you want this scene to be? Will you ask them to move? Order them? Physically force them to move where you want them to be?
  • What is their role? Are they a stranger to you? Are they a play partner? A lover?
  • How do they want to be treated? A respected partner? A gift? As prey? An object?
  • Rules of contact? Will you be minimizing? Only rope? All up in their business?
  • Is sex planned? If yes, how do you both define sex? For this workshop, no.
  • Aftercare needs? What do you both need to reset after?

Adapted from The Duchy – Negotiation & Planning.

Learn more

Closing thoughts

  • Consent and communication stay at the center-every time, every tie.
  • Reach out to DoodleMe on FetLife anytime.
  • We sell practice-ready 8 m jute and POSH lengths, plus safety cutters, on our Rope & Safety Kit for Sale page.
  • Follow TsuriNeko for photos, lesson announcements, and jams.
  • Keep experimenting, keep checking in, and we’ll see you at the next ropey hangout.