Tampico Brushes

Tampico, also known as ixtle, is a plant fiber that comes primarily from species of agave in the Chihuahua desert of Mexico. It is typically used as a brush fiber. When tied as a whisk broom, tampico fibers are soft and pliable but still quite dense. Tampico brushes are great for dusting, as crumb brushes, or to keep in the car to deal with pollen and beach sand. I typically tie tampico with linen weaving yarn or recycled cotton macrame cord. The weaker linen yarn has to be used in a double strand, with both strands under the same level of tension throughout. This style, like the stitched broomcorn whisks, offers a lot of opportunity for play with decorative yarns.