When I was in my fourth year of university, my boyfriend lived in a lovely little house not far from the ocean. Every morning, the crisp sea air would rouse us out of our slumber—and then a cacophony of bird cackles and calls would ensure that we would never be able to get back to sleep.

A family of crows had made its nest in the enormously overgrown bamboo plant that grew up the side of my boyfriend’s house. Their morning rituals were a wonder to behold—but more importantly, the presence of this bamboo behemoth in the city on Vancouver Island made me curious. Could bamboo grow anywhere? And did it always get this big?

My wonder about the characteristics of bamboo increased when I made my monthly stop to the local yarn store to check out the newest fibres to hit the shelves. Lo and behold, a huge pile of soft, multi-coloured wool greeted me. I was amazed to learn that the silky threads came from the same place as the family of crows—they were made entirely out of bamboo.

What else could this wondrous plant do?

Bamboo is one of the fastest-growing, most adaptable species of plant in the world—one of its over 1,000 species can grow up to one metre a day. In East Asia, where the plant is most common, bamboo is used for building material, garden reinforcement and dietary staple. Though Canada has no native species of bamboo, introduced plants (such as the one in my boyfriend’s backyard) can flourish in moist climates, like the West Coast of British Columbia. In certain regions, bamboo can act as an invasive species as its long deep roots are difficult to dig up and can threaten other trees or plants due to their insatiable thirst.

Bamboo’s uses are legion. In China, the wood is often treated with a special process to ensure its longevity and used to build almost anything: houses, canoes, decorative artwork and even bikes. For knitters, such as myself, bamboo’s most appealing purpose is in knitting needles (where its strong fibres are both durable and possessed of a natural friction that helps slippery yarns to stay put) and spun threads. Bamboo fibre has natural anti-bacterial properties, holds colour well and is soft and silky to the touch.

Bamboo fibre is increasingly becoming the go-to material for eco-conscious and sustainable designers. Traditionally grown cotton is rife with pesticides, sucks up a great deal of the water table and occupies fertile land that could be used to grow crops. Bamboo, on the other hand, grows in abundance without fertilizers or farm inputs and is often seen as more durable and softer than its cotton counterpart. Unfortunately, some chemicals are still introduced in the manufacturing stage of bamboo production to break down the fibres so they can be spun, but companies are working on utilizing different technology to make bamboo fibre production more ecologically sustainable.