Ken, a recent book I have been using, did I mention I was messing around with clay, describes a similar method of wrapping sling straw strands coated in a light clay slip for use in the roof or ceilings. On the other hand I think it could have been a link on the web, something from Frank Andersen, the German fellow that worked with Fox Maple. I thought it might be in this link....
http://www.networkearth.org/naturalbuilding/overview.htmlTry browsing the side bar, there is a lot of stuff there, I have only glimpsed at it.
The method you point out make a lot of sense. I had always thought I could just lath up a wall and mash on a coat of clay mix, well the new book says it doesn't work like lime plaster, the key is not strong enough. So wrapping straw around a flexible, spring board and wedging it in between rafters is a very reasonable method. This would allow the next coat of clay to adhere to the Shreddies. Very reasonable, and worth a experiment.
The link you posted didn't take, I am going to look into it, I must, or I won't sleep tonight.
Tim
