It is jute twine coated with some wood stain and then covered with wood glue. A fair amount of grime and soot from my hands as well. As the glue was drying I compressed the handle in a vise to flatten out the cords a little.
I learned a bunch about tending the fire, watching the colors, hammer work, bevels, draw filing, quenching, tempering etc...best way to learn is by doing I guess. I am sure I will learn something new with every piece.
Had a few issues...got the tang end too hot one time and melted a small piece off!
Thanks for the comments and everything else. Got a big blade in mind to try next time.