Is he perhaps thinking of hitched horsehar? I would look woven , if you weren't familiar with the technique. Amazon has a good book about it here: http://www.amazon.com/Hitched-Horsehair-Complete-Self-Learning-Maulding/dp/B002V7Z622/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1292712061&sr=8-2.
I have the book, but haven't tried the technique yet. I understand it's a rather slow process.