Putting "bad" "weeds" to good use

All the best planting areas of my yard (in other words, anything that isn't solid clay) are full of Japanese knotweed. Looking into potential uses for it as I try to fight it back; it's almost time to chop everything before it seeds. I know it's edible, but I have far more than I can eat on my own and it's all very large and tough now. Poles for trellises/temporary fencing? Fibers for twine? I could make an insect house. I know I need to heavily mulch over the clay if I hope to ever plant on it without raised beds, but I'm more than a little wary of using the knotweed for that given its tendency to reroot. It clearly doesn't love the clay either, but I don't want to take that chance!