weave a basket

I added a little bit more yesterday. I also worked some daffodil leaves into it. I’m letting that dry really well, then I will be ready to undo the top so the basket can open ourwards again, which is really close to me calling this done. It’s been really fun.

I’ve been working on this for over a year now… just a tiny bit here and there. The basket is probably about halfway done. I think it is beautiful so far, though I know it will not be strong enough to be functional.

I have run into some problems. I of my 2 willow trees died around the 4th of july. The other one seems very healthy. Just the other day, I snapped 2 of the spokes, while woring a larger stiffer branch between them. At first this made me sad, but I think it is just a happy accident. I am narrowing the basket towards the top, and with the two spokes removed, I will not be able to spread the others out more as I go and have more room to work.

I know I will probablly not finish this year, and will probably need some more new growth on the willow in the spring. But it is fun, and already looks fairly attractive on top of the hutch.

I added a little more to the basket. It it really taking shape.

after putting this on hold due to the poor weather and growing conditions last year, I started working on this again over the weekend, taking a few branches from our willow and adding them.

my poor willow trees. first a late frost, then a drought in spring and another over the past month. They are having a hard time this year. So I haven’t really come close to finishing my basket. I have put it away, and I’ll work on it more come spring of next year.

i took a class and in three days (9am-1pm) i had learned how to weave and finished two (large-ish) baskets. it’s pretty easy for anyone with any amount of manual dexterity and a little patience, and compared to, say, knitting, it goes SO quickly!

I did a few branches on the sides. this is going to be more difficult and time consuming than the base. I think I will use thicke pieces for the sides.

the base is done, and now I’ve created a frame for the sides.

a storm came through and knocked a good bit out of our tree, so I added a lot to the base tonight, with more still to do. the base is nearly done.

a little rain came and blew one branch out of the tree, so i used parts of that to weave with.