basket weaving

[Ysemay]

Anyone out there know how to weave their own baskets? or given it a go before?

[hopies]

yup i treid and it wasnt until asfter i finsehd my twiggie mess I found out you need an odd number of spokes

you stick your odd number of spokes in the ground and then weave long bits of willow or somthing bendy through them in a circle.

You always have to drw the spokes together making it tighter.

Its complicated - there is a basket weaver in Otaki,

always meaent to go and ask how,

Sophie

[Rhiannon]

I've done weaving with young-season weeping willow stems, and with flax. Hopies is correct that you need an odd number of spokes. I made a scabbard with flax and a quiver with willow. I also fixed our cane firewood-basket with flax and made several generations of peg-basket.

I would quite like to have a go with reeds. or raupo for a large project.

Note that they last about a maximum of ten years. Perhaps spraying them with varnish or something would prolong the life.

If anyone wants to learn how to do basic basket/tube weaving of this type, ask me at a NAAMA, I'm sure we can find a flax bush. I can't do fancy diagonal corners like on Maori kite though.

TIPS: the hard part of the flax stems is good for the spokes, holds shape better. If you scrape the back of the flax leaves to get some of the water out, apparently they shrink less when drying.

[griff]

"ask me at a NAAMA"
thats a whole year away

[conal]

Okay... who taught the Norseman to count?

[griff]

I was referring to Rhiannons post about basket weaving and learning how at NAAMA which is according to my calculations is roughly a year away minus a couple of months. Or did I miss something.

[conal]

Nothing at all, hence my declamation on the veracity of your Nordic numeracy.

Happy Hogswatch.

[Terme]

Counting to one is a big step!

[Greenman]

I started playing around with making baskets in the summer. I was interested in using vines of which we have many in Nz. I just got a book out of the library and went for it. I hope to pick it up in the summer again, I found some good vines on a farm up on the kaipara harbor and was able to identify it on line: molenbekia complexa! what a great name - almost thought of using it myself! It grows in a great big net in the trees. the reason I chose vines was it is quiet hard to find willow of the right type.

[Hlaefdige]

Hi,
I saw your comment about vines. Really interesting, love to see some pictures. As far as willow goes. this is the email of Go Willow who will sell willow rods for you grow. They have many varieties.
nicola.basham@xtra.co.nz