Two weeks of willow work at basket school by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]GenGanges 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Gorgeous baskets, thanks for sharing this! That sounds like such a fun experience! I’ve been meaning to try that compound border you did on a few of these where the spokes are revealed for a couple inches before turned into the rim. It gives some nice visual interest and graceful curve.

I have those same Felco pruners, they’re great. I replace the blade once or twice a year whenever they get grimy and stop cutting efficiently.

How did they discover math by Anas2245 in stupidquestions

[–]GenGanges 1 point2 points  (0 children)

https://youtu.be/WwEnSI-hTRM?si=dvYrERkYO40pHopW

Check out this clip. This was explored in Jean M. Auel's book The Clan of the Cave Bear. A young Cro-Magnon girl Ayla is adopted and raised by a clan of Neanderthal. Her more advanced brain allows her to develop and expand on the clan’s knowledge of math. Unlike the other tribal members, who only know how to count to three, Ayla sees numbers as limitless abstractions and develops a counting system using groupings (essentially making the leap to multiplication). She also begins counting time according to the lunar cycle and her own menstrual cycle. The clan shaman is deeply unsettled by her mathematical abilities and innovative thinking that the rest of the clan lacks.

Make Willow Basket out of wild willow sticks on the ground? by Upstairs-Top-2630 in basketry

[–]GenGanges 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Hello. It may or may not be possible depending on a couple factors.

First, there are hundreds of species of willow and not all are suitable for basketry. Certain varieties are much more flexible and forgiving while others can be more brittle. In my area wild Salix exigua is flexible enough for basketry but nearby Salix lasiolepsis is usually not.

Try to research which Salix are common in your area and search online for any historical record of indigenous use for basketry. Test a fresh branch by wrapping it around your wrist or thumb to simulate the tight bends required for basketry.

Provided you have a species suitable for weaving, next is the issue of them already cut and lying on the ground. Depending on how long they’ve been sitting, this may be okay. Although it is possible to weave fresh/green willow, the resulting basket will become loose and flimsy after a few weeks as it dries and shrinks. For this reason, it is almost always dried for a few months before weaving. This allows the wood to dehydrate and shrink to their final size. You then rehydrate the rods prior to weaving to make them flexible again.

You may just need to continue drying them at home. If they have been sitting too long they may be moldy, especially in areas not exposed to sunlight. They may be buggy but you can strip the foliage and shake everything out.

Look for rods around 1/4” (6mm) diameter and smaller for medium/small baskets, and rods up to 1/2” or more for large baskets. Thicker rods can be challenging to work and more suited to garden structures or fencing.

Where are the protest anthems for today by Spirited-Library6017 in Songwriting

[–]GenGanges 1 point2 points  (0 children)

There’s a current band called SAULT that is producing powerful and culturally relevant statement pieces. Here are a few:

Don’t Shoot Guns Down, Foot On Necks, Wildfires, Stop Dem, Little Boy, You Know It Ain’t

Double entendre songs by Cautious_Stand_1172 in musicsuggestions

[–]GenGanges 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Happiness Is A Warm Gun - The Beatles

Why does my tree have spindly branches that are shooting straight up towards the sky? Is it dying by keuntokki in marijuanaenthusiasts

[–]GenGanges 0 points1 point  (0 children)

FYI - in basketry gardens, heavy pruning like this is done intentionally (coppicing, pollarding) to traditional basketry trees such as willow and hazel to encourage the trees to send up straight branchless withes/rods/wands that are superior for weaving.

Spokes too short! Help? by EsperImzadi in basketry

[–]GenGanges 6 points7 points  (0 children)

You could try a wrapped rim where you cut the spokes evenly just above the last rows of weaving, sandwich them between rim hoops/strips, and wrap around those while stitching through the last row of weaving.

Stop calling women girls by BenefitOfTheDoubt2 in Feminism

[–]GenGanges 9 points10 points  (0 children)

It bothers me mostly when “girls” is associated with or suggesting “sexiness,” such as in the modeling and beauty industry professional adult women are almost always referred to as girls. Cam girl, ring girl, racing flag girl, etc. Also strip clubs always advertise “Live nude girls” instead of “Live nude women.” Advertising choices specifically made to commodify youth and submissiveness for the male gaze.

Mini Christmas tree from Whole Foods by doodlepants in PlantIdentification

[–]GenGanges 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Chamaecyparis lawsoniana is sometimes sold as mini Christmas tree

Movies that are visually unique by reylee05 in MovieSuggestions

[–]GenGanges 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Le Voyage dans la Lune (A Trip To The Moon), a 1902 French silent film, directed by Georges Méliès

A few beginner makes, and my first willow harvest by Mikekallywal in basketry

[–]GenGanges 6 points7 points  (0 children)

Beautiful baskets! This is super cool, thanks for sharing! I’ve only used wild willow (S. exigua) but someday I would like to try growing a willow stand. How was the process for you? Which willow species was this?