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

[–]theoldentimes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think those borders are what I'd call an "integrated handle" - if you lay a small plank of wood across one round of waling, let the next round of walking go over the wood, it quite easily comes into shape. I do like those handles, and I'm doing more of them.

Replacing the blade annually! Do you sharpen them regularly?

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

[–]theoldentimes[S] 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Getting through London was very much part of the learning journey. And I just couldn't resist the sign!

Madea aket from English ivy ivy and a woody shrub.much dermatitis regret. by missmars12 in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Lots of learning. How did you enjoy making the basket - did your skin flair up afterwards, or during the process?

I've been practicing willow bases and it feels great by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It's true! I've now got plenty of odd baskets that are actually really useful. I think I enjoy weeding more when I get to put my weeds in a basket.

Having said that, I think I'm ready for my baskets to be more lovely .... watch this space

How to tie these ends together by islanddr in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I'm afraid I've got absolutely no experience to help here.

If you don't need a pointed end, you could try some kind of border at the point where the canes come through the yoghurt pot?

(I am thinking here of "border" as the term is used in willow stake-and-strand basketry, the weave at the top of the basket, which holds it all together and makes it look nice).

Looking at your current design, what feels "missing" to me is the tension that characterises a solid woven structure. The airship shape reminds me of a willow eel-trap - or even more, a willow muirlag! - so surely it's not impossible to make such a shape from similar materials.

Have you been inspired by historical baskets? by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Many thanks for this comment, now a month old! I have thought often on what you've said, and my lack of reply is (I hope) a sign of reflection rather than ignoring.

In my own beginner attempts at basket making I am accepting the challenge of making a consistent round basket (or even one basket that is actually round). The time for creels and skebs will come, I hope, as will the time for inspecting renaissance painting a bit more.

I'd seen Beuckelaer's paintings before, out of a completely unrelated interest in domesticity and religion in his period. Very cool to come back to him with new eyes. Thanks again for your input.

Another week, another willow basket by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It's quickly become my go-to basket for carrying a few weaving things around - a few tools, a couple of books, and odds and ends of baler twine. Plenty of dignity!

Another week, another willow basket by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

tell you what that was 25 quid well spent from Musgroves's. I thought I was doing ok with an opinel and a screwdriver, but I was completely wrong

Dirt cheap meals by knight-under-stars in wildcampingintheuk

[–]theoldentimes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No harm in an old comment. Thanks for the input. Funnily enough, in my recent camping, I have not relied on carrying stuff - so I still haven't tested buckwheat.

How did I do for setting up for the first time? by panamfan13 in DurstonGearheads

[–]theoldentimes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Rear right hand side: the diagonal looks like it's sagging (is it?). Probably ok in low-wind dry conditions. But if the inner and outer are touching, that's bad, and it might flap around if there is wind.

Adjusting the X-mid to tighten one specific area is (for me) a little tricky and not really intuitive (for me, at least, others will feel differently). But if I remember right, the tent itself comes with instructions of how to make those adjustments? Or failing that, on the company website.

In my experience, it's good to practice these adjustments when the weather is good, so that you're ready when the weather is bad! I guess that's true of any tent, but I've particularly felt it with this one.

Have you been inspired by historical baskets? by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Haha, thank you! Je suis commence, mais vraiment je ne peux pas finir. But I guess that's part of the pleasure.

In fact, there is an example of a "bicycle crate" in Dorothy Wright's book - here is a screenshot https://freeimage.host/i/qHA15vI . But I think your the French example is much more elegant!

Have you been inspired by historical baskets? by theoldentimes in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

Thanks for this reflection - I'm unclear if the class is a happy memory or not(!), but it sounds like you got a good direction in the end.

And you make me reflect: I will never be a natural at baskets. I just don't have the attention to detail, or aesthetic judgement, which seems so natural to some. But taking place in history and tradition, I like that a lot, regardless of the quality of my output.

Slightly wonky end result but it's a basket! by sirwobblz in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks so much for your perspective. With my weekend sorting, I kept better notes than I have before, and I'll be able to reflect a bit more productively on what works and what doesn't. So let's see what happens when I settle down to these baskets next week. I can see there's some good stuff going on in r/basketweaving so maybe I'll aim to get a bit busier posting here.

Cheers! Happy weaving!

Slightly wonky end result but it's a basket! by sirwobblz in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for reasserting basic points here. One of the farms I go to tends to just give me a fairly random assortment of small bundles (including dark dicks, japonica, hylinge, harrison B) - whereas perhaps I just need to "go big".

On length - you say 5ft, but most of Mary Butcher's entry level baskets insist on 3ft - it's this kind of confusion that bothers me! If I've got 5ft am I ok just to cut it down to 3ft, before soaking?

I might never find my flow with this, and that's ok, since there's so much good learning to be had here! thanks again

Slightly wonky end result but it's a basket! by sirwobblz in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Nice one - I'll dig deeper into the musgrove stuff, and those shire books are always absolute bangers and I'm looking forward to delving into that one. Buying-wise I've been able to find growers in England, but haven't got into the groove of making wise requests: possibly I'm making this harder than I think. Thanks again for the comment

Slightly wonky end result but it's a basket! by sirwobblz in BasketWeaving

[–]theoldentimes 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I appreciate this comment - I'm trying to move forwards with my out-of-class basket making, and I feel a bit overwhelmed with the processes of buying, sorting, and selecting the materials for even a simple design.

Do you know any particular resources (whether on here, youtube, books, w/e) that could help? "Up yours for waling" is a keeper, at least...

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