Basket making

I had a wonderful Christmas present from my daughter - she paid for me to go on a two day basket weaving course. It was really enjoyable, and in the two days I learned how to make some willow baskets. Everyone on the course started from the same basis, with two hoops, and each of us ended with a very individual result.

This is called a God's eye. It holds the hoops together.

I managed to cut myself quite early on (with a Stanley knife) but I still remembered to take photos at each stage...

The final result was a neat little basket which would be perfect for collecting eggs in (if only I had a couple of chickens in my garden!).

Here are my three finished masterpieces (not too bad for a first try, if a bit rusic).

I really enjoyed the weekend - all the materials we needed were provided, and we had help at every stage. It would be fun to do more but there's a lot of advance preparation (the hoops were dried for weeks beforehand, and the other weaving materials had to be soaked to ensure they were flexible). I might have to scavenge in the hedgerows for materials to practice with.