Basket Weaving with Natural Materials
Spring is fast approaching and you know what that means, mushroom season. And that means, I need a basket. I've seen people collect mushrooms in many types of containers, but actually the basket is best when collecting because they're permeable and allow spores to pass through their openings and spread as you carry them. This helps to ensure fresh growth next season.
There are lots of good basket-making materials available in my area, such as willow and wild grape vines. I opted for Red Osier Dogwood because of its rich red color. This post is not necessarily intended to be a how-to, as I've never done this before, but let's see how it goes.
The Raw Materials
Ok, so here's what I gathered (see above). I looked for long, thin shoots. These tend to be more flexible, plus you have more to work with. Collect more than you think you need because you're likely to break a few (at least, I did.)
Getting Started
First, I placed six pieces in the configuration shown above. This will be the framework for your basket.
Next, I took a single shoot and coiled it around the configuration I had laid out. Starting from the center, I wrapped it around moving outwardly. After fastening them tightly together I could begin the weaving process.
Over and Under
I then splayed out the frame pieces and started weaving in an over/under pattern. My shoots were, perhaps, a bit too thick preventing me from getting a really tight weave.
Making some progress
After about 20 minutes of weaving it really started to take shape.
The finished product
Once I was happy with the depth, I snipped off the longer ends. Finally, I twisted three long pieces together and snaked them up and over to create a handle.
Well, it certainly won't win any beauty contests, but I think it's not bad for a first try. It should work just fine for gathering mushrooms this spring. This was a fun little project and a good learning experience. Give it a try yourself and tell me how it turns out.