Basket Progress: Well Begun Is Fun

Hey everyone!

Guess what? My journey into the world of basket-making hasn’t quite zoomed ahead as I hoped. But hey, I’m super excited about it anyway and want to share my progress with you.

So, here’s the deal. First, as I posted last week, I snagged 6 Traditional Crafts kits, and they arrived on my doorstep in no time. Everything was in the box – a pleasant surprise for someone who usually ends up with a crucial piece missing. Of course, I had to double-check. That’s just me.

I also jumped on the Calontir Facebook group asking who could show me the ropes in basketry. And guess what? Three amazing folks each separately pointed me towards THL Nest. I reached out and met the most incredible, outgoing, and super-knowledgeable basket-maker, who’s now my mentor. We’ve been texting and chatting on the phone, and she even suggested this fantastic book, ‘Earth Basketry‘ by Osma Gallinger Tod. I got my hands on it, and it’s a treasure trove of techniques and delightful stories. I’ll be studying its pages for months if not years.

But wait, there’s more! Along with the book I looked at Larsdottar’s website on baskets, a few YouTube instuction videos, cobbled together a basket history Pinterest board, and joined the Facebook group ‘Wild Basketry‘. So that’s why I’ve only skimmed through the kit’s instructions. I’ve been busy, busy, busy.

Then on Wednesday real fun began when I harvested loads of Day Lily blades from my garden. They’re now drying in my dining room, and I’m just crossing my fingers that my cat Luna doesn’t turn them into a snack or a plaything. They’re not cat-friendly -they’re poisonous – and I don’t need that kind of chaos!

The big revelation is that I am totally hooked on basketry. There’s something thrilling about diving into a totally new craft, where every moment is a discovery. I can’t wait to share more of my basketry adventures with you all. Stay tuned because there’s definitely more to come!