Pine is Pine? Not really. I had the pleasure of teaching a pine needle basketry class this past Saturday. A question was posed that I couldn’t immediately answer. How many varieties of longleaf pine are there? Perhaps the gist of the question was actually, how many varieties of pine are there with needles long enough to be easily usable in basketry. Read More...

What is the difference between wicker, oak, ash, reed?

There are hundreds of materials used around the world to make functional and decorative baskets. Some of them have been in use for thousands of years. So, how can you tell what your basket is made out of? The fastest way might be to take it to a basket maker near you, if you know one. If you don't have that luxury you can start with the internet (and if you are reading this blog that means you're already part way there).

I'll start with identifying reed baskets. These are fairly prevalent and reed has been in use

The Wikipedia entry for basket weaving is quite good: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Basket-weaving

Tags: baskets, identification

Just a quick entry to note that I'll be at Idlewild's Old Fashioned Days in July - the 26-28th. Old Fasioned Days runs from Monday, July 23 but as this is my "hobby" I'm not able to be there the full week. I'll be demonstrating broom making and basketry there with items for sale. Read More...