Stake Basket
Choose eight long, medium willow shoots to serve as the basket’s “stakes.” These are the vertical pieces that form the structure of the sides of the basket.
Use your knife to sharpen the end into points. Insert a stake alongside each of your spokes, pushing each one down into the weaves as close to the center as possible.
Bend the stakes so they are pointing upward toward the sky.
Use knife, to trim the spokes back so they’re level with the edge of the weaves, then tie the stakes together at their tips to keep them in place.
Weave two rows of three rod wale. This weave requires three weavers, which are woven among the stakes to set them in position. Find three long, thin shoots. Sharpen the ends into points.
Insert the shoots into the base of the basket on the left side of three consecutive stakes.
Now do two rows of the weave as follows: Bend the far left weaver to the right in front of two stakes.
Pass it behind the third stake and out to the front. Take the next far left weaver and bend it to the right in front of two stakes. Pass it behind the third stake and out to the front.
Continue weaving this way, always starting with the far left weaver, until you have two rows of three rod Wale.
Untie Stakes
Add weavers to the sides of the basket. Find eight long thin shoots. Use your knife to sharpen the ends into points. Insert one, when you start with new shoots you will always sharpen them first.
Now insert one weaver into the basket behind a stake.
Bend it over the next stake to the left, pass it behind the stake to the left of that one, and pass it back to the front. Now insert a second weaver behind the stake to the right of the starting point of your first weaver and do the same – pass it over the stake to the left, under the stake to the left of that one and back to the front. Continue adding weavers this way until there is one weaver next to each stake.
When you insert the last two weavers, you’ll need to lift up the first weavers a bit to make room to add the last weavers underneath. Use an awl or a long nail.
This type of weave is called French Rand, it’s a popular weave that results in even, upright sides.
Weave Sides
Take weaver and pass it in front of the stake to the left, then behind the stake to the left of that, and bring the end out to the front. Take the next weaver to the right of the starting weaver and pass it in front of the stake to the left, then behind the stake to the left of that, and bring the end out to the front. Take the next weaver to the right of the starting weaver and pass it in front of the stake to the left, then behind the stake to the left of that, and bring the end out to the front.
Continue weaving this way around the whole basket, always starting with the next weaver to the right.
When you get back to the start you’ll see that there are two weavers behind the last two stakes.
Both weavers need to be woven around the stakes. Do the bottom weaver first, then do the top weaver.
For the last stake, do the bottom weaver first then the top weaver.
Continue with French Rand until you’ve built up the sides as high as you’d like them to go, then trim the tips of the weavers.
Secure weave
With a row of three rod wale. Find three long, thin shoots. Sharpen the ends into points.
Insert the shoots on the left side of three consecutive stakes. Now do one row of rod wale.
Bend the far left weaver to the right in front of two stakes. Pass it behind the third stake and out to the front.
Take the next far left weaver and bend it to the right in front of two stakes. Pass it behind the third stake and out to the front.
Continue weaving this way, always starting with the far left weaver, until you have a row of three rod wale.
Finish Rim
Bend one of the stakes to the right and pass it behind the first two stakes. Pass it in front of the third and fourth stakes. Pass it behind the fifth stake, then pass it back to the front.
Repeat with the next stake to the right of your starting stake.
The last two stakes won’t have other stakes to weave around, since they’ll be woven into the rim.
Instead of weaving around stakes, follow the same pattern,- but thread the tip in and out of the border. Cut the tips of the woven stakes even with the side of the basket.
Making handle
Make the base. Find a thick shoot to use as the base. Bend it over the basket, holding the ends in place, to find out how high you want the handle to be.
Cut it to the size, leaving several inches of extra length on each side. Sharpen the ends into points and insert them into the basket next to two stakes directly opposite each other.
Handle
Insert five thin shoots into the weave alongside the handle. Sharpen the ends and insert them deep into the weave so that they lay right next to each other.
Wrap the handle with the shoots. Gather the shoots and wrap them around the handle like a ribbon until you reach the other end of the handle. Make sure the shoots lie flat right next to each other. Tuck the tips under the top of the woven rim.
Secure the sides of the handle. Insert a thin shoot into the weave alongside one side of the handle. Bend toward the handle and wrap the base of the handle several times to secure the shoots are in place. Keep wrapping tightly until the base of the handle is secure, then pass the end of the shoot under the last wrap and pull it tight, then trim the tip. Secure the other side of the handle the same way.
Now that we have completed our first wicker basket, we will continue a more challenging basket. Let’s see, what we will have for the month of June and what products we will use. Please follow to learn more about baskets.