A Hand-Woven Life

MEOWWWW, Baby! A Cat's Head Base Tutorial

2011-10-12T15:03:00.000-04:00

Quite a while ago, a reader asked me to do a tutorial on making a Cat's Head base...and, well, I forgot. But never fear, she politely reminded me, at which point I got my butt in gear and got this post ready!

A cat's head base isn't really very hard to accomplish, but as is typical, it seems, a lot of patterns out there go lazy on you and don't do a very good job of explaining things, so what should be fairly easy to do turns into a mess of reed frustration! I hope to help clear up some of the confusion and get you on your way to doing this thing like a pro!

The example I'm using here makes a pretty large basket. I cut 18 stakes from 1/2" flat reed @ 32" long.

You can use whatever pattern you may have....it doesn't matter, because they all start with a square base. So go ahead and lay that out as you normally would, like this:

Some patterns will tell you to twine around the base once. I don't think this is necessary at all. Since the stakes are placed so close together, they are not likely to shift. I clothespin my corners as shown to prevent this anyway. It works for me!

Next step, flip the whole thing over. You're going to be weaving with the base flat on the table (at least for now), with the outside (smooth side) facing you.

My sides are woven with 3/16" flat reed in start/stop rows. Again, you can use my instructions or follow your own pattern.

Start the weaving on a stake to the left of the center, on any side. Weave across the row to the corner. Remove the clothespin. Weave around the corner stakes and stop.

What you want to do at each corner is "pinch" the corner stakes together. You want the wrong sides of these two corner stakes to be facing each other, then clothespin these two stakes together as close to the row of weaving as you can (see below).

Notice how very little space I am allowing between those corner stakes. Pull the weaver snugly around the corner. The weaver will almost "crease" here, although you don't actually want to purposely make a crease. Make sense? If it does crease a bit, no worries!

Now continue weaving across the next side and repeat the technique I just showed you at the next corner, and the remaining corners, ending your row as usual when you get back to your starting stake.

Remember to keep the base flat on your work surface for the time being.

Starting with the second row, you will be forcing the stakes to "fan out" to the right and left of center as you weave each side.

In the photo above, I am starting row two. When I get to the last stake before the corner, I stop. Now I force the stakes to fan out by pulling in the direction indicated by the arrows. In other words, I pull the stakes that are on the right of the center stake, towards the right, and I pull the stakes that are on the left of the center, towards the left. (But leave the corner stakes alone)

They won't move a lot on the second row, but that's ok. You'll be doing the same thing on EVERY SIDE, on EVERY ROW, for 4 more rows. With each successive row, the stakes will fan out a bit more each time.

Remember to keep the corner stakes pinched together as you did in the first row!

Doing this forces the corners up off the table and is what creates the "ears".

Ok, now that you've done a total of 5 rows, the cat's "ears" are pretty well formed.

At this point you can ditch the clothespins and pick the basket up to weave the remaining rows!

From this point on, you do NOT want to pinch the corners together. Allow your weaver to go smoothly around them instead.

For the next few rows , allow the space between the corners to increase a bit (see above). You can pull the corner stakes to the right or left a bit as you go to accomplish this.

Weave 26 more rows, allowing the sides of the basket to belly out and increase in circumference.

Now weave 16 more rows, this time pushing in on the stakes to gradually decrease the circumference of the basket.

Weave a rim row with 3/8" flat reed. Apply a rim using 1/2" flat/oval reed inside and out, with seagrass between. I used 3/16" flat/oval reed for my lasher.

Purrrrrrrr.....

Meow! You did it!

I hope I have helped some of you with this tutorial. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to ask!

Enjoy!

Getting Out of a Weaving Rut

2011-09-13T14:47:00.001-04:00

Last week I showed you two baskets I made recently, one from a pattern by Sharon Klussman and another by Carol Tunnicliffe.

At the moment, these two pattern authors are my top two favorites!

I purchased several patterns from each of them quite some time ago, and am finally getting around to actually weaving them!

I think for a while I was stuck in a weaving rut, which led to boredom and lack of enthusiasm for basketry in general....but after weaving a few of my new baskets, I think I'm cured!

These baskets are fun and challenging and stunning, all at the same time, so it's hard not to fall in love with weaving all over again once you try these patterns and look at what you've just made!

Here is another basket I made from a Carol Tunnicliffe pattern called "Optical Illusion"

The pattern is written for all weaving levels, and uses a 5" round slotted wooden base. The tan you see is actually a 1/2" ash overlay that is done after the basket is completely woven. This was the most challenging part of the basket, but if you're careful to keep the ash damp as you go and remember to pull on it slowly and gently, it will be nice to you!

The next pattern, also by Carol Tunnicliffe, is called "Triple Reversals".

This is a pretty large basket, and is woven on a 6" slotted square base using #4 round reed spokes. This pattern is rated for intermediate weavers with round reed experience.

While I wouldn't call it "complicated", it was definitely challenging because it involved weaving in reverse, or rather, right to left, (as a left-handed weaver would) every few rows.

Talk about awkward! Needless to say, this felt cumbersome and slowed me down quite a bit!

On top of that, it involves doing a three-rod-wale with three PAIRS of round reed weavers, so you have to constantly try to keep them from twisting around each other while trying to shape the basket.....that's a lot to think about at the same time! (Ok, at least for me, it is!)

Her pattern called for a swing handle, but I opted not to add one. It's probably a good thing, too, since the diameter of the top of my basket came out too wide to accommodate the handle size called for in the pattern!

The rim treatment is beautiful, and not hard to do at all! The basket incorporates a ti-twined rim followed by a basic rolled border. I love it!

Ah, and it was SO worth the effort!

What I've been weaving...

2011-09-05T09:06:00.000-04:00

It's been quite a while since I've posted anything "weaverly" , but rest assured, I've been weaving! Not as much as I'd like, but I have been able to get a few baskets made in between all the goings-on at my house!

Here is a basket I made from a pattern by Carol Tunnicliffe called "Chasing Twill Oval Bowl".

Take a look:

As you can see, it has a solid twill-woven base. This type of base isn't hard to do, and Carol explains the process very well in her pattern.

The spokes are dyed, the weavers are natural, and the sides are woven in a special continuous twill pattern, accomplishing the swirling effect you see...just beautiful!

Weaving the sides of this basket was a challenge, and a bit time-consuming, but oh so worth it!

This pattern is appropriate for intermediate level weavers....give it a try!

The next basket is from a pattern written by Sharon Klusmann of Cornerstone Baskets. Sharon is one of my favorite basket designers, so when I saw this one I just had to order it.

(She has a very distinctive style and regularly comes up with breath-taking basket patterns!)

It's called the "Pink Ribbon Napkin" basket.

This pretty basket is done with pink dyed spokes with a filled base, and the sides are woven in a simple twill pattern with 11/64" flat oval natural weavers.

Simply stunning.

I'm not sure what level of weaving she categorized this as, but I think it's very well-suited for beginners. Her pattern is well written and complete.

If you order from her website, you can also purchase a "faith" or "hope" charm embellishment with a hanging pink crystal to add to your finished basket, and she also has it available as a kit.

October is, as you may know, Breast Cancer Awareness month, so go grab your patterns and start weaving!

I encourage all of you, especially beginners, to try stretching yourself beyond what you think you can do.

When you think you can't, remember this:

DON'T BELIEVE EVERYTHING YOU THINK!

Happy weaving!

The Wedding

2011-09-02T11:47:00.001-04:00

On August 13th, my beautiful daughter married the love of her life.

They were married in the garden...

...on the grounds of Brookmere Winery and Vineyard in Belleville, PA.

This is what my whole summer had been leading up to!

The dreams of a little girl came true....

With Beauty....

Silliness...

And Romance...

The perfect start to a wonderful life together!

Free Pattern for the Fourth of July

2011-07-03T11:57:00.000-04:00

So I know I've been absent from the blogosphere recently....it's been an unusally busy summer for me so far, and it probably won't slow down until late August, after my daughter is married and my son is shipped off to his first year in college!

I mentioned in my last post that I was taking classes with Emma Hughes, a weaver from Louisiana....I had such a good time and met some ladies who caught the basket-weaving bug and want to learn more, and naturally, I am happy to oblige! One of my new friends had an Americana Basket that she wanted to try to duplicate, so she sent me some photos and measurements and I wrote up a pattern for it, so I thought I'd share it with all of you!

Americana Basket

Base: 8 1/2" x 8 1/2"

6" tall to rim, 12" to top of handle

Materials:

5/8" flat, natural - spokes and rim row

3/8" flat, dyed red- weavers

1/2" flat, natural- weavers

#2 round reed, natural- twining

3/16" flat/oval, natural- lashing

7/8" flat, dyed navy - outside rim

7/8" flat, natural- inside rim

#3 seagrass- rim filler

10" wide x 11" tall notched handle, dyed navy

1. From the 5/8" flat reed, cut 15 spokes @ 30". Mark the centers and soak.

2. Lay out the base with 7 horizontal spokes and 8 vertical spokes. True the base to measure 8 1/2" square. Twine once around the base and upset spokes.

3. Weave rows as follows: Beginning and ending with 1/2" flat natural, weave a total of 13 rows, alternating rows of 1/2" flat natural with rows of 3/8" flat red. You will end up with 7 rows of 1/2" flat natural, and 6 rows of 3/8" flat red.

4. At this point, push the handle down along the center spokes (on the sides that have 7 spokes). Push handle down until the notch lies just above the last row of 1/2" flat.

5. Weave the rim row with 5/8" flat, natural. Cut off the spokes that are in front of the handle so they are even with the top of the rim row. Cut and tuck the remaining spokes as usual.

6. Rim the basket with 7/8" flat navy reed for the outside piece, and 7/8" flat natural for the inside piece. Add the seagrass rim filler. Lash with 3/16" flat/oval reed, forming an "X" at the handle.

7. Stencil some white stars across the handle and the rim, if desired.

ENJOY!

Here are some photos of the baskets I made in class. My daugher added the "basket filler" when I got home! :)

Double Wall Basket with twill woven base


Gift Carrier Basket with Braided Border

Have a Happy Fourth of July!

Master Basket Weaver to teach in Juniata County

2011-06-09T11:34:00.000-04:00

It's shaping up to be a very busy summer for me, but I apologize for my lack of posts nevertheless! I have some news I want to share with local readers, and I only wish I had posted about this sooner.

Emma Hughes, a Master Basket Weaver from Sulphur, Louisiana, will be coming to my area the week of June 20th. She will be teaching seven different baskets during that week, most of them during the day, but there will be one evening class.

The baskets she will be teaching are: Corner basket (in two different sizes...you choose one), a Valet basket, a "rabbit" basket, Gift Carrier Basket, Wrought Iron Handle Basket, Trellis Basket, and Double Wall Basket. The last one is not a beginner basket, and the deadline to sign up for that one was yesterday (sorry!).

Class sizes are limited, so don't delay if you wish to sign up!

Opportunities like this one don't come to rural Juniata County very often, so I broke down and signed up for two of her classes! I just couldn't pass it up! Even though I've been weaving for almost 20 years, I am sure I will learn something new, and am excited to observe how a fellow weaver teaches!

If anyone in the surrounding area is interested, please email me and I'll give you the information you need!

Click the post title for a link to information about Emma!

Knock 'Em Dead: The Ultimate Job Search Guide -Book Review

2011-05-14T09:08:00.000-04:00

The first edition of this book by Martin Yate was first published in 1985, the year after my husband and I graduated from college. It was several years later before we got our own copy, but since then it has been THE book my husband referred to before any job interview and one that he would recommend without hesitation.

Times have changed since then, and since we now have college-aged kids in our household, I jumped at the chance to obtain a copy for reviewing this 25th anniversary edition.

This is more of a reference book than anything, so I didn't read every sentence of every chapter, but glancing through it I can tell you that this could very well be called the "bible" of job-searching!

It is detailed and comprehensive, covering everything from what to wear to an interview (for both men and women), how to improve "transferable" skills (skills that every employer looks for, no matter what the job), body language, and networking as well as how to write a winning resume and how to answer tough interview questions.

Yates tells you how to find the jobs out there (ie, where to look), and he gives a list of very helpful websites to aid you in the job search and websites on personal improvement that will make you more marketable and attractive to potential employers.

In an economy as tough as ours today where jobs are hard to come by, everyone needs that extra "something" that will make them the most liklely candidate for a job. This book gives you that extra edge.

I can't recommend this book enough, to current college students and recent graduates, as well as those who are looking to change careers...ANYONE who is in the market for a job!

A Belt Basket and Some Tips to Make Your Own

2011-04-26T13:55:00.000-04:00

Last week, my neighbor asked me to make her a basket using a belt she had that was too big to wear...she had seen pictures of a couple other ones I had made last year and thought they were cool...so, I got it made for her over the weekend, and here it is!

She wanted some purple accents in the basket, and I think the result is pretty stunning! Figuring out just how to "weave" the belt into the basket was challenging, but I finally got it!

Do you have any belts you don't wear? Try incorporating it into one of your baskets!

The main thing to keep in mind is the overall diameter of the belt when closed, or "buckled". Make your basket base about 2-3" smaller than that measurement. A basket will naturally flare out to a final diameter 2-3" larger than the base. As you're weaving up the sides, keep checking the diameter against the belt so you can either weave more loosely if needed or pull in a bit so it's just right when you are ready to add the belt.

There's a bit of trial and error involved, but don't let that intimidate you! If you find that your belt is still too long, you can always punch an extra hole in it to make it fit.

It's also easier to weave in a belt that isn't quite as elaborate as this one was....I couldn't treat this as a regular "weaver" the way I could if it had been a flat belt, so basically it's just attached where the rings on the belt are. (The purple "X's" in front of the rings are just overlays)

If you make your own belt basket, send me a pic and I'll show it off for you here! :)

Book Review: Max On Life, by Max Lucado

2011-04-18T08:44:00.001-04:00

In our modern world, many of us, including Christians, wonder if the Bible is truly relevant to our everyday problems and struggles. We are told that all the answers to our problems are found in the Bible, but because there are so many issues that aren’t directly answered by scripture, we are left wondering how to overcome and address them.

That’s why the new book, Max On Life, is such a God-send! Max Lucado skillfully and accurately shows us the Biblical answers to today’s questions, such as “I applied for a job and got rejected. I asked my grandmother for a loan; she turned me down. My boyfriend says we should split up. I’m having a hard, hard week. Is God even listening to me?”, and “How do I get out of a bad mood? Sometimes I want to snap at anything that moves-and I do!”

Questions are grouped into the categories of “Hope”, Hurt”, “Help”, “Him/Her”, “Home”, Haves/Have-Nots”, and “Hereafter”. The questions in each category are specific to that category, for example: under the category of “Him/Her” the questions pertain to sex, romance, and “Any chance for a second chance?” And under the category of “Hereafter”, questions are about heaven (what will it be like), hell, cemeteries, and “Who goes where?”

Max Lucado is one of my favorite Christian authors. He has a warm, friendly style, is never “preachy” or condemning, and reading his books is like talking to a wise and trusted close, personal friend. The answers he gives are based solidly on scripture, yet he takes us beyond the words written there to show us the Spirit behind those words. He shows us how relevant the Bible truly is, even today, and where there are not specific details from the Bible pertaining to certain situations, Max turns our focus to the God who loves and cares for us.

As a bonus, the end of the book contains a short chapter addressed to those who are interested in writing/authoring. Max gives advice and warm encouragement on the writing process to those who wonder if God can use them in that capacity the way He did the writers of the Bible, Max Lucado, and so many other Christian authors.

I highly recommend this book!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: The Final Summit, by Andy Andrews

2011-04-11T07:23:00.000-04:00

Where is God in all of this?

I’ll start with the positives:

The Final Summit is a nice little book with an attractive cover that can be read in an afternoon. Andy Andrews is a wonderful story-teller. He weaves fascinating facts about well-known historical figures throughout the book, portraying them in a way that makes you wish you had met them yourself!

The question that the main character (David Ponder) in this book must answer, with input and advice from the likes of Abraham Lincoln, Joan of Arc, and King David, is this: “What does humanity need to do, individually and collectively, to restore itself to the pathway toward successful civilization?”

The question is posed by the Archangel Gabriel, who gives them a limited amount of time, input from five pre-determined historical figures, and just five chances to get the answer right, or the implication is that God would destroy humanity as He did just one other time in the days of Noah. Right there, I have a problem, because after the flood in Noah’s day, God promised never to destroy mankind again.

So on to the negatives:

The “correct” answer to this question was not at all what I was hoping for or expecting. This book contains Biblical characters wherein mans’ fate would be decided by God, AND it is published by a Christian Publisher, so I expected the “two-word” answer to be something along the lines of “Pray Earnestly”, or “Seek God”. But it was nothing of the sort. Because of this, I felt completely let down by the book. I mean, where was God in all of this? He got nothing more than a slight “nod” throughout the entire book. I found it odd that the characters weren’t even permitted to ask God for help or advice. If I didn’t know God better myself, I would have thought, after reading the book, that God was distant, silent, impersonal, cold and unfair.

Granted, this is technically a work of fiction, and if you want to read the book to learn about history and some of the great accomplishments of real men and women, that’s fine. But it bothers me that the book implies that God somehow approves of it all while being given no glory or credit for any of the good that’s been done throughout that history.

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

DO NOT OPEN ANY EMAIL FROM KATHY LAGOLI

2011-04-06T15:09:00.003-04:00

Just wanted to let everyone know that today I received an email from someone named "Kathy Lagoli". The subject line contained an"re:" about one of my recent posts. The body of the email contained this message: "Would you be available to discuss this on the phone?" This comes after someone who has me on their contacts had their email account hacked into.

I didn't know what to think, so I didn't reply, then decided on a whim to google the name and came upon several sights that said they had received the exact same email, so it appears to be a scam of some sort....so DO NOT REPLY to any such emails.

Update: Just checking my traffic feed, there are TONS of people googling this name, so it would seem pretty widespread.

Egg Basket Tips and Techniques: Part 3

2011-03-27T11:03:00.002-04:00

Last time, we ended with two long weavers ending on each side of the basket.

Take each weaver and go all the way across the basket one last time, looping it around the opposite rim and then stop.

The technique I am going to show you is called a "gusset". There are several ways of filling in a ribbed basket, and this is only one of them.

For a WONDERFUL tutorial on filling in, I recommend this one by Tony Stubblefield, from JASkets Blog. Tony's method shows you how to fill in before you have run out of room on the rim and handle hoops. That way the last rows of weaving you do are a straight shot, and you don't have a seam up the middle of your basket. Definitely give his method a try sometime....he does an awesome job of explaining how to do it!

In the photos that follow, I am weaving with two different colors of reed to make it easier for you to see what I'm doing.

In the photo below, I've switched from natural reed to orange. Each half of the basket will now be woven separately. In other words, complete this half as shown, then turn the basket around and complete the other side in exactly the same way. I am showing the filling in technique for one half of the basket only!

Now take the orange weaver and weave across until you get to the rib just before the bottom hoop. Turn around on this rib.

Now we will be adding a new weaver. On my example, I am adding black, but you will be adding a natural weaver.

I have looped the black weaver around the first rib just below the rim. Weave with this weaver towards the bottom of the basket.

You will then loop this (black) weaver around the rib just before the one you turned around on with the orange weaver, as shown in the next photo.

Now drop the black weaver, pick up the orange one, and weave it back across the basket towards the rim again. Loop this (orange)weaver around the rib just before the rib you looped the black one around.

Continue alternating weaving in this manner, first with the weaver on the left, then with the one on the right.

You will always be turning the weaver you are working with around every other rib, both at the top and at the bottom of the filling-in area.

Hopefully the next photo will make this clear.

When you run out of ribs to turn on, simply tuck the ends of each weaver to the inside of the basket and hide them under a row of weaving.

Here is a photo of the basket with the filled-in area done in natural reed.

Not too bad!

Well I hope I've been of some help in making a ribbed egg basket and making the steps a little clearer. It does take some practice and persistence, but you can do it!

Egg Basket Tips and Techniques: Part 2

2011-03-24T08:38:00.000-04:00

I neglected to mention in the last post that I am using #7 round reed for my ribs. This is the size that is best to use on ribbed baskets that use hoops between 10-16" in diameter. If using smaller hoops, you can get away with using #6 RR for the ribs, and much larger hoops need #8 round reed.

I also didn't mention that you may want to soak the ribs before placing them into the god's-eye. This is especially true if the curve of the reed is very pronounced, and may even be necessary when adding the secondary ribs since you may need to bend them a bit to insert them into the weaving.. But it's best to sharpen the points before soaking the ribs.

After adding secondary ribs and weaving several rows, you'll notice that the space between ribs gets wider and wider. When the distance between them measures between 1 1/2"-2", it's time to add more secondary ribs.

(On smaller baskets, you may not need to add any more ribs. I have found that generally, any egg basket over 10" is likely to need more ribs, and the larger the basket, the more ribs you'll need to add.)

Most patterns don't give you a measurement for the rest of the ribs, so what follows is how I go about adding them and deciding how long they should be.

First I sharpen one end of some round reed. I chose to insert an extra rib next to each existing rib, so I've added a total of five more ribs to each half of the basket.

I start by inserting the pointed end into four rows of weaving right next to the first rib.

Then I bring the reed over to the other side, turning the whole thing upside down, so I can decide where I want the curved section to be.

You want to keep in mind the overall shape you are trying to achieve. Try to imagine how it will look once the weaving is completed.

I hold the reed over the fourth row of weaving on the side to determine where to cut it off.

(Please note, in the picture below, I goofed up and showed myself adding the rib next to the second rib, but in the picture above, I am showing the rib being added to the first rib. Just make sure you are inserting the rib next to the same existing rib on each side!)

After I cut the rib, I remove it and use it to measure another one, to be inserted in the other half of the basket.

Then I insert both ribs where I want them.

The next photo shows all five new ribs inserted. All of them have been added right below the existing ribs. It doesn't matter much if they are above or below, but be sure to do it the same way on both sides of the basket.

Continue weaving as usual, and remember that the first row of weaving after adding new ribs will be off, but this will correct itself on the second row. As you weave, push the ribs apart slightly, a little bit more with each row, and keep them evenly spaced.

It's also a good idea to turn the basket upside down every two or three rows to make sure the new ribs haven't slipped and the shape of the basket is how you want it. You can adjust the ribs by pulling them out or pushing them in slightly. Be careful not to pull them the whole way out!

It's best to alternate weaving each side. In other words, don't get too far ahead in your weaving on one side of the basket than the other. We want the number of rows on each side to be equal.

What I like to do is make a pencil mark that is halfway between each God's-eye on both sides of the basket.

I use this mark as a reference point. Don't weave with the left weaver past this mark, and don't weave with the right weaver past this point. When you are getting very close to the middle mark, keep checking and counting how many rows you have on each side.

On my basket, I decided to add two more secondary ribs. As you can see, the space between the first and second ribs has gotten pretty wide, as well as down towards the bottom of the basket. It's really a matter of preference, but I think it makes for a much nicer finished basket when you add more ribs when the gaps get too wide.

Now I just continue weaving until I reach the middle pencil mark. Again, make sure you have the same number of rows on each side. It's easiest to count the rows at the rim. Also, you want to end the weaving to the left of the handle on each side of the basket.

So I end up with a weaver dangling on each side of the basket...

Whew! Are you still with me? I sure hope so!

Part 3 of this series will focus on finishing the basket. On most egg baskets, at this point you will find that you have no more room to weave around the rim hoop, but there is still a large gap in the body of the basket that needs to be filled in. This is where a lot of people get confused, and trust me....I've been there!

But I'll do my best to show you how I do it, and hopefully we can get this thing done!

A Conversation With God For Women: Book Review

2011-03-23T13:07:00.000-04:00

Book Review:

A Conversation With God for Women, by Marcia Ford

Years ago, I read another book with a similar title in which the author claimed to personally hear from God. He wrote his alleged conversations with God in that book, conversations that attempted to address some of the big, common questions humans have asked for centuries. I became more and more disturbed as I read that book. It just felt “off.” I just went with my gut and got rid of the book.

So I was a bit hesitant to request this book to review. I was afraid it would be more of the same, but at the same time, I just wanted to read it and find out for myself if that was the case.

I was quite relieved, however, to find that the author made absolutely no claims to be speaking for God (or Jesus), and she makes no claims that God Himself told her what to write. The answers that Ford gives to the big questions in life (pain, suffering, tragedy, etc) are merely written “as if” God were giving you the answers in conversational style, based on scripture. Ford paraphrases those scriptures in a way that people of today can understand, and references the original scriptures (in various translations), which are all included in their entirety in the back of the book . The rest is what I assume to be her interpretation of those scriptures, some of which I felt were accurate, and some I wasn’t so sure (but then again, that’s nothing new!).

Some of the answers in the book offered a different way of looking at things, others brought more questions to my mind, still others seemed to side-step the questions, and a few were even a bit confusing. It strikes me as a book that would be daunting, at best, to even attempt to write. In our finite human minds, we are, after all, limited in our understanding of God.

I was surprised by how physically heavy this book is. The pages are thick, high-quality paper that I am assuming was done intentionally in expectation of it being used again and again as a reference book. In that regard, it does have some value since you have scripture references in one handy place that relate to the questions answered in each chapter.

But if you are searching for the answers to your biggest questions about life, death, suffering, etc., this book should only be used as a guide, and not the final authority. In fact, no book should ever be read naively. Test everything against the scriptures, look the verses up yourself, read them in context, and ask God to help you discern their meaning.

Since the beginning of time, man has asked the same questions, and many have attempted to answer those questions in various ways. This book is really no different.

While many of the answers to the questions did not wholly satisfy me, it at least led me to want to do further searching on my own, which is a very good thing!

I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks for reading!

Ribbed Egg Basket : Help and Techniques

2011-03-21T14:13:00.001-04:00

Quite a while ago, a reader asked me about doing a post on making a ribbed egg basket. She had experience in making ribbed melon baskets, and wondered about the process for making an egg basket.

This won't be a full-blown tutorial on making an egg basket, but I will attempt to show the basics as they differ from a melon basket.

A ribbed egg basket is made much the same way as a melon basket. The shape of an egg basket (and a melon basket) is determined solely by the length of the ribs.

In a melon basket, all of the ribs are cut to the same length, giving the basket a very round shape.

But in an egg basket, the ribs are cut to different lengths, giving it what is referred to as a "buttocks" shape.

A weaver has a lot of "play" in determining the final shape of the basket.

You can follow a pattern that gives you specific measurements, or you can "eyeball" the lengths to give your basket exactly the shape you desire.

I have seen quite a lot of variety among egg baskets as to shape...some having extreme "buttocks" and some that are almost perfectly rounded! There really is no "right" or "wrong".

But for the purposes of this post, I will give you the rib measurements I used.

I have started out with two 12" hoops that I lashed together using a braided "God's-eye". (Instructions for making a braided God's-eye can be found in the book , Rib Baskets, by Jean Turner Finley)

I then added 3 primary ribs to each side of the basket, using the following measurements (cut two of each, one for each half of the basket)):

Rib #1 - 20"

Rib #3 - 24 1/2"

Rib #5 - 21"

As you can see in the photo above, the rib ends are pointed (I used a pencil sharpener), and are inserted all the way to the corner where the rim and handle hoops meet, behind the God's-eye.

Four rows are then woven around these ribs, on both sides of the basket.

After the fourth row has been woven, you are ready to insert the secondary ribs. The measurements are as follows (again, cut two of each):

Rib #2 - 23"

Rib #4 - 23 1/2"

Again, sharpen the ends. Rib #2 is inserted into the weaving right next to, and below, rib #1. Rib #4 is inserted into the weaving right next to, and above, rib#5.

(See photo below)

The next photo shows the view from the inside, and as you can see, the ends have been pushed all the way up into the corner, right alongside the primary ribs.

After ribs #2 and #4 have been added, continue weaving.

You will notice that your first row will be "off"...

But this will correct itself during the next row!

Continue weaving as usual, but when you find the spacing between your ribs to be about

1 1/2" apart, it will be time to add more ribs!

I will save that for my next post...because I haven't gotten that far on my example basket!

So stay tuned!

Book Review: Love At Last Sight

2011-03-17T14:10:00.000-04:00

Love At Last Sight: Thirty Days to Grow and Deepen Your Closest Relationships

Authors: Kerry and Chris Shook

This book is not primarily a book for couples, as the title might lead you to believe. And although it is geared toward improving the relationships in your life that are important to you (i.e. friends, family, spouse), it isn’t primarily a book that requires both parties in a relationship to work through the book together. What this book does focus on, is helping you to understand common core problems in relationships, steps you can take as an individual within them, as well as things you can do to improve yourself, and consequently how you can be the catalyst for growth and change in your relationships.

The main premise of the book can be summed up in this statement by the authors: “Each of my relationships has the potential to be better the next time we’re together than it was the previous time so that the last time we see each other on this earth we’re closer than ever before.”

The authors believe that relationships are an art form, and each chapter discusses different aspects of this art that we can learn and apply. Each chapter ends with a “challenge” or suggestion, of actions you can take to apply what you’ve learned. The goal is to read one chapter a day for thirty days. I think this is an ambitious goal, and perhaps a bit unrealistic, so I would suggest taking your time and not worry about cramming it all into a month.

In a world where relationships are largely superficial and all too often regarded as disposable, I think this book serves as an oasis in a dry, parched desert. Too often we put our relationships last on our agendas, and assume we don’t have to work at them. This is true for those of us who just don’t know any better as well as those of us who should know better.

Whether you want to learn what makes for a good relationship or just need a refresher course, you can benefit from the insights in this book.

Overall I think this book was well-written, easy to read and understand. There’s a saying that goes something like this: “BE the change you want to see in the world.” If you’re looking to blame your partner, friends, or family for the rifts and wounds in your relationships, this book is not for you. But if you are willing to step up, take some risks, and do the things that are in your power to do to promote more meaningful relationships, then I heartily recommend this book to you!

(I received a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review)

March Snow

2011-03-07T09:14:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was such a weird weather day here in central Pennsylvania....the day started out around 50 degrees and it poured buckets all day....then around 5:00 PM, the temperature dropped and we started to get some big, sloshy wet snow, which continued for quite a while.

But what a wonderful scene we woke up to this morning!

I love how the white snow looks against a bright blue sky!


And it looks like there might just be more snow on the trees than on the driveway!

My daughter thinks it looks like white cobblestone...


...and I think it looks like a bunch of half-melted snowballs!

Either way, nature always has a way of taking my breath away!

Christian Homeschool Co-Op 2011

2011-03-03T15:26:00.001-05:00

This year I taught basket-weaving again for our county's Christian Homeschool Co-Op, and today was the last day of the six-week program.

I actually taught two classes this year: one was for younger kids (ages 7-11), who made a Market Basket like the one we did last year, and the older kids' class (ages 12-17) made an Easter Basket using the pattern I wrote.

I am always amazed at how quickly kids learn, and I am so proud of them....their baskets look simply wonderful!

Take a look:

Aren't they gorgeous? I just love the different color combinations they came up with!

There were other classes offered as well, including public speaking, banking, detectives (where they learn how detectives go about solving murder cases), law, pets, perspective drawing, art for younger kids, and woodworking. The woodworking class made these super cute bird houses:

I know, right?? Awesome!

The people who put this program together give so much of their time and efforts to make this happen, and I feel so lucky to be a part of it!

The kids are a complete joy to work with...and a lot of fun!

A bunch of "basket cases".....just like me!

Ya just can't help but love 'em!

Here's hoping we can do it again next year!

Lazarus Awakening, by Joanna Weaver: A Book Review

2011-02-28T12:09:00.000-05:00

I received a free copy of the book, Lazarus Awakening, by Joanna Weaver, from the publisher, in exchange for an honest review.

Below is my review.

Lazarus Awakening: Finding Your Place in the Heart of God

By Joanna Weaver

God loves us. We seem to know this in our heads, but do we truly believe it and feel it in our hearts?

In her book, Lazarus Awakening, author Joanna Weaver gets to the heart of this issue: “Until we get around to accepting His (Jesus’) amazing undeserved favor, I fear we will miss everything a relationship with Christ really means.”

Weaver explains that this “love-doubt” we experience can be “traced back to troubling contradictions not unlike the one in the story of Lazarus.” Then she skillfully takes us through the bible story, exploring both the obvious as well as the deeper, more subtle layers of meaning we can uncover there, as she relates them to our own struggles, fears, and tough questions.

Weaver says, “Suspended halfway between death and life, we’ve accepted the Lord as our Savior, but we have yet to step out into the fullness of life Christ came to give. Instead, we’re holed up in the dark, held captive by our hurts, hang-up, and habits.” Weaver then gently and humbly provides us with new insights and fresh perspectives as well as practical help in overcoming our hurts, feelings of unworthiness, and unbelief that hinder us from allowing God’s love to flow from our heads to our hearts.

Lazarus Awakening includes a ten-week Bible study, filled with thought-provoking questions, and it encourages further exploration of the Bible as it relates to the theme of the book. The appendix includes the story of Lazarus in full, as well as a list of books and other resources that the author has found helpful in her journey. Sidebars placed throughout each chapter help us to further apply what we learn in real, practical ways.

While Weaver never provides cut-and-dried answers to our toughest questions, her guidance led me to a place where I could rest easier in the questions themselves.

As I read Weaver’s book, I found myself discovering my own new insights growing from hers. When you find a book that can do that, you’ve found a treasure.

I highly recommend this book, and I am looking forward to reading it again, this time more slowly, so I can take my time to reflect more deeply on the truth of God’s love.

A St. Patrick's Day Weaving Project

2011-02-26T09:54:00.000-05:00

A friend of mine decorates the exterior of her cubicle wall at work according to the seasons or Holidays.

This month, she displayed one of my heart baskets to celebrate Valentine's Day (and I think February was just recently declared "Heart Health Month").

For March, she asked me to make up something relating to St. Patrick's Day, so I wracked my brain trying to come up with a way to make a Shamrock. (Whatever she displays has to be at least somewhat flat on at least one side to hang it properly.)

I tried to create something several times, but nothing was working the way I had hoped.

But then, as I was paging through one of my big 3-ring binders full of patterns, I found a pattern to make a woven "rug-beater". I had made a few of these several years ago.

"AHA!", I thought..."I bet I can make this and manipulate it to look like a shamrock!" And that's just what I did. I dyed it green and added a raffia bow at the stem.

I had printed off this pattern years ago, when it was offered for free by weaver Patricia Yunkes.

I checked out her website and found that it was no longer offered for free, but she does still have the pattern available to purchase. You can find it here.

It's a bit confusing at first, but with some persistence, you'll eventually find it very easy to make. All I did to make it look like a shamrock was to tighten two of the loops, making them smaller.

I used #3 RR, and made the initial shape using just one strand. Then I added two more strands, following the loops of the first one.

You could make these as big or as small as you want, just by varying the size of round reed, and the lengths of each strand.

And there you have it...an easy-peasy, cute St. Patty's Day Decoration!

I'm working on another decoration for her to display, this time for Easter/Spring.

Stay tuned!

Same Life, New Story: Change Your Perspective to Change Your Life, by Jan Silvious: Book Review

2011-02-14T11:29:00.000-05:00

Here is my review of the latest book I received. Again, I am required to tell you that I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Same Life, New Story: Change Your Perspective to Change Your Life

By Jan Silvious

I requested a copy of this book to review because I was attracted to its concept, which, in a nutshell, is that changing your perspective on your past, and your circumstances in the present can change your life for the better. While I believe this to be true, I felt that Silvious fell far short of doing a good job explaining this in her book.

I was attracted to the idea of reading the stories of various Biblical women, and discovering how their stories relate to the ideas presented in each chapter, but I didn’t quite understand some of the connections Silvious made between the two, nor how the stories supported her conclusions. I often ended each chapter feeling as though I must have missed something. Some of the stories of modern women she interjects throughout each chapter seem to relate much better to her concepts, but she hops back and forth between the Bible stories and the modern day stories so much that it just felt disjointed.

In Same Life, new Story, Silvious likens our lives to stories, wherein some of the pages are filled up, but “there are always new blank pages on which to write. “ Therefore, we can always “start over”, but doing so “most often comes with a new perspective and a new way of thinking.”

I agree with this idea, and Silvious does explain (albeit to a small extent) how different mindsets, attitudes, and beliefs can hold us back and keep us stuck in a story(life circumstance) with which we aren’t happy. But I found there to be a number of serious mixed messages throughout the book that left me utterly confused. For example, Silvious states that “how you write your story is up to you”, and “The story is yours to create, and it is yours to tell.” But later she states, “You are not the author of this story. God is.”, and “He knows you didn’t volunteer to be a character in this story, but (…) you have been chosen to live this story”, and “God is the author who writes our stories.” So which is it? This was the most confusing thing about the book for me.

In one chapter, Silvious tells us that we must learn to be content in our circumstances, and in another, she implores us to “choose instead” rather than “accept the status quo” when we are dissatisfied with our current situation.

Silvious also tells us in one chapter that whining about our troubles is because “it is hard for us to bow to the fact that an unseen hand holds our lives, and whether good or bad is happening, He is in control of it all”, then later scolds us for “blaming God for your troubles.” (This is connected to the “who writes our stories and who doesn’t” question!)

Silvious tells us on one hand that “No one but you can propel your story forward”, then on the other hand, she says “In the midst of your story, God propels you to a new future.”

If there is any way to reconcile these contradictory statements, she does not explain them.

For most of the questions at the end of each chapter given for personal reflection and group study, I had no idea how I would answer them, and because of the mixed messages, I wasn’t inclined to even try.

I agree with other reviewers who felt this book couldn’t rightly be called a Bible study. And again, although I did enjoy reading the Biblical accounts, I could not make the connection with them as they were supposed to relate to the chapter, so to me they just seemed incidental.

I love the concept of the book, but I don’t think Silvious quite pulled it off. There are plenty of other books regarding changing your perspective that would be worth your money far more than Same Life, New Story.

Mere Churchianity, by Michael Spencer: A Book Review

2011-02-05T15:58:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago I discovered a program called "Blogging For Books" through Multnomah Waterbrook, a publisher of Christian books. With this program, you can request a free copy of a book from a list, if you agree to write a review and post it on your blog, their website, and on any retail website that sells that book. That's it. You don't pay a dime....they even ship the book to you free! The book is yours to keep, give away, or toss! I felt absolutely giddy when I discovered this, because I LOVE to read, and the ghost that is my "would-be writer" has come back to haunt me...again. So I signed up, received my first book, read it, and am ready to post my review!

I am required by law to post the following disclaimer:

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review

**********************************************************************************

Mere Churchianity, by Michael Spencer: A Review

by Juliana Deen

More and more people are leaving the church. Increasing numbers of people who consider themselves to be non-religious, are neither agnostic nor atheist. They leave, not because they are fed up with God, Jesus, or the Christian faith, but because they are fed up with religion, or what Spencer calls “Churchianity”.

Spencer believes that if you have left the church, but still want to seek Jesus, that it “may have been the most spiritually healthy thing you ever did.” The reason, he contends, is that churches today have a serious “Jesus disconnect”. Churches seem to be increasingly caught up in everything BUT Jesus. In this book, Spencer reminds us that it is Jesus Himself that transforms lives, and not formulating doctrines or mindlessly following church traditions. He believes that the church has “failed to be a resource for producing and encouraging the life of discipleship.” Spencer acknowledges the importance of community among Christians, but questions whether Jesus would recognize the church today as the movement he started, or as fulfilling the purpose He intended.

As someone who has left the church, I found my own concerns and struggles with “churchianity” in the pages of this book. Spencer has done a good job of articulating the reason why so many have left, even while they hunger for more of God. Although the book criticizes the condition of the evangelical American church, and points out the areas where he believes it is seriously lacking, his main goal in the book is to guide the de-churched in their search for “true truth” by teaching us to “read the labels.”

If you are disillusioned by the church, but can’t turn your back on Jesus, and you know there has to be more to being a Christian than what you’ve found inside a church, this book will guide you toward a “Jesus-shaped spirituality” as you walk away from “church-growth” spirituality, “culture-war” spirituality, or a “spirituality of worship experience.”

If you are still a part of the church, and you seek to understand why people are walking out your doors, I humbly recommend this book to you as well. The answers may surprise you. But if you’re happy doing church the way you’ve always done church, and are quite satisfied with the status quo, I beg you to read this book.

*********************************************************************************************************
There you have it...my first official book review!
I would love to hear your comments, whether it's regarding the book, or your own experiences as it relates to this topic.
I have placed a "gadget" on the left side-bar, linking to the Blogging for Books program for anyone else who might be interested in receiving free books in exchange for an honest review.
There is another similar program out there, called "BookSneeze", through Thomas Nelson Publishers. I have a copy of a book from them in hand, and once I have read it, will post a review of it!
Thanks so much for reading!

I Just Had to Show You....

2011-01-19T12:10:00.000-05:00

As some of you may know, my husband and I run/work/manage the family farm, along with some much-appreciated help from my sister and my son.

Most days, I hate getting all bundled up to drive one mile down the road to do the daily morning feeding.

This is especially true when the weather is bad.

Fortunately, there is a bright spot in all of this, and it's what I just HAD to show you!

Lambs have been born regularly at our farm since sometime in December.

We have mostly white sheep, but one ewe that is black.

Occasionally we get a couple of black lambs that maybe have a bit of white in them.

It's always interesting to see what the lambs will look like!

(Contrary to popular belief, they do NOT all look alike, AND they actually have different personalities!)

But look at this lamb.

I call it a "Clamb".

Because it's markings make it look sort of "cow-like".

Get it? Cow-lamb = Clamb?

I know, it's lame.

Here he is, looking at me full on!

Most of our lambs are pretty skittish around us, since we don't encourage getting attached because eventually most of them will be leaving us...

but this one kind of has the attitude of a cow, I think!

Here is another view...

How funny is that?

All of the lambs are hilarious to watch...they run and jump and play...it's a joy to see!

Makes those daily treks to the farm a whole lot more bearable...

especially with a "clamb" in the mix!

Tutorial: The Wretched Gretchen

2011-01-18T11:05:00.000-05:00

After more than two months without a post, I thought I owed you all something that was maybe worth the wait, so today I am going to attempt a tutorial on that much-feared gretchen border! As is the case with so many other basketry techniques, this was also one that I struggled to "get". I tried to follow a tutorial on the web, but the pictures were so dark I couldn't make heads or tails of it. And the instructions I had in one of my books, though the photos were better, was still hard to follow.

So take a deep breath.....here we go!

I started with a basket that ended with two rows of twining, and I tucked all of the spokes to the inside.

You will need 40" lengths of #2 rr, one for each spoke on the basket. In my case, that was 20 pieces.

To insert them, you push one end of the #2 rr from the outside of the basket STRAIGHT THROUGH TO THE INSIDE, on the left side of a spoke, between the two rows of twining.

Then you take the OTHER end and push it through to the inside, on the RIGHT side of that spoke. Even up the ends, and pull them the whole way through until the loop on the outside is snug against the outside of the basket.

The following photo shows my first piece inserted, and the second piece about halfway through.

Now don't make the mistake I did...when I was trying to learn, I mistakenly pushed my round reed pieces up through the twining on the outside of the basket, as if I was going to do a braided rim border.

Do this with each piece of #2 RR, all the way around the basket. It should end up looking like this:

Alarming, isn't it?

Before I go on, don't let that hot mess scare you.

But DO note that the spokes are trying to criss-cross each other all over the place. The main thing to remember is that when you are working, it is CRITICAL during the first row to make SURE those spokes aren't crossing, as you want to be working with three CONSECUTIVE spokes at all times!

Just try to ignore all the other spokes until you get to them, and DON'T LOOK AWAY!

(Joking here, sort of!)

I don't have a picture of this, but what you want to do is pick up any three consecutive spokes to start.

Don't let them cross!

Take the left-most spoke, bring it behind the other two, and bring it towards the outside of your basket.

Keep those remaining two spokes in your hand and pick up the NEXT CONSECUTIVE spoke( working to your right). Again, bring the leftmost piece you are holding behind the other two and towards the outside of the basket.

As you bring that left piece behind the others, push on it so it's laying as flat against the inside of the rim of the basket as you can manage.

In the next photo, you will see I have gone almost the whole way around the basket with my first row. There are two spokes remaining...they are the ones sticking up towards the left side of the picture. We need to know what to do with them to complete and "lock" the row.

First, loosen up the first two spokes you started with. I have pointed them out in the photo:

The next photo shows you where to insert the first remaining spoke:

This photo shows me pulling it through that space....

And the next photo shows where to insert the remaining spoke:

Pull your spokes snug. Your basket should now look this:

First row is complete! Whew! The worst part is over!

IF YOUR SPOKES ARE FEELING DRY, RE-SOAK THEM!!!!

DO THIS AFTER EACH ROW, JUST TO BE SAFE! YOU DON'T WANT ANY SPOKES TO BREAK!

From here on out, the spokes aren't as inclined to cross each other, but you still need to be careful. As you are doing this, you'll be holding the spoke you just crossed with against the side of the basket(see where my thumb is in the next photo)....sometimes your thumb will also be covering up the next spoke you need, so just watch out for that. Hopefully you'll see what I mean as you start to do this!

Also, as you are doing the rest of the rows, it will be more like crossing one spoke OVER the next two and pushing down, rather than BEHIND them, as in the first row.

It's easy to tell where you started....when you get back to the beginning of the row, you'll notice there's quite a gap between where your last two spokes are and the where the beginning spokes are, as in the picture below:

It may help you to use twist ties to mark your first and second spokes at the beginning of a row, like this:

Then, when you get back to the beginning, just pull up on the twist ties to reveal the spaces where you'll be inserting your remaining two spokes!

As you weave each row, they will naturally move down the side of the basket. It gets a little harder to loosen the beginning spokes at that point because they are so close to the side of the basket, so using the twist ties here is VERY helpful!

Don't despair if your first attempt doesn't look quite right....just keep trying. You will get better with just a little bit of practice. I haven't done too many gretchen borders, so mine is certainly not perfect, but it IS a lot better than when I first started!

Good luck!

What I'm Weaving Wednesday: Thanksgiving Cornucopia and Christmas Wreaths

2010-11-10T08:02:00.000-05:00

With Thanksgiving just a hair over two weeks away, I wanted to get in the theme of the Holiday and decided to make myself a Cornucopia!

I had made one for a customer many years ago, and as is the case with so many of the baskets I weave, I just never got around to making one for myself.

I found the pattern at Basketmakers.org and you can find it free here.

It's very simple to make, and weaves up relatively quickly using only two different sizes of round reed.

It's fairly large in size (perfect for a Thanksgiving Table!), but I think you could easily make one smaller just by using thinner round reed.

I opted to make mine plain, but it would be beautiful

with some 1/4" flat dyed fall colors woven in as well....or use a combination of natural and smoked reed.

I filled mine with a variety of silk flowers I already had laying around, and am really happy with the result.

I also have a pattern book with instructions to make a beautiful braided wreath out of round reed (Romancing the Reed, by Sharon Wright).

I had tried this wreath last year and got so confused and frustrated, I gave up.

I tried it again, and again got frustrated, but this time I had an idea for how to make it a bit easier, and it worked!

The technique used is a five strand braid, which is really pretty easy.

The difficulty comes when you need to weave the ends back into the wreath at the starting point.

Wow...talk about confusing!

But I managed, and even though I'm not sure I did it quite right, it won't matter if I cover that part with a bow!

The possibilities for embellishment are as endless as your imagination, but I wouldn't want to cover too much of this wreath because the braiding is so pretty!

The next wreath is one I came up with myself. It was so easy to do it is ridiculous!

I have a bunch of metal hoops that were left from my adventures in weaving lampshades...I had no use for the bottom ring, and they were cut off, but I saved them anyway.

All I did was wrap long lengths of round reed (I used three lengths of #4 RR together) around the hoop on a diagonal, then wrapped back in the opposite direction a few times, then back again the other way a few times....etc., until I was happy with the thickness.

The end result looks much more complicated than it really is!

How about that???

The little ornaments hanging on the wreath are really wine glass charms that I found at a dollar store many years ago.

I love how the old, rejected pearl necklace looks draped around the top!

(Sometimes it pays to save your old junk!)

Well, I hope I've inspired you to try creating your own wreaths, and if you don't already have a cornucopia, give it a try and see just how easy it is to weave!

What I'm Weaving Wednesday: Fabric Egg Basket

2010-11-03T08:39:00.000-04:00

Normally at 8:00 in the morning I would be at our family farm doing barn work (a.k.a. feeding the animals), but it's soooooo cold, and the frost was so thick that it almost looks like it snowed! November is definitely making itself known!

So I'm putting off bundling up and venturing outside for a while to share what I've been up to with weaving.

I always have liked the idea of combining different media to create unique baskets, so this time I tried weaving an egg basket with a combination of reed and fabric.

I had some pretty floral fabric laying around, that used to be curtains. You can mix and match fabrics to your liking!

I prepared the frame of the basket as usual with two hoops, connecting them together with a Gods-eye variation, and using #6 round reed for the ribs.

Preparing the fabric strips took a good bit of time to do, although it was easy.

Cut fabric strips that are about 3" wide and about a yard long. If they are too long, the weaving gets hard, and if they are too short, you have to stop and sew ends together that much more often.

Take the fabric strips and press each side to the center, then fold in half and press again. This gives you a nice finished edge. There is no need to sew the strips along the edge, but you certainly could if you wanted to!

To begin weaving, simply tuck one of the ends of the fabric into the lashing/God's-eye.

As your fabric weaver runs out, you'll need to stop and stitch a new piece to the old one with a few basting stitches using a needle and matching thread. Just continue doing this, weaving as you normally would until the ribs are all filled in.

Add secondary ribs as needed!

I pushed my fabric weavers together a bit (but not TOO much) and that gave the basket a cool , kind of "puckered" affect.

What do you think?

I am happy with how it turned out, and in some ways, weaving with the fabric strips was a bit easier than using reed weavers, with the added bonus that you don't have to soak them!

But as I said, prep time was significantly longer.

Still, it was fun to do and it's always good to step out of the usual basket-weaving routine and do something different! I hope you'll give it a try, too!

What I'm Weaving Wednesday: Breast Cancer Awareness Baskets

2010-10-27T05:00:00.001-04:00

If you've been reading along with me since last year, you might remember The Pink Pot of Hope Basket, designed by Jennifer Rhodes of Basket Weaving Supplies.

It was a beautiful basket she designed for a customer as a special request, and Jennifer took it a step further by committing to donating $1 for every sale of the pattern to breast cancer research. In case you missed it, here's a photo of the basket I made following Jen's pattern.

A while ago I discovered another pattern Jen has available through her online shop, called the Breast Cancer and Yellow Ribbon Awareness Basket .

This basket is designed by Pati English, and it was designed to honor her own mother.

I purchased that pattern and finally had some time to weave it late last week.

I need to mention that Pati's pattern includes instructions for adding an elaborate handle, but I opted not to put it on the basket. Maybe someday....

I couldn't let October slip away without showing you these two amazing baskets, designed for a very special cause.

And I'd like to dedicate the ones that I have woven to two very special women who battled breast cancer....my beautiful Aunt Shirley, and my husband's wonderful Aunt Katy.

You're memory and your spirit live on in the lives of all those you've touched.

A Special Basket for a Special Someone

2010-10-22T12:59:00.000-04:00

I wanted to weave a basket today....after spending half the day yesterday removing about a year's worth of dust from my husband's "man cave", I needed to do something enjoyable! (smile)

So as I was leafing through my patterns and books of patterns looking for something to weave, I came across a pattern that sparked an idea.

You see, I have a really special fan, someone who loves my baskets and me, someone who appreciates the skill and work I put into them, someone who truly admires the finished product.

She is also very honest and will tell me when she thinks something doesn't look quite right, and I really value her opinion in that regard.

She has quite an eye for design, and in fact, she wants to become an interior designer! She's only 15 1/2 now, but I think she has that "raw talent" that people speak of, and will be successful someday!

Everyone needs a fan like that, but you can't have mine....she's my daughter, Alyssa!

So I knew I wanted to make a special basket, just for her.

As I was saying, I was inspired by a pattern, one that incorporates french randing into the basket, and since Alyssa loves anything/everything Zebra striped, I altered the design a bit to make it look like........ zebra stripes!

It was just a matter of randing one way for a few rows, then randing in the opposite direction for a few rows.

I love how it turned out.

I hope Alyssa loves it, too.

You can never be too good to your Biggest Fan!

Her support means the world to me!

Love, From YOUR Biggest Fan,

Mom

What I'm Weaving Wednesday: Coiled Baskets

2010-10-20T10:33:00.000-04:00

Wow, that week went by too fast! I've been busy canning apples, trying to organize photos, and picking the last of the spinach before our first frost(which we did get last night)....whew! I don't know how I managed to get any weaving done in between all of that, but I did!

For quite some time, I had been wanting to give coiling baskets a try. Maybe I was too busy, maybe I was just too chicken. But whatever the reason, I just kept putting it off.

Then late last school year, my daughter's art class did some coiling. She brought it home to work on, and I sat there fascinated, just watching her work. That's when I finally decided it was time I tried it, too.

I have a confession to make.

I have always adored the look of a coiled pine needle basket. They look so intricate and delicate and just....beautiful!

Strictly speaking, coiling is not weaving, although many people use the term when referring to making coiled baskets, but let me assure you....it is nothing like weaving! It's more like sewing.

Lots and lots of stitches, round and round in an endless circle!

But I found it strangely relaxing, and it's the type of basket making I can do when I have a few spare minutes...and frankly, that's all the time I can give it in one sitting....it's tedious and monotonous.

But sometimes you need that.

So anyway, the first photo is the coiled basket my daughter made for art class. She used coiling core wrapped in synthetic raffia and yarn with some fabric scraps added in for flare!

Isn't it gorgeous? I think she did really well, especially for her first attempt at it!

Then there is my first coiled basket. I decided to use pine needles and waxed linen thread.

Now here's a classic example of how I often approach things.

Notice how my stitches are sometimes lined up and sometimes they aren't? You can really tell on the inside of the basket.

Ugh.

The reason for that is, I got myself an instructional video and watched some of it, then decided I couldn't wait any longer, and just got to working.

And for that reason, I missed the part that shows you how to line up your stitches!

I thought I knew what I was doing, but obviously I didn't.

So I went back and watched the video again, and paid closer attention, and started on my second basket, this time using a stone center.

Much better!

But as you can see, I haven't finished it yet.

And that's because I was too anxious to get started on yet another basket, with a beautiful purple Agate stone center!

It reminds me of a giant eye!

What I like about coiling is that there is no specific pattern to follow...you can easily make them as small or as big as you want.

What I don't like is that it takes days and days to make one basket.

What I like is that it's relaxing and easy and doesn't make a big mess and the supplies take up very little space in my home.

What I don't like is that I probably can't make enough to give as Christmas Gifts this year.

If you've never tried coiling, I encourage you to do so! Of course, you can buy one, but boy are they expensive! I certainly understand why, now that I've tried it!

FYI...I purchased an instructional video and some supplies from Nadine Spier to get me started.

Here's the link:

Nadine's Basket Weaving Supplies

What I'm Weaving Wednesday

2010-10-13T15:33:00.000-04:00

It's a beautiful fall day here in Central Pennsylvania....brilliant sunshine and crisp, cool air are the perfect backdrop for fiery trees of reds, yellows and golds against a clear blue sky.

This is my absolute most favorite time of year!

After a summer of weaving almost nothing, thoughts of upcoming Holidays and more time spent indoors has somehow re-kindled my desire to weave!

So I thought I'd try to make a weekly thing of sharing with you what I'm weaving!

Today, I made a basket for which I have had a pattern for a LONG time.

When I first saw the pattern, I was drawn to the striking contrast of the colors and the use of a technique I had never seen or tried before.

So finally, today, I made the basket.

This is called the Midnight Illusions Market Basket, and is designed by Laura Weinkamer. (Available at Basketpatterns.com for $3.50)

I just love the contrast of midnight black reed on creamy natural with a hint of burgundy!

From a distance, the pattern is remiscent of a diamond quilted pattern, but if you stare at it and let your eyes go out of focus, steps begin to appear!

The best thing about it is, it's super easy to achieve this affect!

Now I don't want to be giving away someone else's pattern, so I can't tell you how it's done.

But trust me, buy the pattern, and you will absolutely LOVE it!

The pattern is well-suited for a beginner, and is a generous 8 x 11" basket woven on an 8 x 12 "D" handle.

Very often, beginner patterns that are offered are just kind of boring.

But give this pattern a whirl and you will impress everyone with your basket prowess!

You'll probably have most of what you need on hand to make this basket, but here's the list so you can make sure you order anything else you need when you order the pattern:

5/8" flat natural reed

1/4" black and burgundy reed

1/2" black reed

3/8" flat natural reed

#2 round reed

1/2" flat oval reed

3/16" flat oval reed

8 x 12 "D" handle

In a land where all baskets start to look the same after a while, this one is truly a stand-out!

Happy Weaving!

Free Jingle Bell Basket Pattern!

2010-10-10T11:03:00.000-04:00

A few weeks ago, one of my ~~reeders~~ readers told me about a basket she had seen while shopping. It had jingle bells sandwiched in the double base of the basket.

She was intrigued by the basket but not quite sure how this was accomplished, so I promised I would try to figure it out and then post a tutorial.

While I was at it, I thought I would just create a new pattern and share it with you. This would make a really cute Christmas gift basket or decoration for the Holidays!

The basket is 6" in diameter at the base and is 5" tall.

So here we go! I call this my

Jingle Bell Basket

Materials Needed:

3/8" flat natural - spokes and weavers

3/8" flat dyed red - spokes

1/4" flat oval, natural - weavers

1/4" flat, dyed green -weavers

#2 round reed, dyed red -triple twining accent

#2 round reed, natural - twining the base

Several small (1/4") jingle bells

From the 3/8" flat natural, cut 6 spokes @ 24" long. Also cut 6 spokes from the 3/8" flat red @24" long.

Mark the centers on all spokes. Soak the spokes and two long lengths of #2 round, natural.

Lay out the six 3/8" natural spokes in a wheel pattern, centers lined up.

Begin twining as close as possible to the centers with one of the pieces of #2 natural RR for about 7 rows, or until the diameter of the base measures 4". End twining.

Repeat this process with the 3/8" flat red reed spokes and #2 natural RR. End twining.

You will have two separate bases, each 4" in diameter.

Punch up the center of the base with the red spokes as much as possible. Leave the other one flat.

Place a few jingle bells on the middle of the first base. (I used 5)

Take the second base and lay it on top of the first, with the red spokes between the natural spokes.

Take another long piece of #2 RR and begin twining the two bases together, Twine together for about 5 more rows, or until the diameter of the base measures 6". End twining.

Your base will now look like this:

Weaving the sides:

Weave 6 rows start/stop weaving with 1/4" flat oval, natural.

Weave one row with 1/4" flat green in a zig-zag pattern as shown below:

Begin on the outside of any spoke.

Bring the weaver over the next spoke to the right of the starting spoke, take it to the inside of the basket, loop it around the back of the second spoke, towards the left, and come back out to the left of that spoke:

Continue this pattern all the way around. You will always be going in front of two spokes, then looping the reed backwards around the second spoke. When you get back to where you started, bring the reed over the starting spoke, overlapping it, and tuck to the inside of the basket as shown:

Next, weave one row of triple twining with the #2 red RR, and one row of reverse triple twining, also with #2 red RR.

(This creates an "arrow" pattern.)

Weave one row with 3/8" flat natural.

Weave one more row of triple twining and one row of reverse triple twining with the #2 red RR.

Weave another row of zig-zag with the 1/4" flat green reed.

Weave 3 rows with 1/4" flat oval, natural.

Finish the basket with a "sawtooth" border:

Lay a piece of 3/8" flat natural reed on the inside of the basket, above the last row of weaving.

Bend any spoke down towards the inside of the basket, angled to the right, and bring it out UNDER the 3/8" flat reed. Do this all the way around the basket.

Next, bend any spoke up and angled to the right, going over two spokes. Cut the bent spoke flush with the side of the second spoke.

Loosen up the second spoke and tuck the bent spoke under it. Re-tighten the spoke.

Continue all the way around the basket. When you get back to where you started, you will need to trim off some of the width of the reed to fit it under the last spoke. See the photo below.

You're done!

I hope you've enjoyed this pattern/tutorial! As always, if you have any questions or problems, just email me or send a comment my way!

Happy Weaving!

How to Make a Turk's Head Braid

2010-09-30T15:37:00.001-04:00

Yesterday I showed you a neat idea to add some BLING to those popular reed diffusers.

One of those reeds had a "Turk's Head Braid" on it, and I realized that not everyone knows how to make one let alone have ever even heard of one.

So that's what today's post will show you.

Turk's Head Braids are often used in basketry as perhaps a knob for a lid, or as part of a closure, as you can see in my original pattern, The Yarn Dispenser Basket.

There is a piece of suede lacing attached to the lid (which you cannot see in this photo) that loops down and around the turk's head to keep the lid closed.

I have also used them on baskets just as an embellishment, to kind of look like a knob-type handle.

They look complicated, but once you see how it's done, with a little practice you will become a pro at making them! So here we go!

Start out with a long piece of either #1 or #2 round reed....one that is around 24-36" long and soak it well.

The first step is to make a pretzel shape out of the reed. You don't want this to be too big. We want to end up with loops that are between 1/2" to 1" in diameter.

(Note: The size of the loops determines the size of the finished braid. Don't try to make it TOO small until you get the hang of it. For the reed diffuser, I made my loops about 1/2" in diameter. )

You will end up with a short end on the left and a long end on the right. Leave a tail of about 2-3" on the short end.

The first photo shows the completed pretzel.

Be VERY CAREFUL that you follow the photo EXACTLY.

If you don't, the whole thing will go horribly wrong!

You just want to make sure your loops are going OVER each other as you form them.

NOTE: Nothing is connected at this point, so it will try to shift and come "un-shaped".

Hold on to the top center of the pretzel as you do the next step.

Now you're going to loop around again, this time weaving the long end into/across the loops, as shown below:

Be careful that when you start this step that you are bringing the long piece UNDER the short piece. Then you loop it back around and go over the first piece of reed, under the second, over the third, and under the fourth.

Just take your time and follow the diagram closely.

It might help if you ignore what I just wrote and just focus on the photo!

Click on the photo to enlarge it for a better look.

Ok, are you still with me?

Next, pull the long piece through until you have three loops of about equal size, as shown below:

You may have to wiggle them and pull on the ends a little bit to accomplish this.

If your loops are bigger than an inch, just push and pull the loops until you get them smaller.

Don't try to tighten anything until your loops are the right size.

Next, we are going to pull on each end until the loops are tight together, like this:

Keep the short end to the left of the loop.

Now we are going to start weaving with the long end, through and around the loop you have just created.

Don't panic! Just remember to look CLOSELY at the photos, and you will get it!

Here we go:

Turn the loop so that the short end is facing you.

Now take the long piece and loop it around towards you, and insert it into the same space that the short end is coming out of, but TO THE RIGHT OF IT....like this:

Continue to pull the long piece all the way through until it's snug.

The next photo shows you to continue following this path, always to the right of the reed that is already in the loop:

Wherever that reed on the left is going, that is where you want your working reed to go.

Here, I've gone around one complete time and am working on my second round.

Continue to do this, around and around, until you have six strands laying next to each other, the entire way around.

You will know where to stop when you see the your long piece comes out of a hole just before where the short piece sticks out:

Trim off each end as closely as you can to where they stick out.

Just a note: Normally you would stop when you have four strands together all the way around, but I wanted mine to look as much like a ball as possible for the reed diffuser, so I went around and around until I really couldn't anymore, which happened to be at six strands!

Here is the completed braid:

I hope my tutorial makes it easier for you to learn this braid than it was for me when I learned!

I tried and tried, many times, before I finally got it.

Yes, there were pictures, but only a few. Small ones. In black and white. The instructions relied heavily upon wording, and it sounded like Greek to me.

It may still take a bit of practice before you get it looking the way you want, but don't give up.

Give it a try!

Weave Some "BLING"!!!

2010-09-29T14:46:00.000-04:00

Look closely at the three photos below, and try to guess what they are and what they have in common:

If you guessed that they are all made from reed, you would be right!

If you guessed that the top photo is a random weave ball, the second one a curlique, and the third one a turks head braid...you would also be right.

But what ELSE do they have in common?

Well, they are woven BLING!

That's right....BLING!

For what, you ask?

All right, I'll show you!!!

Too cool, eh?

Instead of those straight, boring reeds sticking up out of your reed diffuser, weave up some whimsy and plop them on top of those sticks!

Christmas Stocking Tutorial

2010-09-25T06:00:00.002-04:00

Here it is, folks...September 25th.

Just three short months away from Christmas.

Where I live, the past three days have felt like the middle of July, hardly conducive to getting my head in gear to prepare for the Holidays.

But fortunately, one of my readers wrote to me a few days ago and asked me for help in making a Christmas Stocking. She had the pattern for quite a while, but was having trouble deciphering it!

I know how hard it is to struggle through a pattern that is entirely without photos or diagrams of any kind, other than the finished product. Back in the day, not a lot of people had digital cameras, so it's really no wonder that older patterns are sorely lacking.

And, well, some things are just too hard to explain WITHOUT photos or diagrams.

So I agreed to help, because I well remember when I first tried to make a basket like this.

It didn't work for me. Not the first time, not the second time, and not the third time.

So I actually never made a stocking, truth be told!

But I have since made baskets using a similar concept and eventually "got it", so I was well-prepared for her request (and grateful for the reminder to start thinking about the Holidays...NOW!)

So here we go.

The basket here measures 15" from top to bottom, and 12" from the heel across to the toe, so it's a life-sized stocking, not an itty-bitty ornament or doll-sized stocking!

From 1/2" flat reed, cut 14 stakes, each 36" long.

Mark the centers on the wrong side of ALL spokes and soak well.

The first step is to lay out 7 of the spokes horizontally on your work surface. Make sure to line up the center marks.

Now right away, we are going to be weaving the "base" differently from most baskets.

Instead of weaving vertical spokes to each side of the center marks, we are going to be weaving ALL the vertical spokes to the RIGHT SIDE of the marks on the horizontal spokes.

So just lay out the 7 horizontal spokes, and lay a book or spoke weight to the left of the center marks as shown:

Now take one of the vertical spokes and begin weaving just to the right of the marks. You will want to go OVER the first spoke (bottom one in the photo), under the second, over the third and so on.

Now PLEASE NOTICE, that I aligned the center mark on that vertical spoke with the bottom edge of the horizontal spoke. This is very different from what you would do on a normal basket base!

Now continue weaving, to the right of the last vertical spoke, this time starting UNDER the bottom horizontal spoke.

Continue this pattern until you have woven in all seven vertical spokes.

You want to end up with a 6" x 6" square, so adjust the spacing until you get that measurement.

The next part is what usually gets tricky, but look at the pictures closely and you will get it!

What we are going to be doing essentially, is taking the spokes that stick out to the left of what you've just woven, and bending them to the right, over themselves. DON'T CREASE these spokes, just bend them over gently, as close as you can to the edge of the weaving.(It helps to use a clothespin at each corner on the right side)

Now take the first vertical spoke on the left and weave it up across the horizontal spokes, beginning OVER the first horizontal spoke, under the next, over the next, etc..

Are you with me?

Ok. Next, take the second vertical spoke and weave it up across the horizontal spokes, this time beginning UNDER the first horizontal spoke.

Continue to weave in this manner until you have woven ALL of the vertical spokes across the horizontal ones.

When you are done, check to make sure you still have a 6" square....the spokes will want to shift on you as you do this weaving!

You will end up with something that resembles a pouch with spokes sticking straight up and some sticking out

to the right.

The spokes that stick out to the right will form the toe of the stocking, and the ones sticking up will form the leg.

We are going to weave the TOE end of the stocking first.

I used 1/2" flat for the first three weavers.

Just weave start and stop rows as you would for a "normal" basket, overlapping as usual.

The next photo shows the first row woven:

While you are weaving the toe area, try to make the spaces between the spokes a little bit smaller with each row. This will give it more rounded, tapered look. This is easily accomplished by controlling the gap at the TOP of the toe are. As you are going around this gap, pull the weaver a bit tighter, but don't go overboard!

Weave a total of 3 rows with 1/2" flat, then 3 rows with 1/4" flat, and finally, three rows of twining with #2 round reed.

Next you will be cutting every other spoke, but don't cut them all the way to the twining...leave an end that will stick out about 3/8". This will make the next step a whole lot easier!

Now we need to form the toe itself.

Look closely at the following picture:

We are taking each of the long spokes and bending each of them over to it 's diagonal opposite and tucking them down in front of the corresponding short spoke, behind the twining.

Here is a view of what's going on at the other side:

I doesn't really matter what order you do this in....I just started at the top of the toe area and went in a clockwise direction.

You just want to make sure that where each spoke meets at the top (the looped area) that they are just barely touching. You don't want big gaps between the tops of the loops, nor do you want them so close that they push each other down.

If, when you get to the last spoke, you find that there isn't quite enough to tuck under the twining, just take this spoke and go UNDER all of your other loops instead of over them, and it should reach.

Here is a photo of the tow area all finished!

The next step is to work on the "leg" of the stocking. It's just like weaving any other basket.

You may choose to have your leg flare out as it gets toward the top, and if so, here's how to accomplish that:

The key to shaping any basket is to control the spaces between the spokes, PARTICULARLY AT THE CORNERS!

The next photo shows me starting out the first row.

As I am going around the "corner", I put my index finger in that space to keep myself from pulling in too tight.

Take care not to weave around here too loosely, either. The same goes for when you're going around the back of the stocking, too.

The next picture shows you how the gap (where you turn the corner) becomes a little bigger with each row, if done correctly.

I use my index finger to pull out on the weaver slightly each time I round this corner

That's it!

To finish the leg,I wove the following rows:

11 rows of 1/2" flat

2 rows 1/4' flat dyed reed

1 row 1/2" flat

2 rows 1/4" flat dyed reed

3 rows 1/2" flat

1 row 1/4" flat (rim row)

I finished the rim with 1/2" flat reed inside and out, seagrass rim filler, 1/4" flat for lashing, and a piece of 1/4" flat reed for the hanger. Of course, you may choose to use 1/2" flat oval for the rim, and a push-in bushel handle or whatever else you like!

I hope you've been able to follow along....if there is any part that still stumps you, just send me an email!

And thanks a bunch to my reader who requested this tutorial!

Happy Weaving!

Design-A-Basket Series: Part 3

2010-09-20T09:41:00.000-04:00

Today, as promised, I will be showing you how to take a pattern that requires a square or rectangular wooden base and convert it into one with a woven base, with or without fillers.

I am a visually-oriented person, so what I do is start out by drawing a very primitive picture of a basket. For our example, the basket size is going to be 5" x 12" with a height of 4".

Just draw the basic shape...don't worry about it being to scale, just be sure to label it with the dimensions.

The first step is determining the length of the horizontal stakes - these are the ones that span the base from left to right, and need to go 12" across the base and up 4" on each side.

Take the length measurement (12) and add the height measurement times 2 (4" x 2, or 4" for each side which comes to 8)

So 12 + 8 = 20"

Now add another 6" to this total, to allow at least 3" of excess reed to extend above the rim row for tucking on each side.

Now we have 20 + 6 = 26"...the length for the horizontal stakes!

The formula for length of horizontal stakes, then, is:

Base length + (height x 2) + 6

The next step is to determine the length of the vertical stakes.

Now I am taking the width measurement, which is 5", and again adding the height times 2...

so we have 5 + 8 = 12

And again, add 6" for tucking at the rim.

12 + 6 = 18"...the length for the vertical stakes!

The formual for length of vertical stakes, then, is:

Base width + (height x 2) + 6

So we have determined this much so far:

Horizontal stakes : 26" long

Vertical Stakes: 18" long

That was the easy part. But stay with me...you can do it!

Of course, the next step is figuring out how many horizontal and vertical stakes we need.

First you need to know what size reed you are using.

For this example, I chose to use 1/2" flat reed for my stakes.

To determine the number of horizontal stakes you need, we have to figure out how many will fit across the 5" span, or the width of the basket base, taking into account how much space you want between them.

Take a look at my drawing:

Notice that again, I am using 1/2" stakes, and I want my spacing to be 1/4" (for most baskets, spacing is usually never more than 1/2").

So I take the size of my reed (1/2" or .5") and add the spacing (1/4" or .25") to get 3/4" or .75"

(I always use my calculator, so I convert the fractions to decimals)

Now I take the width measurement (5") and divide it by the measurement I just got....75".

5 divided by .75 = 6.66666.....

Uh Oh!

Now what?

Well, it's usually best to use an odd number of stakes, and if you are going to want to add fillers, you NEED and odd number of stakes. So I simply round that number up to the next whole number, which is 7.

So 7 is the number of horizontal stakes you need!

In a nutshell, then, the formula for determining the number of horizontal stakes is:

Base width divided by (reed width + spacing)

Are you still with me?

The trickiest part is knowing which base measurement to use, and I find that just making a simple drawing is the easiest way to make it clearer.

Ok, next we will figure out how many fillers we need, and how long to make them. You can choose not to use fillers at all, and that's fine. But here's how to do it.

To find the length of the fillers,

take the length measurement (12) and add 6" (3" to allow you to tuck the ends into the base).

So 12 + 6 = 18"

Filler Length Formula: Base length + 6

You will need enough to fill the gaps between the 1/2" stakes (in this case that is 6 filler pieces- it is always one less than the number of horizontal stakes), and since you have allowed 1/4" for spacing, that is the size of the reed you should use for the filler pieces.

To sum it up: 6 fillers from 1/4" flat reed @18" long.

Whew!

One more step to go!

How many vertical stakes do we need?

Well, this time, we need the stakes to span 12", or the length of the base.

Here's another one of my wonderful drawings to help you visualize it:

Again, we are using 1/2" flat reed with 1/4" spacing between them.

But this times, we divide that total (3/4" or .75") into 12", the length of the base.

12 divided by .75 = 16

So we need a total of 16 vertical stakes.

Formula for determining number of vertical stakes:

Base length divided by (reed width + spacing)

Now you can round that number either up 1 or down one if you'd rather use an odd number of spokes, but it's not critical. The spacing won't be exactly 1/4" anymore, but it's close enough and won't affect the size of your base as long as you true the base to the proper dimensions. I usually prefer to round the number down 1 so I don't have stakes crammed too close together, which makes weaving the sides more difficult.

So that's it!

Converting a pattern for a square basket that uses a wooden base to a woven base is the same. It's a bit easier, however, because all of your stakes will be the same length, and you will have an equal number of vertical and horizontal stakes.

That means you only have to calculate the quantity and length of the stakes once!

I hope you were able to follow along with my tutorial. Please don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions at all!

In the near future, I would like to show you how to design your own basket.

We all have spaces in our homes where we'd love to have a basket, but finding the right size can be impossible. So it's good to know how to make a custom sized basket to fit any need you may have!

If you've been able to follow along so far, you are already 75% of the way there...the rest should be a snap!

Meanwhile, Happy Weaving!

Design-A-Basket Series: Part 2

2010-09-19T10:40:00.000-04:00

Last time, I showed you how to take a round basket pattern that uses a wooden base and convert it to one with a woven base.

I neglected to tell you, however, that my example used an odd number of spokes.

When weaving around a vase, bottle, or other glass container, it's so much easier to do a continuous weave, and to do that, you must have an odd number of spokes. Certain weaving designs, such as some twills, also require the odd number of spokes.

To do this is simple. In most cases, when you have finished twining the base to your desired diameter, just pick one spoke and cut it right down the middle all the way to the edge of the twining. VOILA! You now have an odd number of spokes. This split spoke should be considered the back of your basket.

In my example, though, the spokes are 3/16" flat reed....a little bit too skinny to try splitting down the middle!

So what I did was simply add an extra spoke.

I twined until I had enough space to add another spoke, then laid it between two existing spokes and caught the extra one in the twining, continuing until my diameter was achieved.

The extra spoke only needs to be about half the length of the regular spokes, since it doesn't have to reach as far.

That's all there is to it!

Now let's just for a moment go the other way, and say you have a slotted wooden base but you don't have a pattern., or you lost it, or somehow accidentally burned it to a crisp, or the dog ate it.

How do you figure out how many spokes to use, and how long to make them?

It's easy!

First, let's figure out how many spokes you will need

Let's say I have a 6" diameter round base and I want to make a basket bowl but have no pattern.

Just follow the steps below:

Step 1: Measure the CIRCUMFERENCE of the base. NOT the diameter!

You want to take your measuring tape and basically wrap it around the edge of your base. That is the measurement you want.

(See my diagram below)

For my 6" diameter base, the circumference came out to 19".

Step 2: Multiply the circumference (19) by the spacing you want between spokes (I'm using .25 or 1/4" in my example)

19 x.25 = 4.75

Step 3: Round this number (what you got in step 2) up to the next highest number.

4.75 ---> 5

Step 4: Subtract the number you get in step 3 from the circumference:

19 - 5 = 14

Step 5: Divide the number you got in step 4 (14) by the reed width you are using (.5 or 1/2" for this example)

14 divided by .5 = 28

(I never realized there was no "divided by" symbol on my keyboard until just now!)

That's it! You have just figured out how many spokes you need to go around your slotted wooden base.

It doesn't matter if your base is square, round, or rectangular...the formula is the same.

The length of each of your spokes would be the desired height of your basket plus 3" (for tucking at the rim)

So if I want my bowl to be 4" deep/high, my spokes would be 4+3, or 7" long!

Tomorrow, I'll be showing you how to convert a wooden base pattern to a woven base pattern for rectangular and square baskets, so stay tuned!

Meanwhile, as always, if you have any questions, just ask!

Design-A-Basket Series: Part 1

2010-09-01T15:19:00.000-04:00

When I first learned to weave baskets, I limited myself to only patterns that I could find free on the web. Most of them are geared towards the beginning basket-weaver anyway, and I wasn't confident enough in my ability to fork out money to buy a pattern, so I didn't.

Then I got bored.

So I started to buy some books and some single patterns. Some of them were within my ability to weave, and some were not. But it's always good to challenge yourself, so I persisted and eventually was able to weave most of the patterns I had.

Then I wanted to be able to design my own patterns, but didn't know how.

Now, one of the frustrations I had with some of the free patterns and some of the purchased ones was that often they called for wooden bases which I didn't have on hand and didn't want to buy. I used to just skip those patterns, but soon the beauty and allure of those baskets was just too much, and that led to teaching myself how to sort of "re-design" some baskets to suit my needs and materials.

I think that was the beginning of learning to design baskets, and

I think that is a good place to start in teaching you basic basket design!

So if any of you out there have some decent, yet basic basket-weaving skills and are ready to stretch yourselves a bit and learn, I hope you'll follow along.

The example I'm going to use is this lovely woven wine bottle.

I will be showing you how to convert the pattern from one that uses a wooden base, to one that has a woven base.

Keep in mind, this tutorial is ONLY for ROUND baskets.

Square and rectangular ones are a bit more involved, so I'll be covering that another time.

The pattern calls for a 2 1/2" round wooden base, of course!

And it also involves gluing the base to the bottom of the bottle, and then gluing the spokes into the groove of the base.

I didn't have a base, and I didn't want to glue it, either.

So the first step is knowing how many spokes to cut and how long they need to be.

When you weave a basket using a wooden base, there are always more spokes, but they are always shorter, than on a basket with a woven base.

That's because the spokes only need to reach from the bottom of the base to the top edge of the basket, and only on one side.

But when you make a woven base, the spokes need to reach from the top edge of the basket and down to the base, across the base, and back up the other side to the top edge of the basket!

The good news is that with a woven base, one spoke does double duty....in essence, it creates TWO spokes....one for each side of the basket. And that means you only need to cut half as many.

The pattern says to cut 16 stakes @ 16" long

So to calculate the length of your spokes, you take that length measurement and multiply by 2, then add the base measurement:

16 x 2 = 32

32 + 2.5 = 34.5

So I'm cutting my spokes 34.5" long.

Ok, that's great...but how many do we need?

Well, the pattern using the wooden base calls for 16 spokes.

But we only need half that amount...and of course, that's 8 spokes.

***Just be sure you are using the same size reed for your spokes that the pattern calls for!

Sometimes you can go up a size in the reed width, but much more than that will alter the finished size of your basket.

Simple!

The only thing left to do is twine the spokes together.

Make sure to mark the centers of all your spokes on the rough side.

Line up the centers and start twining!

**Note: I normally use #2 round reed for twining, but if the base is very small, as this example is,#1 works a little better, but if the base is very large, using a #3 or even #4 round reed would save a lot of twining time!

I usually start with 4 spokes and start my twining as close as possible to the center. When I have enough space between spokes, I add the remaining four spokes and continue twining until the diameter of my base is correct....in this case, 2 1/2".

Tuck the ends of the twining in, bend up your spokes and continue as the pattern directs!

That's all there is to it!

If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment or send me an email!

Have fun!

Think Pink Raffle

2010-08-25T09:05:00.000-04:00

My good friend and fellow blogger, Nancy Jacobs, is hosting a "Think Pink" raffle during the month of September over at her blog, Basket Master's Weavings to help raise money for Breast Cancer Research.

A number of wonderful bloggers have already donated items for this important event, and I am throwing a few items into the mix as well.

One of the items I am donating is a compact size (6 1/4" X 4 1/4") Pink Ribbon Bible, NRSV. For every one of these Bibles sold, $1 is donated to raising breast cancer awareness.

The next item is a hand bound journal with 80 blank pages (made by me!) featuring pink coptic stitching at the spine and a pink ribbon charm (that used to be an earring!) on the pretty pink front cover. It is the same size as the bible, and the pages lay flat when open for easy writing.

The last item is also made by me and is a pink, crocheted, mini bucket- style tote, the perfect size for toting the Bible and journal!

All of these items will be raffled together, so the winner gets them all!

If you would like to donate any items for the raffle, contact Nancy asap!

If you'd like to enter to win this, or any of the other items in the raffle, keep checking over at Basket Master's Weavings for important news and updates and instructions and all that good stuff!

Good luck to all who enter, and a BIG THANKS for helping to support such a worthy cause!!