Weaving a Basket

I just finished making my 3rd basket with Martha Younkin.

Martha's Natural Fiber Baskets

I feel more confident in my weaving abilities now, and had a lot of fun. I did a few days of work trade before making my basket. Martha and I spent hours outside gathering rattlesnake master from the prairie to use as cordage and twining in the basket.

A rattlesnake master seed head.

We gathered the long, slender basal leaves, and bundled them up.

I wanted a practical basket to wear over my back and use for gathering. It became a lot more complex than I imagined it would be. I ended up working with a triple weave on a couple corners, and finishing with a "Swinomish" weave around the rim.

The Swinomish weave in progress, above three rows of rattlesnake master twining.

I felt pretty happy with the results. The basket is a beautiful combination of juniper(eastern red cedar) black walnut, american elm, and rattlesnake master. I attached a leather strap from an old purse to loop around my back.

If you want to see more photos from the process, check out my basket making album on flickr: Basket Weaving 2014