MYSTERY BASKET
Adapted by Dawn from a pattern by Ann Cuzco
MATERIALS:
#3 round reed (base and spokes)
#0 or #1 seagrass (dyed or natural, weavers)
#1 or #2 Round reed (dyed or natural weavers)
Yarns, leather lacings, natural materials or whatever you can weave with for weavers.
Cut--- #3 round reed, 8@ 8” long and 32 @ 18” long
BASE: Take 4 of the 8 inch spokes and hold them horizontally in your hand. Take the other 4- 8” and cross them vertically on top of the 4 horizontal spokes. Place a clothes pin on them to hold together temporarily, Using a long piece of your main color of #1 or 2 round reed, begin to weave the 8 pieces together starting your weaver BEHIND the horizontal group in the upper LEFT SIDE corner holding the end tight with your left hand. Weave in a clockwise direction going over the vertical 4 and under the horizontal 4. Wrap round in this manner 4 times.
As you finish the 4th round, you will begin a Japanese weave. This weave is continuous and is done by going over 2 spokes and under 1 spoke all the way around. You will need to spread the spokes apart, thus creating a sunburst design. Japanese weave until the base is about 2 ½ to 3 inches in diameter. DON’T CUT OFF THE ROUND REED. You will be using this piece again.
BI SPOKING: Soak the 32 18 long spokes and cut an angle to one end of each piece. Push a spoke on each side of the 16 spokes that created the base of your basket. Make sure that you push the spokes in as far as possible. After you have pushed one of the spokes into the base, cut off the remaining portion of the 8” long spokes as you continue to “bi-spoke”.
TRIPLE TWINING: Soak 2 more pieces of your main color and place them in two adjacent spaces either before or after your original piece. Triple twine several rows.
Now the fun begins, Make sure you keep your basket wet. Push the spokes upright and allow the triple twining to separate, making hills and valleys. You may even spread them out with your fingers.
Continue to triple twine around the basket following the hills and valleys for another row, Drop your 3 pieces of your main color to the left of a valley, BUT DON’T CUT OFF. Take another color of either reed or seagrass or whatever and weaving back and forth in the valley, decreasing a spoke on each side as your weave back and forth. This will create an irregular shape that will fill in the valley. Find the next valley and do the same with color or texture. Once the valley is filled in, go back to your 3 pieces of the main color and triple twine over the newly added color sections. This will frame your colors.
BORDER 1:
Round 1: Hold 3 spokes in your hands and take the left most spoke and go behind the two and out.
Round 2: Over 2 and in.
Round 3 and 4: Over 2 and down.
Border 2:
Round 1 Behind 2 and out
Round 2-4 over two spokes and down on the outside.
For either border, cut off the remaining length of spokes, leaving them about 1 inch long so they hide under the rim,
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