September project

Round Basket with Side Braid Trim

 

You can plan to make this basket with or without an overlapped handle.

If you can, it would be good to make the basket base at home so that the braid could be done at the meeting. I think that the sides, tucking and the braid could be completed in the time we meet.

Height  about 4”      Handle measures 8 to 8 ½” up from center of base 

Base diameter - 6 ½” 

Top diameter – 7 ½”

Material Needed:

3/8” flat natural for spokes, weavers and rim

Cut 12 spokes 21” (if making without handle)

or Cut 11 spokes 21” and 1 spoke 55” for handle spoke

# 2 round for twining base and one part of the side walls of basket

# 3 dyed round reed for the side braid trim - Cut 24 lengths 24” long

12” or so of dyed 3/8 flat for top of handle (if making a handle)

¼” flat oval for lashing rim. (or your favorite lasher)

4 yards of ¼” flat oval for wrapping handle

Handle filler or extra lengths of 3/8” reed between handle lengths. I used a piece of 3/8” flat oval on underside of handle for more stability.

3/8” flat oval for outside rim if desired.

Sea grass for rim filler. I used #6 round for filler.

Making the base

1. Mark centers on rough side of spokes and 1” on both sides of center.

2. Soak spokes. Lay out 6 spokes (including the handle spoke if making a handle) into a star shape with centers in the middle rough side up.

Twine with #2 natural round forming a circle around the center along the marked lines until the diameter measures 4 ½” (space between the spokes should be about ¾” apart).

3. Add the other six spokes, one each in the space between adjacent spokes with rough side up and twining around new spoke and existing spoke  alternately. Continue until base measures 6 ½”. End the twining.

 

Weaving the sides

1.    Rewet spokes and soak dyed #3 round reed.

2.    Gently upset as you triple twine with 3 long lengths for 4 rows. Triple twining is done by passing the left reed over 2 spokes and under 1. Remember to step up at the end of each row.

3.    3 rows 3/8” flat natural start stop rows

4.    4 rows natural #2 twining

5.    3 rows 3/8” flat natural start stop rows

6.    5 rows #2 twining (The 3 last rows will be the rim row.

7.    Soak spoke ends and trim and tuck.