[Nfb-krafters-korner] Basket Weaving

Sat Jan 22 22:08:03 UTC 2011

Hi all -- I've been in and out and offline for a few days but now back --  
and my mailbox is full, but I just noticed this thread on basketry.

I have a little experience with baskets and I think they are an excellent 
kraft.

I did a coile basket out of reeds and yarn back in high school.  I still 
have the basket -- it has a squash blossom design with modifications to add 
some personal flair. It turned out nice, but I spent a long time on it --  
maybe 13 months, and to keep the reeds from hardening I had to keep the 
thing under water, and to keep the water from getting algae and milldew, I 
had to regularly change it and pour in a capful of disinfectant.  But in the 
end it was all worth it.  (It would have taken less time had I not 
procrastinated working on it a few months.)
I had partial sight in high school and so could see the colors of the yarn 
as I sewed.  I don't know how I would do it now with hardly any sight, but 
it is really a fun craft.
(Oh, and it got me the dubious distinction of being an expert at "under 
water basket weaving"... People loved to poke fun of that.)

As for other baskets, I took a class on polynesian weaving when I spent a 
semester in Hawaii in college.  Now that was fun, but I don't know what 
materials could be used in place of the ti leaves that we used in class.
The baskes we made included 2 standard baskets, mats with different kinds of 
weaving, a fan with added decorations woven in, and a headband.

Anyway, if anyone is interested in any of these I think I could teach them. 
There seems to be a lot of experienced coiled basket weavers on the list, so 
probably anyone could do that, but I am just volunteering if no one else 
wants to do it.
The polynesian ti leaves are long and narrow, kind of like spears.  We would 
cut strips the length of the leaf to weave.  I can't think of a suitable 
substitution for these, but I'm sure there is something.

Anyway, happy krafting.
--le

----- Original Message ----- 
From: <Blindhands at aol.com>
To: <nfb-krafters-korner at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, January 22, 2011 3:27 PM
Subject: Re: [Nfb-krafters-korner] Basket Weaving

I had checked out that website Susan that you sent to the list.  Man  there
was a lot of interesting things there I would love to get kits and give a
try.

What would be a beginners reed basket to start with.

I know when I was up at Girl Scout Camp they had a basket that had a solid
base disk and I don't remember exactly what we did, but we put the reed
into the  base and then wove reed in and out of the reed sticking up   Maybe
that wasn't quite it, but the kids and I caught on.  I did not finish the
one I was working on.  I took it apart and put the supplies back.

I might have to do some investigating and find a simple kit for us to try
out here on Krafters Korner.

Joyce  Kane
_www.KraftersKorner.org_ (http://www.krafterskorner.org/)
Blindhands at AOL.com

In a message dated 1/22/2011 12:18:29 P.M. Pacific Standard Time,
magkisa83 at gmail.com writes:

Thanks  so much!  Don't worry about the subject lines.  I'm just  behind
on the list, that's all.  I'm glad to finally be getting  somewhere.
This is exactly the kind of training that I'm seeking and it's  truly a
shame that almost no one provides it today.  These used to be  the
so-called blind trades, and here I am, a totally blind person, with  no
support from most of the blind/visually-impaired community (most  are
annoyed that I'm interested in these things as a career) and no  one
who has the necessary skills to teach me.  I'm glad to have  finally
found the exceptions.  I'd be interested in learning the  differences
between the traditional reed weaving and coiling and to get a  start on
something.  Any help you can give me, on or offline, would  be
wonderful.  Feel free to e-mail me offlist as well.

With  appreciation,
Eleni

On 1/22/11, Susan Roe  <dogwoodfarm at verizon.net> wrote:
> Hi Eleni,
>
> Sorry  if the subject lines through you off.  It is sometimes difficult
to
> remember to change the subject line when you are answering other's  post.
> I'll try harder from now on.
>
> Basket weaving of  almost any kind is not impossible for the blind to
learn.
> Some  tecniques are easier than others, of course, but styles and
materials
>  are endless once you master a few different basic tecniques.
>
>  Coil baskets are the easiest for a beginner because you learn how to
shape
> the materials you are using with your hands as you slowly build  your
basket.
> It has been mentioned that in the two basket classes I  taught for
Krafters
> Korner, that no two baskets were alike.  I  can almost garuntee that none
of
> them were.  Materials were  different to a degree and even everyone's
mental
> picture of their  basket is different as they shape and turn their basket
in
> their  hands.
>
> Standard reed baskets and coil baskets are not done the  same way;
however,
> you can use reeds in coil basketry.
>
>  I have never used a kit to do either kind of basket weaving.  I was
taught
> in highschool after I lost my sight over 30 years ago.  I  was
mainstreamed
> in school and never went to a school specifically  geared for the blind.
I
> had summer adjustment training, now  called transitional training when I
was
> 18 and was taught several  other crafting methods.
>
> I have another basket weaveing sight  that I'll send to you that is in
> Kentucky, I think, and you can take a  look at what they have.  I have
baught
> my reeds in a local shop,  but I can't tell you the gauge because I go by
> feel.
>
>  If you have any questions, contact me off line and I'll give you my  home
> number.  That goes for anyone else who is interested.   I'll answer
whatever
> I can on list, but sometimes it is just easier on  the phone.
>
> Susan
>  dogwoodfarm at verizon.net
>
>
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