Ethernet and power cable wire cut-offs upcycled! The purple has been coloured using a Sharpie.

This is my first attempt to use my son’s business colours in upcycling his Ethernet wire cut-offs.  While the green is a close enough match, I have had to create a purple wire for his logo colours.  The Ethernet wire is made of too hard of a plastic covering to take a Sharpie pen permanent ink (it just rubs off).  I Did discover old cut ends of power cable wire take the ink well (a softer plastic coating).  I just played with technique and colour in this first prototype.  I will return to this project for another attempt as I source more old power cables I can strip down.

Inside view.

You can see the orange & brown swirling up the side due to the French randing.

Apologies to fellow willow weavers, but this week I had to choose a portable basket to make.  I wove this while traveling to Toronto via GO bus and train on Sautrday.  It was also an opportunity to refine some technique when using wire instead of branches:

1. I start with 2 x double-twisted wire in the base sticks for a total of 16.
2. I then separate them again to create the 32 side stakes so there are no new wire stakes to poke in (they would  just fall out).
3. Now they are too weak to be stake because I’ve noticed the stakes need to be double the strength of the weavers in order to force the weavers into a tight in-and -out weave around them.  If not, there are too many gaps. Solution? See 4.
4. For French randing the weavers would just fall out because wire does not have that springy tension of branches to stay in place. So I twist a weaver top down on the stakes which eliminate poky ends AND strengthens the stakes as they are now 2 x double twisted!

French randing & braided border

If you are a visual learner like me, you are probably thinking you need to see photos of what I’ve just said.  I promise in a future post I will take step by step photos now that I have worked the kinks out.  This next week though I am craving to return to willow.

Upside down view

This week I upcycled cut offs of Ethernet cable from my son’s IT business. I had admired the twisty colourful wires and wondered if I could follow the same techniques of weaving to create a miniature basket. It does work but with a few modifications.

Ethernet wire basket using only blue/white & orange/white twisted wires