Yippee! I’ve made it to the first quarter of the year- – Basket #13…

I wanted an oval shopping-style basket since sometimes I have longer items to carry. The narrowness makes it easy to keep close to one’s side if mingling in a market crowd.

I had meant to do a wrapped hoop handle but forgot to stick in the spacer stakes while I merrily wove the French randing. I therefore kept the 4 centre stakes on both sides out of the simple trac border and bowed them over tucking the tips into the opposite side to make a sturdy woven/wrapped handle. It worked though I didn’t know what I was doing when it came to the wrapping ends. What is this kind of handle called?

My first zig zag weave basket with a wooden bowl & utensils carved by my Mom in art college

I had admired Lene Rasmussen’s baskets with a zig zag weave when at Lakeshore Willows, so I wanted to try it out.  I found some examples online and studied the pattern but am probably missing out on some tips to make it consitent and not break the weavers on such sharp turns. The base turned out nicely wide and sturdy, so the utensils don’t topple it over. I picked the colours to go with the copper, gold and silver backsplash glass tiles.

Detail of zigzag weave

My husband and I go to the English Country Dancing Regency Ball every year at the Navy Hall of Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake. This week I had fun designing a Regency-style reticule.

Souvenir ball ticket with the reticule in our 1830s apartment window

3rd Annual Regency Ball at Fort George in Niagara-on-the-Lake.

I chose a fine Belgian Red willow to match the dress I made out of a lovely cotton fabric with a woven pattern of tiny white and red flowers. What a bargain table find at Fabricland and so very Regency.

My great-grandmother’s crocheted lace.

I am delighted to finally have a special use for the crocheted lace band you see woven in the basket. My great-grandmother in Germany crocheted it 80+ years ago. I have been holding on to it for 30 years waiting for a way to use this short length. Here it will be gently preserved woven among the stakes. I used black bias fabric tape behind it to keep it stiff and to highlight the delicate pattern.

Perhaps ladies of 1812 would not have used a basket when attending an evening ball, but I wanted something in which to hide my phone for photos!

Willow basket with French randing and braided border.

You can see I am on a French randing and braided border trend! I love the way the spirals form in this kind of randing, so I selected a Bleu and a Hakuro Nishiki for contrasting colours in the side weavers. I had struggled in Week 6 with too thick willow in my first braided border. Since I practised the braiding technique on the last two weeks’ wire baskets, I wanted to give it another go in willow.

Here is a little rhyme I made up to remind me of the steps for the braided border:

Criss, cross, a stake to ground.

Then leave its neighbour pointing down.

I used the dimensions and stake pattern from Jon Ridgeon’s first project in his book and on his website, but after the set up I got artistic with the colours, randing and border!