Blue Mountain Baskets

Basketmaking & Growing Willow in the Blue Mountains, Ontario, Canada

Page 12 of 13

Winter

Winter 2018: January

Lavender field and escarpment in winter

Wild Willow & Dogwood round basket

Dogwood & wild vine cat basket

Magnus sleeping in cat basket

Toulouse tries basket out for size

Off the beaten path … here I will post about other crafting adventures and topic that are NOT about baskets.

Splitting My First Stone

After taking the Drystone Canada workshop, I tried my hand at splitting a rock back home.

Blacksmith workshop at Wareham Forge

Heating my first S hook!

All of the projects from the weekend: Fire poker; S hooks, organically-shaped wall hook; and leaf-shaped handles (not yet bent).

Of my List of 50, this experience was a real highlight!  I learned about blacksmithing and spent a totally hands-on weekend at the Wareham Forge with expert blacksmith artist Darrell Markewitz. He runs weekend introductory & intermediate workshops with just 4 students at a time working at two forges. Darrell’s teaching technique is adaptive and empowering for everyone, no matter one’s physical strength or ability to to pick up skills.  He paces each project out step-by-step between a demo and back to the forge to do our own. By Sunday afternoon, we were able to pursue a last project independently. I am so lucky to be living only a half hour north of Wareham Forge because that was not my last trip there!

Projects from the workshop weekend.

The coal forge we learned to stoke and used all weekend.

 

Dry Stack Stone Wall Workshop with Drystone Canada

Walling Workshop, Scottsdale Farm, Georgetown, Ontario

In October 2017. I participated in a Dry Stone Canada walling workshop and learned techniques while rebuilding an old stone wall on the historic Scottsdale Farm.

 

 

Boardwalk built & transplanting complete

Fall 2017

Transplanted Willows on both sides of 32-foot boardwalk

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