I’ve made loads of baskets, but this small 10” diameter basket was the most physically demanding and it took 5-6 hours to complete.

The vast majority of baskets I have made fall into the category of “stake and strand”—placing uprights that are then woven around with side weavers in wales and rands. This guy is made by weaving the uprights around one another after sliping them and tying them onto a frame base.

It’s not perfect. I aspire to do better. But perfect requires expert shaping. . . And before that, picking the perfectly sized willow and also soaking it perfectly. There are so many steps before weaving that have to be done “just so” to end up with a beautiful end product.

And if a rod breaks during a stake and strand basket, there are so many ways to fix that and replace the upright or weaver. But if a rod breaks during this weave, the basket is more or less a failure and has to be abandoned.

It’s a fussy weave, but man is it pretty when it’s done.