Basket 18: mini harvester

Basket 18: mini harvester with improvised border and twisted handle; buff willow and steamed brown willow

Having not made a basket in about 9 months, I went through a mental checklist of what I needed to do to prepare. I had all the material, tools, and knowledge, so I got to work. What I didn't count on was forgetting two critical things: rods for the waling and how to make a proper top border.

Lesson learned: when you take a months-long break from weaving, thoroughly review the steps before making your next basket.

I'm a sucker for this simple twisted handle, but I need to stretch and learn to make a proper rope-patterned handle.

Another area to improve is the concavity of the base. It started out OK, but once I added the uprights, it lost most of its curve and this basket now wobbles. 

For this basket, I made rods for waling by trimming the ends of the uprights, which of course made it more difficult to work the top border and produced poor quality waling rods. As the buff willow uprights began to dry, I rushed, got frustrated and simply wanted to be done. So I improvised the border and it's my least favorite part of this basket.

Looking back at photos of baskets I've made, it's encouraging to see the progress I've made. And humbling to realize how much more I have to learn. 

I'm pleased with the French randing walls overall, but I did notice one place where my weavers doubled up. I'll need to review the technique again and pay closer attention next time to avoid this mistake.