This came from a double flower. I had an earlier double flower also produce fruit, but only one side seemed to have been properly pollinated and developed. I thought this one was cool since both sides developed. (Normie fruit for comparison.)
How it started: There was a neglected clump of pampas grass in the easement behind my house, and I saw a video on facebook of Delia Fann smoothing the sharp edges on the leaves and weaving with it. I gather the weathered, dead leaves and the curly stalks and pulled the sharp edges over a rag to soften them. I made some tiny baskets just to see how it behaved (last picture).
Weaving: When I was ready to weave, I soaked them in water for a bit, then got to work. As I worked, I realized they didn’t need a soaking (just a dunk or spray) and would start to curl as they dried out, letting me know to mist them. I used the reed mace basket tutorial in the *Wild Basketry* book by Ruby Taylor to weave with a mould and twining method. I used the formerly-curly stalk sheaths as the stakes and the thinner leaves as the weavers. I sometimes had to take out the thicker leaf veins/ribs).
Retrospective: I’m surprised by how sturdy it seams, and by how much material it used. I accidentally twined a few stakes together in some areas, and I wish the weaving was a little tighter and closer together. I like the color despite the grass having some mold stains from being outside all winter. Since I used multiple strands for the weavers, I would like to find a way to manage the material more-easily. I’ve also seen some different ways to start a spoke-style cattail basket that I may explore in the future. I’m also exploring cordage with the stalks.
I dried and stored some Asian honeysuckle vines last spring during some yard clean up. I boiled and mostly debarked them, then wove them using a twining method. I had some curly pieces that I used for the handle and tried to make them look like they had grown twisted together.
I’m fairly new to making baskets, so it was fun to play around. I was happy to figure out the edge so easily (thanks to a book tutorial for a bramble basket) and that I was able to insert a handle since it was an afterthought. I’d like to work on getting the base started more-easily and evenly, spacing between my weavers, and shaping.
I’d also like to learn more about types of baskets. Would something like this have a name?
I found this kit at a thrift store for $.75 and finally made it. It’s older, geared toward the Boy Scout basketry merit badge, and made from dyed rattan. My version is a little wonky and the rim is a little different, but I was happily surprised by the directions and how closely mine matches the picture. And it holds my last project (obsession), crocheted strawberries, nicely too.
Had a few lengths of clothes line cut for another project, and felt like playing around with some Turks heads with the extra. I also learned a two-stranded crown knot in the process. (Nothing inside the knots except the green one which has its joining knot buried in the middle.)