Willow rods are a very flexible, but at the same time durable material. A wide variety of products can be made from them: baskets for picking mushrooms or berries, boxes, vases for sweets and cookies, very comfortable and durable furniture, and much more.
It is necessary
- - rods;
- - knife;
- - secateurs;
- - awl.
Instructions
Step 1
In winter or early spring, prepare your weaving material. For this, willow and walnut twigs are suitable, however, willow grows everywhere, and a year after planting, you can get raw materials. You will need rods up to 1.5 cm thick at the root and a stick 2-4 cm thick. The rods should be flexible, straight, with dense wood and a smooth surface. They are cut with a sharp knife or pruner at the root and folded into bundles.
Step 2
Next, you should prepare the rods. Remove the bark from them and steam in boiling water, after which the material will become softer and more pliable.
Step 3
To weave a simple basket, take three sticks. Split them slightly. Insert three more sticks into the resulting hole. Place them with the curved side up so that the bottom is slightly convex and stands firmly on the plane. This will give you a base for the bottom.
Step 4
Insert two thin rods into the slot and start tying the cross with them in a circle. One rod is at the bottom, and the second is at the top. Weave two rows in this way. Next, push the sticks of the cross pieces to the sides and braid each of them with twigs. If the rod runs out during operation, then build it up with another. To do this, cut the rod obliquely, lift the finished one, attach a new one to it, go around the stick and press down.
Step 5
Having weaved the bottom of the required diameter, cut off all the protruding ends of the sticks. Stick it into the bottom of the rack, helping yourself with an awl, their number should be equal to the number of sticks on the cross. If you want the basket to expand upward, then stick in two rods at a time.
Step 6
Then braid up to the desired height of the rack with two rods "string" (one rod - from above, the second - from the bottom), in the same way as the bottom was woven. At the end of the work, trim the racks without leaving any stumps.
Step 7
In order to make a handle, take a thick rod, rinse it over your knee. Sharpen one end, insert it into the product and mark where you want to cut the other end. Sharpen it too and push both ends into place. Next, stick a thin flexible rod next to it and wrap the handle tightly with it. The basket is ready.
