pine needle basket

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

This morning.. (and afternoon) I made a pine needle basket.  holy cow is it a lot of work... hours and hours for a 7" basket. Was really neat to experience making one. I cheated on this one since it was supposed to be an experiment. I used a leather needle and artificial sinew.... I had hopes of doing a bigger nicer one with a home made bone needle and elm cambium lashings... I can't imagine starting another anytime soon tho.  With how much work is involved you can really appreciate how much this little basket would have been "worth" in the primitive world.  I've got so much time in it I'd have to get at least $75 for it to sell it!   that's saying something..lol

[Adam]

Wow! That's really cool!  I never thought of using needles to make a container.

[Pat B]

Cool little basket, Ryan. Those nice long LONG LEAF pine needles sure work well for them. Next you ought to build yourself a quiver. You might get it done before you are too old to enjoy it. 

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

When I started I was thinking how cool a quiver would be made from this.     not a chance!

[Pat B]

 

[Scowler]

An exercise in patience and persistance.  Job well done.

[hedge]

WOW.   That is gorgeous!  Wish I had that talent.  I have tried my hand at basket making.  Simply ain't gonna happen   I probably could if I had someone to coach me along.  Anyway, make some more ot those.  I bet they would sell.  Or even use them for trading purposes.

[koan]

Awesome!..... Build a long? :-)

[vinemaplebows]

Thats cool I have always liked hand made baskets, and quivers of this type.

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

thanks guys. maybe when Spring comes and I can peel elm cambium easy, I will do an all abo build along of this style basket.  This was my first attempt btw, it really isn't hard, just tedious.
  made another quick one from split palmetto stems....which apparently isn't very good material choice.  it made a basket, but not a pretty one.   guess if you want a pretty one you gotta have rattan or willows.  I need to find something else here local that will work nice.    vines work, but I don't think they will look very good.   these are all just pieces to my "abo living kit"

[richardzane]

I'd say thats a pretty nice one for your first!
most 'firsts" get lost in a closet,(or given to distant relatives) that one oughta be in a place where its seen.

do you have buckbrush growing around your area? If you're looking for an indigenous material for coiling baskets.
contemporary honeysuckle Cherokee baskets used to be buck brush before asian honeysuckle began to wind its way everywhere.
i've had some nice results with it.
you have to soak it and scrape the bark (over a wedge shaped grooved board end in a vice)
soak it good before weaving, but this is definitely the time to gather buckbrush runners.   makes a nice woven basket too.

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

thanks, no I dont think we have buck brush around here. I will look it up and see if I know it by a different name but it doesnt ring a bell

[criveraville]

That's a nie looking basket.. Do you happen to have a video of the process?

Cipriano

[Pat B]

I was gonna suggest honeysuckle and like Richardzane said you have to boil it and remove the bark.   For other coil basket material sweet grass or bull rush works too I think.
  Did you use a open ended cone to gather and size the bundles of the needles as you wove it?

[Ryan_Gill_HuntPrimitive]

nope, I just eye balled it   I thought about using a gauge but then figured that was only one more step to discourage me from doing it. when it felt thin, I added a few