"Weavers Words" Vol. 1 Iss. 78 Compiled By: David Collins Snail Mail: 408 North Devon Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46219 Owned By: Weavers Everywhere Date Sent: January 08, 1998 Subscribers: 376 Back Issues: http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/Prairie/5998/ Basket Biddin' Auction: http://members.tripod.com/~Basket_Biddin/ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Hi Everyone, ***IMPORTANT INFORMATION*** ***PLEASE READ BEFORE PRINTING*** 1.) Highlight entire issue. 2.) Click cut or copy. 3.) Paste issue into a word processor of your choosing. 4.) Now Print. Take Care, David davidc@iei.net @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: The Wyoming Trip Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 16:20:40 -0900 From: "Jill Choate" To: "David Collins" The snow keeps coming in Talkeetna. Were up to about six foot now and only one shoveling off of the roof so far. Good year! We will be leaving the Great Land in August to tour some of the wilderness areas in Wyoming by horse for a month. Since it will be my only outing to the "outside" as we Alaskans call it I'll be offering antler classes to any guilds or groups that may be interested in hosting one. If your group is interested and would like more information you can contact me at choatepp@corecom.net. The best to you and yours in 1998! @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Lash Savers Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 21:44:18 -0500 From: Susan Mereau To: davidc@iei.net How very nice it is to be able to visit with all of you through your e-mail, there is something that has caught my attention and that is Lash Savers, could you tell me exactly what they are are, and how they are used, so many times my lashing gets frayed and causes frustration on my part, if anyone out there would care to enlighten me I would greatly appreciate it. Don't you just love this time when there are no pressures the holidays are winding down and the anticipation of getting involved in new projects is exciting. Sue @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 1 I. 77 Date: Tue, 30 Dec 1997 22:14:26 -0500 From: olneyjw@juno.com (Judith W Olney) To: davidc@iei.net References: 1 For Sandi Howard: A round basket is absolutely the hardest basket there is to weave well! The problem usually occurs as the basket is turning up. If it does not turn evenly, the rim will have a slant to it and the shape will be otherwise distorted. The best hint I can give you in this respect is to keep your stakes spaced evenly at all times when weaving this (or any other, for that matter) kind of basket. This means *you* will have to move the stakes until the spaces between them are absolutely identical...and you will have to nudge the stakes back into position when the spaces are not identical. This is an ongoing process, not something you can do just once! What happens when the spaces between the stakes are not identical? The stakes are much more likely to upset quickly when the space between them is not so great. Meanwhile, the stakes that have a lot of space between them do turn up, but not so readily. Now: all of the stakes have the same amount of weaving on them so: where the stakes are closer together and the upset is more abrupt, the diameter of the base is a little bit smaller and the side is consequently a bit higher. Where the stakes are farther apart and the upset is more gradual, the diameter of the base is a little bit larger and the side is consequently a little bit lower. Taken as a whole, the result is a noticeably warped basket that slants at the top. I said this was a really hard basket to weave properly so you need to know how you can improve the appearance if your basket doesn't meet with your approval once you have it woven. (1) Dampen (damp, not wet--there is a difference) it if necessary and put it on a flat surface at eye level (the top of the car is about right for me when the weather is good--otherwise get your eyes to the level of the handiest flat surface you have--kneel down). With your hands at the top of the basket and pulling down a little, wiggle the basket back and forth to see if you can equalize the turn at the bottom of the basket so that it appears more even. (2) If this fails, get your fist inside the basket and see if you can convince the closer stake side to turn up just a little further out. This should pull the bulgy side of the basket a little bit more upright. Alternatine these two steps several times should help some. If the top is still slanting, find something straight that you can mark on that is taller than your basket (cardboard box?). Set both the basket and the marker item on a nice flat table next to each other. Mark the height of your basket (at any point) and turn the basket against the mark to see where the top of the weaving is higher and where it is lower. I usually mark every couple of stakes if the top of the weaving is even (=), lower (v), or higher (^). Once you know exactly where the problem is, the best solution is packing. If you can pack down the high and even parts to meet the low part, you'll have an even top. Sometimes you can only pack the high parts down to meet the even parts. In this case, you will have to lift the low parts. Once the top is even, go ahead with cutting and tucking. The sides of your basket may still be a little off, but the overall impression will be that the basket is even if the rim is even. Just for the record: I have made this kind of basket many times and maybe 1 or 2 were actually even...it's hard! Billie: Sure do like your hints for waxed linen. I particularly like your variable sized mold. Too cool! Too thick? Just pull off a few pages! Yer gettin' smart in your old age! For the ladies who wanted a good beginner twill project: Patti Hawkins' Ballpark Tote is good. I hope 1998 finds all of you happy, prosperous, and glad to be alive! Judith olneyjw@juno.com 34 Bradford St. Rowley, MA 01969 978-948-2838 (note new area code) @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Weaver's Words Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 09:39:52 -0500 From: "Susan H. MacIntire" To: davidc@iei.net Happy New Year Everyone, Just wanted to thank David for "Weaver's Words" this past year and wish everyone a happy and healthy new year filled with beautiful baskets! Quin, sweetgrass is a grass that grows in wet, wooded areas along the northern border of the U.S. It's shiny, grows about 2-3 feet tall, and smells like vanilla. When it dries it doesn't disintegrate, it remains intact. I'm not sure how far south it grows well. I know that the native American baskets in Vermont & Canada almost always incorporate sweetgrass with black ash. It's great to use when you start a round basket with ash spokes. It's thin and you can pull it tight to make a good circle. It also can be braided or twisted (like seagrass) before weaving it in. (P.S. nobody minds you asking questions.) I did get all of my baskets finished and now plan to "play" in January. I want to develop some new twills and designs for this coming year. I'm never quite sure what is going to sell, but if I have something different (but useable) from most of my contemporaries, I can usually get the sale. Keep warm if you are going out for First Night tonight. It's supposed to be -20F degrees here tonight, not counting the wind-chill! Sue in snowy Vermont @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: WW/magazines Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 12:57:51 EST From: Hickeycb Organization: AOL (http://www.aol.com) To: davidc@iei.net Hi all: It has been a LONG time since I've posted - hopefully it will slow down for me now that the holidays are coming to a close. I wanted to pass along some magazine information tho. I subscribe to a newsletter called The Basketry Express - it is a Canadian newsletter published quarterly by Ankaret Dean. Cost is $10 per year. It is consistent and on time and contains good information - focused more on working with natural materials - always includes a fun project. You can contact Ankaret at: The Basketry Express, High Valley Farm, R.R.1, McDonalds Corners, Ontario, K0G 1M0. I'm sorry I haven't been contributing more but REALLY appreciate all of you who do so on a regular basis. Happy New Year! Coleen Hickey Yakima, WA Hickeycb@aol.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 1 I. 77 Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 14:39:22 -0500 From: "Debra Davis Lymburner" To: "David Collins" Happy and healthy New Year wishes to all. I got Flo Hoppe's Contemporary Wicker Basketry book for Christmas. I'm not sure when I'll be attempting the patterns but in the mean time the pictures are beautiful and an inspiration. Apparently there are some typographical errors in the book. You can print out a sheet of corrections from BasketPatterns.com. I had the pleasure of speaking with Kathleen Murray Calvert from KMC basketry. What a nice lady. I'm looking forward to my order from her. I also always enjoy ordering from Gratiot Lake Basketry. Now I need to stop buying and start weaving. Not much else to do when the wind chill is below zero here in frigid Michigan. Debra. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Good Wishes Date: Wed, 31 Dec 1997 22:13:27 -0600 From: "Patricia A. Moritz" To: davidc@iei.net A Happy New Year to all the subscribers of Weavers Words and especially to David for all your hard work in getting this all organized and keeping it going through thick and thin. I wish for everyone a blessed, healthy, happy and successful 1998 in whatever endeavors you take on in your individual lives. I seldom manage to keep New Year's resolutions, so instead I have decided to do as the "experts" tell us and set some short-term goals for myself this year - one of which I hope many of you can help me with. I would like to really get more involved in weaving Nantuckets. I have done several in past years and have several molds of my own, but I tend to hold back on really doing a lot of them because I have never found a good technique for nailing on the rims. I haven't found anything that allows for various-sized baskets to be held firm enough or a solid enough base to fit the basket onto for nailing on the rims. I ordered one of Nathan Taylor's hand tools which he uses for inserting the pins on the smaller Nantuckets, but the adjustable piece on it slips and will not stay in place. I've tried it several times with no luck. I also have one of Jim Rutherford's "pound puppy stands" (or whatever terminology he uses for them, but haven't found that to be very useful either for various sized baskets. I'm hoping many of you out there will be able to give me some other ways that you have found to work. I love the delicate look of the Nantuckets and definitely want to do a lot more of them. I'm also looking for the guidelines for figuring out how to create three or more spirals on Nantuckets of various sizes. I have the pattern for the 8" Nantucket with spirals, but am wondering how to convert those directions to other sized baskets to obtain the spirals. I'd also like to find some guidelines for the spirals that eventually zig-zag on the Nantuckets. Can anyone out there help me out! I would really appreciate it. Does anyone also know of a good source for turned wooden lids or rims? I love the looks of the John Maguire baskets where he uses the wood rims around the tops to finish off the baskets. I'm guessing these rims have a slot in them similar to Nantucket bases that you slide the tops of the spokes into when finishing the baskets, but I may be way off base on that one. Can anyone help? Lori Khoury or Ronda Brugh: Can you tell me the dates for the 1999 Indiana Convention? I committed to teaching some classes in 1998 at Betty Curry's oak workshop and won't be able to attend the 1998 convention. I have to submit my plans post haste to Betty for the 1999 workshop, but would like to find out if it will again conflict with Indiana's convention. 1998 will be the first Indiana convention I've missed in about six years and I'd like to be able to attend 1999's. I'm guessing that Betty's spring workshop will again be the last full weekend in March. I'd appreciate a reply if either of you know the 1999 dates. Again, Happy New Year to everyone and Best Wishes for 1998! Pat Moritz in St. Louis @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Sweet Grass Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 15:14:20 -0600 From: catslapbaskets@webtv.net (russell/karen mitchell) To: davidc@iei.net CC: Qka42@aol.com Regarding the question of sweet grass according to "Baskets from Nature's Bounty" by Elizabeth Jensen there are 2 species of sweet-smelling grasses that are used for twining and coiling. Hierochloe odorata - Sweet Grass Anthoxanthum odoratum - Sweet Vernal Grass. When used in coiling the grass is used as the core material. The grass is cut in Summer or Fall, tied in bundles or braided to store it. It is easy to grow and will spread. I have seen it used as rim filler in small baskets and I have used it to make small wreaths to put inside necklace pouch baskets. Once the grass is dried, soak for 10 or 15 minutes then wrap in a towel to mellow the grass for 1/2 hour or so before using. Gratiot Lakes Basketry (my favorite supplier) sells dried bunches of sweet grass. With the botanical names you should be able to find starts of it from a nursery. The book, Baskets from Nature's Bounty is a good one, really worth adding to your reference collection it has lots of good info and pictures. Hope everyone had a great holiday and WILL have a happy healthy 1998. The sky is clear, sun bright and it is +41* here in Minnesota!! Right now El Niņo is being good to us!! HAPPY WEAVING! KAREN THE CAT'S ON MY LAP CREATIONS! @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: HAPPY NEW YEAR Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 17:47:20 -0500 From: martyhln@juno.com To: davidc@iei.net Hi David and World Basketmakers, I hope you all had a great Holiday Season and the New Year is the greatest ever. I am sure grateful for Weavers Words as I was not too pleased with 1997. Here is hoping 1998 is better. There is not much news around here, so I'm grateful that you all can write some pleasant words. Someone was asking about shaping, if it is a straight sided basket you need to keep your spokes going straight up. Now if it is one that goes out then back in, as in a bean pot. You need to remember to keep your spokes about the same distance apart all around the basket, not wide apart on one side and scrunched together on the other. It is also helpful to find two spokes across from each other and measure ever few rows to see if the two sides are the same measurement. Sooner or later you will learn to control the tension so your baskets will get better and better. David thank you for the cards and your Love. I really enjoy this and look forward to reading the news from all over the world. Thanks to all. Regards, Marty Holihan dholihan@genesee.freenet.org martyhln@juno.com @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Weavers Words Date: Thu, 01 Jan 1998 14:51:55 -1000 From: Joanne Howard To: David Collins I hope you all had a wonderful holiday. We had a grand time relaxing and spending time with friends. Our families live on the east coast so it was a Christmas on the phone kind of year. I finished all my basket work for friends. My friend Linda, in Tennessee loved her lamp basket. I think they are the one of the nicest gifts to make. She has a lovely country kitchen and is putting a silk plant in the basket and using the lamp on a little shelf in the kitchen. I does my heart good to know that all of a weavers work is not in vain when a friend just gushes over a gift. I worked and completed another Nantucket basket. It was just a penny basket but it came out as cute as could be. My question is this. Rims. I have heard from many people that rimming is one of the hardest parts of the Nantucket basket. Since this was only my 2nd try at it, I am hoping that it will get easier with time. I followed the directions to the letter. I used a rim mold to form the rim. I scarfed the joints to as near perfect as could be. When I placed the rim on the basket, inside and out, it seem to fit like a glove. As I started to lash,it was obvious that the inner rim was going to be short. As I got near the end of lashing I had no other choice but to cut the inside rim and I ended up with about 1/4 inch gap. I would have started over and made a new rim, but I bought the materials as a kit, and I didn't have another piece for rimming. I chalk this rim up to a learning experience. Can any one figure out where I went wrong? I would guess right now that the inner rim needed to be a little bigger. If you follow a rim mold, isn't that supposed to be the perfect dimension? So I suppose it needed a tighter fit instead of just a perfect fit. I know this is hard to explain but any Nantucket makers out there might have come across the same rimming problems and might be able to share. All of your advice is welcome!!!! We had a very noisy New Year this year. The more firecrackers and fireworks to ward off evil spirits the better. Hope everyone had their Mochi for good luck! In the south it's Hoppin' John. Does anyone else have a New Years food that they eat for good luck on the first day of the new year? Would love to hear about your traditions. Thanks for all of the help and advice you all lend. To David, a king among gentlemen. You are a true saint to take care of this list. I hope 1998 is a great year for you!! Hauoli Makahiki Hou, Joanne @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: questions Date: Thu, 1 Jan 1998 18:28:04 -0600 From: "Fred & Lori Osmond" To: "David Collins" Dear Basketweavers, I sure enjoy this list. I have a question and hope someone can help me. After weaving for only 4 years, I went to a Longenberger Basket party the other night. Wow!!! $$$$$$$ Anyway, to make a longgggg story short, I want to make a purse basket like theirs. I've already woven the basket and have stopped at the top edge. I need to know if anyone knows what the top edge is made of. I have two inch flat reed that is much too thin to put a nail through. That leads to my next ???... Have any of you ever used nails, and what kind do you recommend? How do you do it??? I've always been against using anything like nails, but want to try something new. Please respond to me personally or by the list. I really appreciate it. Thank you and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!! Lori @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: shows Date: Fri, 2 Jan 1998 17:58:47 -0500 From: The Rigterinks To: "'davidc@iei.net'" Happy New Year to all! I hope everyone has enjoyed a break in the hustle of the holidays and has been able to get some "personal weaving time" in. I have just been talked into doing a craft show in Chicago on the day before Mothers Day this year. About 5 years ago I did my first show and was very disappointed and have not done one since. My sister has talked me into giving it another try. She constantly tells me that Chicago is "hot" for baskets and NO ONE around there does baskets. So I guess....I'm going to give it another try. Truthfully, I've always wanted to try it again...just because. My question for all of the seasoned "PROS" out there is...any suggestion?? Like I said, I've done one show and was totally unsuccessful, so I would gratefully covet all suggestions as to how to make this show a success! You can either e-mail me privately or post it on this list. Thanks in advance Diane @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 1 I. 76 Date: Fri, 02 Jan 1998 22:26:16 -0400 From: Joanne Jackson To: David Collins References: 1 Happy New Year to David and all on the list, I have enjoyed the cards that you have sent to us David. I am wondering if anyone knows where I can buy small pieces of driftwood. I want to make some small necklace pouches and use driftwood for the handles. I told my son in California to look for small pieces of driftwood when they go boating and I will tell my son who lives on the beach in Florida to keep his eyes open for some neat pieces. But in the meantime if anyone knows where I can get some I would appreciate the info. I haven't had time to weave anything since I got home from convention so maybe this next year I will get back to doing some more weaving. Well it is back to getting all of the holiday decorations put away for another year. I really enjoy my little tree with it's twinkling purple lights(300) on it. Hate to take it back to its storage place in the rafters of the garage. The best to all in 1998. Joanne Jackson from balmy(42degrees) Michigan @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 1 I. 76 Date: Sat, 03 Jan 1998 09:23:04 -0500 From: nhedberg@preferred.com (Nancy Hedberg) To: David Collins Bert: By your definition, what I use on my Nantuckets are staves. That makes sense since many of the early lightship weavers were also coopers by necessity and incorporated many of the same techniques in their baskets. Thanks for the info. @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ If for any you would ever like to cancel your subscription, simply send me a message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.