"Weavers Words" Vol. 2 Iss. 116 Date Sent: April 18, 1999 Web Page: http://www.iei.net/~davidc/ Subscribers: 1019 David Collins 408 North Devon Avenue Indianapolis, IN 46219 317-899-5747 davidc@iei.net %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Do You Like Weavers Words? Click Below To "Recommend-It" To A Friend! http://recommend-it.com/l.z.e?s=210339 %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% "Web Cards" - Create Full-Color Postcards For Your Web Page. http://www.printing.com/affiliate.asp?site=davidc For every free sample of "Web Cards" that you request from the above link, I will receive a $1 commission. It cost you NOTHING. Once you receive your free sample, you can purchase personalized "Web Cards" for your web page and/or business if you like. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Hi Everyone, Just a quick note. Look what I stumbled across, THE WORLD'S LARGEST BASKET. Here's the address: http://www.imt.net/~charris/bigbasket.html Take Care, David %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Weaver's Words Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 23:42:04 -0400 From: us022649@mindspring.com (Patricia O. Jones) To: davidc@iei.net Hi David....thanks to you for all your hard work....I have been a member of WW since its beginning and I really enjoy it. To the IBA ladies responsible for the convention.....THANKS....I had a wonderful time and can hardly wait for next year....I guess if I sat down and really thought about it, I could find something that maybe I didn't like...but, I come to weave and learn something new regarding baskets...I don't eat breakfast as I am too anxious to get to my classes.....My husband and I meet up sometime during the day if I have an early class and we have lunch...At least two of those days, I leave my class and roam the vendors areas and the pattern room and buy, buy, buy......Then we have an early dinner and I can play with my pretty new supplies.....Then while he checks out and takes luggage to the car, I roam for at least another hour or so before we go home...always find that one more thing I have to have......smiles.... I don't come to eat (and I LOVE to eat).....I can do that at home...and food is expensive anytime you eat out... I hope I am in the clear on anything I have said. I would love to attend the Michigan convention someday....I have heard that it is really nice also...but until I do....Look out Indiana, I'll be there again next year.... Happy weaving to all Pat us022649@mindspring.com (Patricia O. Jones) pwj@mindspring.com %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Allen's Basketworks Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 22:15:03 -0700 From: "Allen Keeney" To: Hi, We now have our own web site at allensbasketworks.com and would appreciate any listing you might give us, Our present address is P O Box 82638 Portland OR 97282 after June 15 our address will be PO Box 3217 Palm Springs CA 92263 Allen and Nancy Keeney are the proprietors and our email address is akeeney@teleport.com Our phone number is 800 284 7333 which will be the same after we move. Thank you, Allen %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Painting on Baskets Date: Fri, 16 Apr 1999 20:21:12 -1000 From: "ckat" To: "david collins" I have been having a hard time at work with by back just controlling most of my thoughts during the day. And then I come home and there's WW waiting for me and the controversy that somehow manages to keep going on. It's amazing. Anyway last month on QVC for craft fair day I bought Donna Dewberry's one stroke small & pretty kit. It is the coolest technique of painting and works beautifully on baskets. It totally goes against how brushes are loaded she really wants your brushes loaded. The brushes that you use are also allot cheaper, Plaid makes them and I get them at Wal-Mart. Lois you would love this technique it's so easy. I got a video with it and it's great and this lady is always nice. If you want to borrow the video let me know. You won't be disappointed. Everyone have a great weekend. Kat in Hawaii %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: lots Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 01:55:38 -0500 From: Marty Zielke To: David Collins I must admit, I have had a hard time figuring out what all the controversy is about, even after reading all WW's. I agree with Rob Sutherland. Let's keep the sniping private. WW's is to share info. And I don't think anyone should be telling others what to sell their baskets for. I do believe we live in a free market economy. Nuf said. And now to share my info.....I found a neat book search web site, that will look for old and/or out of print books. I was able to find 3 books that people had recommended to me to get started on willow weaving. So if you are looking to buy those books, here are the 2 book searchers: http://www.abebooks.com/ and http://www.addall.com/ Also, there is one specific web site that seems to deal with old, out of print, remainders etc. It is http://www.powells.com/ I know someone else mentioned Hamiltons, and I did find a web site for them. http://www.hamiltonbook.com/. So I hope this will help. With the ABE book search, I was able to find Dorothy Wright's willow book being sold by a private individual. It is on it's way!!!!!! I want to thank everyone who sent me private emails re: willow weaving. I am getting enthused. And I mused over Rob Sutherland's comments about stripping the rain forests of all the rattan vines. (or something to that affect.) I do know that they process reed with a lot of chemicals. None needed for willow. But oh, I do hate to give up my flat reed. And I can't afford to do everything in ash or oak. Maybe once I get started in willow, I will never want to touch flat reed again! Hey, all you weavers who took my Retayne suggestion, how do you like it? (Uh oh, Rob will be mad at me for suggesting a chemical :~).......) I'll croak if all of you write and tell me you hate it or it didn't work for you!!!!! Oh by the way, Retayne sets dyes, and I have used it profusely on all those red shirts my hubby has a knack for buying. I set it in a bath of Retayne before it ever goes in the laundry!!!!! Well this is getting too long. Tony will think I am trying to out do him!!!!! LOL! from: Marty Z. in wet and soggy Illinois, future willow weaver, guilt maker, and all round cool person %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 113 Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 03:46:52 -0500 From: Roberta R Comstock To: davidc@iei.net "Weavers Words" Vol. 2 Iss. 113 Rob S. - I'm a recently introduced willow weaver 7 can hardly wait to get my own willows growing. Enjoyed your discussion a lot. Mary Hooper - I believe a shave pony is a somewhat smaller version than the shaving horse. Debbie Gring - I am starting my swap basket although I'm just now getting ready to sign up for this one. We don't usually hear who our basket will go to until the end of the sign-up period. Karen (kudzuweaver) - The rescue of the crane operator was indeed heroic and impressive. I hope the Atlanta fire fighters get a bonus AND a raise! It's a shame it takes something so horrid to bring them to the public's attention. Diana Macomber - When our cat got old, he seemed to also get more interested in variety in his diet. When he was young he was never interested in dairy products or bacon, but in his later years he would sit on Bob's shoulder and try to snag the cheese off pizza on the way to Bob's mouth, and beg to lick the ice cream dishes and cereal bowls. He wouldn't eat bacon from Bob but was always around to mooch bites of it when I had any. He loved chopped turkey scraps and during his final year, we pampered him shamelessly with raw ground beef and ground turkey, canned tuna in oil, and various canned cat foods. In his youth, he hardly ever got anything besides dry cat food. Bert Comstock, chilly and drippy in Independence, MO p.s. Bob's 78-year old Mom got out of the hospital today (Friday) after a hysterectomy and associated corrective surgery (on Tuesday). Wish us luck in keeping her from trying to lift things and drive her car during the next 3 weeks! %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 115 Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 07:46:27 -0400 From: Pamela Woodbury To: David Collins References: 1 Hi Weavers, About how many baskets to take to a show. I take as many as I can get into the van. Usually this means I have more at home. I have been doing this for 12 years so I have a pretty good inventory built up and especially as sales were so low last year. I still have a lot of last years inventory. That's okay cause this year I am actually creating and making things I haven't had the time to do before cause I needed to keep inventory up. I agree if I don't make at least 10x the booth fee then the show isn't worth doing again. There are just too many hidden expenses to do a show for less. The funniest thing happens at almost every show I do. I cannot set all my baskets out because I have too many and inevitably someone will come and describe what they want and I have that basket hidden away. Sometimes I think I sell more that aren't out than the ones they can see. If I have a variety of materials with me I'll let students branch off and do whatever they want. Last weekend on Sat. I taught my Cathead Sampler and a new design called the Reunion Basket. The Cathead Sampler is bright and colorful and has curls and beads sewed on. The Reunion had a little color and a 11/2" ash strip. Well a gal doing the reunion liked the looks of the cathead, but she didn't like color. I said it is your basket I have the supplies you do what you want, I'm here to guide you, but you don't have to do what I did on my basket. Luckily I even had some white beads and she was able to keep no color in her basket yet do the curls and beads. Wanda when doing a braid a lot depends on what braid you are doing. I prefer to use #3 cause a #2 braid is kind of scrawny looking. Some people use #4 and while it is beautiful with #4, it is often a little harder to work with so I'd found #3 to be the right size. For just a simple braid the spokes need to be 18", for a rewoven border they need to be a minimum of 32" and if you are going to tuck the spokes to the inside and do a row or two I cut mine 35", for a Gretchen or rolled border you need at least 75". Now are you totally confused yet? Bert my dog is a German Shorthaired Pointer. I feel the same way about the obedience class I am taking as Lois does with her painting. This instructor wants me to crate my dog for 2 hours, then train for 30 minutes then crate again for 30 minutes. This dog has been potty trained since she was 2 months old and has never chewed anything except when we locked her up in a crate of the bathroom. I have left her as long as 10 hours and no accidents or naughty behavior. I have decided it is my $70 I spent on the class and if we appear to the flunkies in the class so be it, but I'm not crating her. I took the class so we could learn to walk on a leash together and she could learn a few good manners, not so she would have a broken spirit. Anyhow my dog point is Lois you spent your money on the class and who cares if you pass or fail, it is your money and if you want to paint something red then do it. What's the teacher going to do fail you. I absolutely loved the legion or myth about the old lady being turned into a spider. Pam %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Quick note Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 12:33:45 +0000 From: Tony Stubblefield or Dean Meredith To: David Collins/Weavers Words Pam Woodbury - about scaring off customers with high prices - well I don't actually do many shows at all, at best, one a year so I'm not going to have a lot of good advice on this. I do try to keep the baskets pretty much in the same price range or at least not any one that is way out there. The show that I usually do is a basic craft show where people are coming expecting to buy pot holders and have their kids faces painted. It's a nice show but not on the high end of the spectrum. If I see a customer that I know buys my more expensive baskets I will show them what I keep sitting next to me. People usually are too timid to pick up something right next to you and if they act interested I can show them the basket and explain why it is a more expensive basket. That way I can stop them before they get "sticker shock". Billie - about digital camera printouts - yes scans always do seem to look better on the monitor than on printouts. The problem is that your monitor is rather low resolution (i.e. kind of blurry) at about 72 pixels per inch but your eye is tricked into seeing it as being sharp and clear. Your printer on the other hand probably prints around 600 dots per inch and creates a very sharp image. Because of the difference in resolution 72 vs. 600 the printer is having to make up or leave out the missing information and the image ends up looking very blurry or pixelated (like a mosaic tile). If you reduce/scale the size of the scan/photo by about a 1/4 you will functionally increase the resolution by 4x's and be more around 300 pixels per inch which should give you a better printout. This is a very over simplified explanation but I hope it helps a little. I don't know how you are able to use your camera without the manual! Have you tried looking on the software disks that came with the camera or on the companies web site, they often have "on-line" versions of the instructions there. Time to get to back to my chores, Happy weaving, Tony Stubblefield St. Louis http://www.tetranet.net/users/deanandtony/baskets.htm %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: BROTFORMEN Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 10:03:53 -0400 From: "Mary Hooper" To: "David Collins" German brotformen are bennetons in France, according to my Baker's Catalog from King Arthur Flour (1-800-827-6836) The text doesn't say, but the photo and price lead me to believe the banneton is pottery (70 bucks!) with a coiled look and the brotform is looks like it's made of round reed but text says they have been made of willow for centuries. Theirs is ($30!). If you want to buy one instead of making it, this might be the place. The description is of a 7 1/2 inch coiled round beehive shape. The rye straw bee skep on page 79 of Natural Baskets, edited by Mary Ann Gillooly (ISBN 0882667939) gives the technique. You could modify the shape to suit your needs. Look a the color photo of the red osier baskets on page 89 for a good illustration of a bottom for the willow basket. Earth Basketry, by Osma Tod also has techniques for coiled baskets. The basket is lined with linen and floured before putting in the dough to rise. When risen, it's turned out onto a stone for baking. I have no financial interest in the company, but I like the catalog a lot, though the prices are higher than I like to pay --which is what I can say for most of them these days. It has good recipes, too. Now, wouldn't a brotform be a good Christmas present for the baker who has everything else? Judith Olney, thanks for your offer. I'd love to know what's going on in English basket world between the third week in September and third week in October. See my e-mail address below, or post a note on WW and I'll send you my snail mail address. Lois, The doctor may be right. Pain is a sign of injury and injuries sometimes respond best to giving them a rest from what brought on the pain. Work on your posture, do gentle stretching exercises frequently, and apply ice alternating with gentle finger massage three times of each three times a day. Radiating pain could mean spinal injury. Ask about that possibility. If you keep working through the pain you could make things even worse and lead yourself into permanent injury. I've been there and know about that. Luckily for folks today, the ruptured disk injury is more easily operated on than it was in dinosaur days. Thanks Pam Zimmerman for your view on how many baskets to take to a show. Ten times our entry fee for the upcoming demo/show wouldn't be many baskets, but it's a good place to start the calculations. I I'm amazed at the cost of the materials for each basket. But the best materials are the least expensive, I've found. Thanks to the dealers who make it all possible. But I do tend to make a natural basket now and then just in case.... No one was too willing to share sources when I started out, but the ferreting out of the sources is part of the game. I don't mind sharing sources as the more people try basketmaking the more people there are to appreciate what goes into a basket in terms of materials and labor and the less likely they are to back off from the higher priced baskets. A ribbed Appalachian egg basket doesn't look like much until one watches the labor put into cutting and fitting ribs and covering them with all that flat reed--or until one of the "I could do that myself" people tries it and finds out she could but doesn't have the time or inclination to put in the effort. Thanks to all the web site that help us find what we need. Now, does anyone have any ideas for using thin slices of maple cut with the bark on. They are left over from cutting blanks for basket feet. Hate to throw them away, but I can use only so many flat hangers for wall baskets. Wait a minute, something is happening... yes, yes, I feel a spark of creativity zapping between the synapes between my ears, here it comes... oh no, another Martha Stewart moment-- no, that won't do, back to the question, does anyone have any ideas........ Best regards from all writ out Mary Hooper in sunny, cool, windy, drop-dead springtime gorgeous, western north Carolina mountains. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: WeaversWords Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 10:11:40 EDT From: CLAYART2@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hello good weavers of the world...Lois..how sad for you that your art teacher has lost the main focus of art and that is to develop and encourage creativity....I would strongly suggest you continue doing as you are with your painting and leave that poor instructor behind. Also, along with the sports cream to your shoulder, a good hot tub can't hurt! Judy: It has been a couple years since I used it but I dyed my reed with a silk fiber artists' dye. It was given to me but I know there was teal because it was my favorite...you might check at an art store.. Bert: on juried shows. I don't know what criteria is used for basket shows but I have entered and have assisted with many pottery shows and know that a person must never feel rejected if not accepted. A show is just that, and the items whether pottery, sculpture or baskets are accepted if they, when combined with others will compliment the show that the juror has in his/her mind at the time. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: braided border Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 10:27:35 -0400 From: Winnie Organization: @Home Network Member To: David Collins Wanda asked how to plan the length of reed needed for a braided border. In her book called WICKER BASKETRY on page 59, Flo Hoppe suggests the following for a Japanese Braid Border. "The length of the spokes above the weaving is seven times the distance between any two spokes at the top of the weaving." I don't want to sound like an advertisement, but the book is great. I refer to it often. The sections on Borders, Bases, Techniques, Handles and Colors are excellent information sources. It has a section on How to Design a Basket and it also includes 24 basket patterns. It's also available in paperback. There-- advertisement over. As for the size reed to use, it depends on the size of the basket. I've done braided borders using sizes 2-5, not at the same time of course. Billie, I'm anxious to hear about your "Squashy" basket class. Winnie, on school vacation this week and with plans to do lots of weaving. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 115 Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 12:49:28 -0700 From: Sharle Osborne To: David Collins I finally have the time to write in about a great workshop I went to last weekend. It was about four hours and called All Cedar Basket by Melinda West. Melinda is wonderful to work with and really knows her materials. She is very patient and adapted this class to the wide variety of students she had. We started off by making cedar paper. I thought it was great that instead of mixing a little bit of cedar bark with paper pulp, we instead made paper that was almost entirely cedar. Melinda had cut cedar bark scraps into little one inch pieces, soaked them overnight, cooked this four hours, soaked again and then blended a large pinch of the bark with a small amount of brown paper bag in a blender full of water. Lots of water, not much bark are key. We then dipped a screen into the slurry and set our paper to dry while we wove. Another great thing about this class was the judicious use of renewable materials. Small cedar twigs split four ways for spokes, little lengths of roots split for twining, just enough cedar bark and then our cedar paper. No two alike would be an understatement. It was fun and I recommend Melinda highly. I know someone else will answer this also, but --during the swaps there is about a month specified when people submit their names, followed by a month to get the basket into the mail. This allows folks to participate who might miss the first post or be away from email etc. I also use a digital camera. I chose the Sony Mavica. It records directly onto floppy disks in jpg format. This means no cables to connect to the computer and no special software. The rechargeable battery it comes with allow up to two hours of photo taking before needing a recharge. It was a good choice for me because I am using the camera with both PC and Mac platforms. For instance, I can take photos of someone, and hand them the disk. I get 15 pictures on a floppy disk and can keep taking more and more. The mid range model I have sells for $699 but is $628 through Provantage online. If any of you are using Macs, I recommend downloading Graphic Converter, an excellent shareware product. It is not Photoshop, but not $500 either. I would prefer to see disputes be less personally directed. I have three yellow cedars and one doug fir to go plant, some nw sweetgrass and some bullrush. I am suspicious the muskrat likes the bullrush after reading an earlier post and not being able to find mine. I also have four kinds of bark soaking, thanks to an exchange with Rae, and am very anxious to see what happens today. Happy Weaving Sharle Osborne sharleo@orca.esd114.wednet.edu http://www.olympus.net/personal/skoehler/bskt.htm %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Weavers Words Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 15:42:41 -0500 From: "Patricia Steinmetz" To: David Collins Greetings, I just returned from 10 days in Ireland. I can't believe all that is going on with WW. What ever happened to promoting the art of basketmaking? Anyway, I wanted to share some of Ireland with you. Words can not describe the beauty of both the land and it's people. They do not know the word "stranger". To them, everyone is just a friend they haven't yet met. The only "rude" or unfriendly people we encountered were the foreigners. My husband, a schoolteacher, organized this trip for some of his students who wanted to go someplace other than Florida for Spring Break. So we took 25 high school students and 10 adults and covered 1400 miles of Ireland. Now here is the part that I am sure you want to know about. Irish Baskets. I saw baskets being used in displays. I say baskets being used in work. But could not find baskets being sold. My basket hunt was not a total loss. I did come home with one basket. I found it in a small shop, down a side street in Blarney. It was holding a bunch of key chains that were for sale. After explaining to the shopkeeper that I just could not go home without an Irish made basket, she agreed to sell the little display basket to me. It is made of River rush. While it is not a very attractive or even well made basket, its construction is quite unique. The shopkeeper told me that she used to carry baskets for sale, but eventually got rid of most of them because they just did not sell very well. Ireland is better known for its crystal, china and pottery. That is what most people want when they shop for Irish made items. At any rate, the trip was wonderful. The kids we took were great. The only problems we had were with some of the adults. The national past time in Ireland seems to be drinking. There is a Pub on every corner. Next year we are taking a group to England. I plan to do some heavy research about where to find baskets in England before we go. Pat for the south side of Indy where it is cold and raining. Spring, where are you? After thought - concerning the controversy- Don't sweat the small stuff, and it is all small stuff. %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 114 Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 17:22:36 EDT From: RMHASK111@aol.com To: davidc@iei.net Hello to David & everyone, I'm very new to this and I hope you will bear with me. I am still in the "beginner" classification of weaving, but I am already hopelessly hooked! I haven't quite got the vocabulary down yet - could someone please explain what a "shaving horse" or "shaving pony" is, and what it looks like? I scarf all rims by hand with a sharp knife - had no idea there is a specific tool for this purpose. My teacher is a lovely 70+-year-old woman who learned to weave while she was living in Virginia. She is a strict traditionalist, so we do everything the old-fashioned way. The geographical area I live in (Dubuque, Iowa) has little historical knowledge of or love for traditional basketry - I would say most people buy their baskets at Wal-Mart or K-Mart. There are 11 of us who have formed a guild in the past year so that we can promote an interest in traditional basketry. We have woven strictly with (rattan) reed so far, but I would like to try willow. Wonder if anyone would give me a few tips? Do I just go cut it off a tree? Is the harvesting of willow a seasonal thing? Does anyone have recommendations on a good technique book for willow? As I just signed up for "Weavers Words" a few days ago, I missed most of the dialog about the pattern/copyright problems, so I have a totally neutral mindset on that at the present time. I would like to comment, though, on the recent thoughts from the gentleman who seemed to discourage the purchase of rattan products. I have always considered myself an avid environmentalist, so much so that I usually cannot walk around outside without picking up litter. I just can't help but think that rattan products, when used responsibly, productively and with as little waste as possible, to make a beautiful, useful, long-lasting basket have more than outweighed the need to have that same rattan vine remaining in its natural state in some far-away jungle. I don't see this as being any different from building homes or making furniture from trees. Neither is immediately renewable, but we have a need for wood, just as I felt I had a "need" to purchase reed to make baskets for my children and grandchildren. Its the only weaving medium I have learned to work with so far, so I can only make what I know how to do at this point. The Good Lord was kind enough to give us all these lovely natural resources, and the brains to figure out how to use them. I certainly do agree, though - we need to use them responsibly! Best wishes to all of you! Your thoughts and words, as well as the opportunity to use this forum, are much appreciated. "Butchie" (Mary J. Hasken) RMHASK111@AOL.COM %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Weaver's Words Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 18:49:26 -0500 From: mlower@mail1.aeroinc.net To: David Collins Hi everyone, It's been cool and rainy here, but that leaves more time for weaving. Can't do much yard or garden work yet. Plus it makes it easier teaching in the high school--no spring fever yet with students or teachers. Billie--We love our digital camera and use it a lot. It makes it very easy to take pictures of baskets or whatever and send them to people on emails. To print off nice pictures though, you need a photo quality printer and the better paper. Glossy photo paper makes a nice photo but is really expensive. We have found that using laser paper works better than the inkjet paper even though we have an inkjet printer. A photocopy shop gave us that hint. The laser paper has a coating on it which prevents the colors from running as much as they do on inkjet paper. The shop told us you can use laser paper in an inkjet printer, but do not use inkjet paper in a laser printer. Our color printer that we had was just fine for us until we bought our digital camera. Now we are considering buying a better printer so we can get photo quality printouts. New technology changes so quickly. Right now we are involved with a project with a 6th grade class in a suburb of Chicago (two hours east of us). Many of them have never been on a farm so we are taking many pictures with our camera and putting them on webpages for them to use in their class. They have been sending us lots of questions and its been fun answering them. Mindy Lower http://www.aeroinc.net/~users/nantucket mlower@mail1.aeroinc.net %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Re: "Weavers Words" V. 2 I. 115 Date: Sat, 17 Apr 1999 21:04:10 -0500 From: cjc619 To: David Collins References: 1 Hi everyone, I am new to this "Weaver's Words" web site and am wondering what the "Basket Swap" is all about. Is this something that takes place once a year; how do you sign up, etc.? I am looking for a pattern called an Adriondack basket for the American Girl dolls. Does anyone know where I could find this pattern or the name of the author? Lois- I am experiencing the same trouble of right shoulder pain that travels up the neck and creates occasional severe headaches. The only way I find relief is by going to a chiropractor. Unfortunately this is something that most people have to continue with once a month in order to maintain the correct spinal positioning. Basket weaving does not help the situation because we end up holding our heads in an awkward position for a long period of time. I highly recommend seeing a chiropractor if your insurance covers it! To the woman who wrote in a few days ago about her husband installing brass hangers on a wall in the garage to hang her reed and handles: Could you tell me how this was done and what size hangers were used? I'd like to do something similar to this in our basement. Thanks! From Lisa Carstens in Hartland, Wisconsin %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Bits and Pieces Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 11:47:55, -0500 From: BDKE97B@prodigy.com (MRS BILLIE A DORRIS) To: davidc@iei.net Wanda, Flo Hoppe has a chapter in the back of her book that explains how to determine how much is needed for the various rims and borders. Couldn't find who said they felt guilty about raising the price of a basket and then selling it but don't. Many years ago before I ever thought of weaving baskets and artist told me that if you price your work to low people will think YOU don't think it is very good and therefore why should they buy it. About the expensive baskets scaring away customers. I learned a long time ago (the hard way of course) never have a really expensive basket at the front of the booth where customers walking by can just check the price, be shocked and keep walking. I usually have one eye catcher in the back of the booth that everyone wants to check out. When they seem aghast I tell them no one ever said they didn't have good taste and then go on to explain what goes into it. At that point they sometimes will buy one of the less expensive ones because they can afford it and then hopefully one day they can afford the expensive. Or if they don't buy at that time they will remember you in the future as being nice to all customers whether or not they can afford it. Think about how you feel when you go in store and the clerk ignores you because they decide you can't afford what they offer by the way you are dressed. I always talk to my customers-not trying to sell but to educate. I am one of those crafters that stays in the back of my booth not the front. You want their focus on your work and you lose that if they have to turn away from it to talk to you. My booth is set up in an enclosed staircase system with several long shelves making up the "stairs" Then I always stand behind it. I also have a tall chair so you are always on eye level with the customer. Even when I sold mostly other than Nant. I never put out everything I had at once. One you want them to think of buying something special. You can always tell them that you do have that basket in another color if they're interested. My husband keeps insisting that if you offer too much they cant' make up their mind and therefore buy nothing. I'm not sure he is wrong. Lois, when people ask about patterns I explain that I usually do follow a pattern the first time as I am one of the people that have to know how something works before I can change it. They seem to accept that as a reasonable explanation. Also that many of them are traditional design that have been made for years. Pam, I agree that you should price your baskets as if you had to buy the bases. If he was just making them for you it would be one thing. But if that is his business then you should pay him just as you would anyone else. Of course then the price of the basket would have to go up but then both sides of the business would profit. Also then he doesn't have to justify to the tax man where all the supplies went and no money received. Lois, I didn't mean to imply that you don't teach technique in your class. Just that some classes (ala squashy) aren't about how the finished basket will look but home much you've learned for the future. My class went well yesterday but it took forever. Started at 9am and it was 6:30 before we got out of there and there were some still needing rims. And there was no fooling around. Serious weaving all day. I've about decided their are two kinds of students. Those that come to make a certain basket with you leading them by the hand and never plan to do another on their own. Then there are those that really come to learn so they can go home and experiment with other baskets. Did have one disaster awaiting me at home. My husband is out of town so all the animals were on their own. Somehow the grump managed to get himself locked in the bathroom. Don't know how long but suspect all day as that was one unhappy dog. There was one towel on the floor and the bathmat all scrunched up with some of it's "fuzzy's" scattered all around. If it had been the brat I probably wouldn't have a bathroom left. Of course that is also where the water dishes are kept so the others couldn't get them. So guess I'd better get a door stop so it doesn't happen again. The worst part is that they have a dog door and can go out side at anytime and aren't used to being confined. Well enough for now Billie in sunny Va. Beach %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: Brotforms/proofing baskets Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 15:21:56 EDT From: Corbettrj@aol.com To: DAVIDC@iei.net To Chris Jordan- Chris I am responding to you and to anyone else who may be interested in making the coiled proofing baskets for bread. The commercial ones (I bought mine from Williams Sonoma) are very expensive. I think it was $39.00. Mine is made from #10 round reed. It is about 6-7" high and 10" in diameter. It is just a basic coiled basket. I would think the easiest thing would be to make it over a mould. A bowl would work well. Where the round reed is spliced it is (I hate to say this) glued!!!!! The rounds are attached to each other with teeny little brads. Every row is attached to the one beneath it with a brad or two. The basket is coiled for five rows and then you begin to shape the basket outward. It is a total of 18 rows coiled on top of each other. It is finished off at the top with another brad or staple. They have just cut off the round reed and ended it with a diagonal cut. When you use the proofing basket it is very important to flour it heavily. If you don't do this, the bread dough will stick and be impossible to get out nicely. You should wash the proofing basket occasionally to keep the flour from getting nasty. In between the washings just shake it to get most of the flour out. When you first make your basket you should coat it was a diluted paste of flour and water. For a loaf of bread that does not crack, place the smooth side of the kneaded bread upside down in the basket. I use 3 cups of bread flour, 1 1/2-tsp. salt, 1 1/2-tsp. yeast and enough water to make the dough pull away from the sides. I make this in my food processor. Let sit for two hours. Remove from bowl and punch down. Roll the dough into a ball and place it in my proofing basket for about an hour. I pre heat my oven to 450 F. Place bread in the oven (turn oven down to 375F) and bake for 30-35 minutes. I mist the oven several times during the baking process to get a nice crust. I also have four unglazed quarry tiles (bought them at Home Depot for 97 cents each)I keep in my oven just to use for baking bread, foccacia and pizza. Probably more than anyone wanted to know about baking bread using a proofing basket. But since I love to do it I thought I would share the whole process. The bread has a lovely design on the top. A gorgeous day in "Lower, Slower Delaware". The daffodils are nearly gone, but the azaleas are just coming into full bloom. I just took a loaf of bread out of the oven and am enjoying the lovely smell as I reply. Carolyn Corbett %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% Subject: swap Date: Sun, 18 Apr 1999 21:04:22 -0700 From: Kim Leppin To: davidc@iei.net How do I find out more about the basket swap? I'm new to this site and would like more information. Thank-You Kim Leppin %%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%% If for any you would ever like to cancel your subscription, simply send me a message with "unsubscribe" as your subject.