My first basket

My first basket class finished on Monday (I had actually finished mine a week earlier).  I really enjoyed taking this class, and look forward to another in the Fall.  This is called a “Market Basket”, will need to take with me this weekend to the Farmer’s market.  In the meantime, it is holding fiber!

Yet Another Hobby

I just finished my second basket making class on Monday.  The first week we had to choose colors and wrap the handle:

We are making a ribbed market basket.  I thought it was great the first week, and seemed so easy.  Week # 2 required more patience and intuitive thinking.  At the beginning of the class on Monday I was wondering how this could possibly take 5 weeks total.  Now I am wondering how I will possibly get it done in 5 weeks.

Since the basket is oblong, we have to fill in the sides more than the bottom to get even coverage.  Lindsay, another knitter, and I instantly realized that we were just weaving short rows!

It's Art!

First of all, forgive me in advance for the excessive amount of photographs in this post.  Please feel free to leave at any time.  I am just so darn smitten with my newest craft love that I can’t restrain myself!  During my 6 block walk from the Conservatory to my house with my prized work, I passed many people watching soccer games, leaving the public pool, or out for a stroll.  Two young children with their dad were heard asking him what I was carrying.  He responded that it looked like a basket.  I really wanted to turn around and say “It’s Art, Asshole!”, but I was too polite, and he was not condescending.  Years ago, during college days, Judy and I were walking along the Diag at University of Michigan, and one of the local bums was pulling a wagon with suspect items in it.  It happened to be the day of the renowned Ann Arbor Art Fair.  A couple of tourists walked by his wagon and muttered wondering what it was.  He turned around and screamed at them:  “It’s ART—Asshole!”  Judy laughed so hard with her great deep infectious laugh. Needless to say, that has remained a favorite phrase in both Judy’s  and my  families, and our children know the story and use the phrase when appropriate.

Today I took a class in weaving a garden trellis.  My expectations were far outstripped by the class.  I had started a basket making class with Karin Gubitz on Monday (photos and detail later in the week).  The trellis class was the first one that I had signed up for, but if you remember, after seeing the basket bombing of the trees, and her amazing exhibit at Gallery Pink, I knew I needed the basket class as well (photos of that later in the week).

We started with willow sticks as the base and wove beautiful colored reeds to make a pattern into them

The planter was merely to hold the reeds in place while weaving…

I love the colors, everyone really produced a unique and personalized version of a trellis…  My plan evolved as I wove my way up the reeds.

With no specific plan in mind, I let the colors and fiber tell me what it wanted to be…

Every trellis was so unique, we put them in the outdoor garden at the Conservatory and took group photographs at the end of class.

I brought mine home and while congratulating myself on my prowess, placed it in multiple locations in my yard to find the best venue:

Shade with hostas:

Alley Vegetable garden:

Back Vegetable Garden:

Massive Amounts of Dill:

Blooming lavender

I need to spray an acrylic finish on this to retain the color and then find the perfect venue.  Or, maybe it will travel around the yard.  I just will not put it in the alley or front yard for fear of someone absconding with my prize work.

I have found a new craft!  And I love it!