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Basket weaving

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	Topics Basket weaving Topic Home Basket weaving (also basketry, basket making, or basketmaking) is the process of weavingWeaving Overview Weaving is an ancient textile art and craft that involves placing two sets of threads or yarn made of fiber called the warp ... unspun vegetableVegetable Vegetable is a culinary term. Its definition has no scientific value and is somewhat arbitrary and subjective.... fiberFiber Fiber or fibre is a class of materials that are continuous filaments or are in discrete elongated pieces, similar to l... s into a basketBasket A basket is a woven container which is traditionally constructed from stiff fibres, often made of willow.... or other similar form. Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials — anything that will bend and form a shape. Examples include pine straw, animal hair, hide, grasses, thread, and wood. People who weave baskets are called basketmakers. They may do this as a professionProfession A profession is an occupation that requires extensive training and the study and mastery of specialized knowledge, and usual... or a hobbyHobby A hobby is a spare-time recreational pursuit.... , and their work may be considered a craftCraft A craft is a skill, especially involving practical arts.... or an artArt By its original and broadest definition, *art* is the product or process of the effective application of a body of knowle... . The aborigonal tribes are famous for their coloured basket weaving techniques. To get that multi-coloured effect they first dye the twine and then weave the twines together in the most ellaborate fashion possible. These baskets may then be traded for goods but they may also be used for religious ceremonies. Basketry types Erdly classifies basketry into four types: "Coiled" basketry, using grassGrass Grass generally describes a monocotyledonous green plant in the family Poaceae, botanically regarded as true grasses.... es and rushRush Rush may refer to:Rush, a Canadian progressive rock bandRush A Uk based street artist, specialising in "dreamworld" and i... es "Plaiting" basketry, using materials that are wide and ribbon-like, such as palms, yucca or New Zealand flaxNew Zealand flax New Zealand Flax describes common New Zealand perennial plants Phormium tenax and Phormium cookianum, known by the ... "Twining" basketry, using materials from rootRoot In vascular plants, the root is that organ of a plant body that typically lies below the surface of the soil .... s and tree barkBARK BARK was completed in February 1950 at a cost of 400.000 Swedish kronor.... . Twining actually refers to a weaving technique where two or more flexible weaving elements ("weavers") cross each other as they weave through the stiffer radial spokes. "Wicker" and "Splint" basketry, using reedPhragmites *Phragmites australis, the Common Reed, is a large grass native to wetland sites throughout temperate and tropical ... , caneCane A cane* is a long, straight wooden stick, generally of bamboo, Malacca, or some similar plant, mainly used as a clubbing weap... , willowWillow The willows are deciduous trees and shrubs in the genus *Salix, part of the willow family Salicaceae.... , oakOak The term oak* can be used as part of the common name of any of several hundred species of trees and shrubs in the genus Que... , and ashAsh tree An ash can be any of four different tree genera from four very distinct families , but originally and most commonly refers t... The type of baskets that reed is used for are most often referred to as “wicker” baskets, though another popular type of weaving known as “twining” is also a technique used in most wicker baskets. Popular styles of wicker baskets are vast, but some of the more notable styles are Nantucket Baskets and WilliamsburgWilliamsburg Williamsburg is the name of some places in the United States of America:... Baskets. Nantucket Baskets are oversized and bulky while Williamsburg Baskets can be any size, so long as the two sides of the basket bow out slightly and get larger as it is weaved up. Materials used in basketry Weaving with rattanRattan Rattan, is the name for the roughly six hundred species of palms in the tribe Calameae, native to tropical regions of ... core (also known as reed) is one of the more popular techniques being practiced because it is easily available. It is pliable and when woven correctly, it is very sturdy. Also, while traditional materials like oak, hickory, and willow might be hard to come by, reed is plentiful and can be cut into any size or shape that might be needed for a pattern. This includes flat reed, which is used for most square baskets; oval reed which is used for many round baskets; and round reed which is used to twine. And reed can also be dyed easily to look like oak or hickory. The basket weaving process The parts of a basket are the base, the side walls, and the rim. A basket may also have a lid, handle, or embellishments. The 'static' pieces of the work are laid down first. In a round basket they are referred to as 'spokes'; in other shapes they are called 'stakes' or 'staves'. Then the 'weavers' are used to fill in the sides of a basket. A wide variety of patterns can be made by changing the size, color, or by placement of a certain style of weave. History While basket weaving is one of the widest spread crafts in the history of any human civilization, it is hard to say just how old the craft is because natural materials like wood, grass, and animal remains decay naturally and constantly. So without proper preservation (which was not available two hundred years ago, much less two thousand years ago) much of the history of basket making has been lost and is simply speculated upon. The oldest known baskets have been carbon dated to between 10,000 and 12,000 years old, earlier than any established dates for archeological finds of potteryPottery Summary Pottery is a type of ceramic material, which the American Society for Testing and Materials has defined as "ll fired cerami... , and were discovered in Faiyum in upper EgyptEgypt Egypt , officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a Middle Eastern country in North Africa.... . Other baskets have been discovered in the Middle EastMiddle East The Middle East is a subcontinent for the historical and cultural subregion of Africa-Eurasia traditionally held to be count... that are up to 7,000 years old. However, baskets seldom survive, as they are made from perishable materials. The most common evidence of a knowledge of basketry is an imprint of the weave on fragments of clay pots, formed by packing clay on the walls of the basket and firing. During the Industrial RevolutionIndustrial Revolution Overview The Industrial Revolution was the major technological, socioeconomic and cultural change in the late 18th and early 19th cen... , baskets were used in factories, and for packing and deliveries. WickerWicker Wicker is any sort of hard woven plant fiber formed into a useful object.... furniture became fashionable in Victorian society. During the world wars thousands of baskets were used for transporting messenger pigeonsWar pigeon Pigeons have played an important role in wars for a long time.... . There were also observational balloon baskets, baskets for shell cases and airborne pannier baskets used for dropping supplies of ammunition and food to the troops. The technique of weaving has been passed along, re-discovered, and expanded upon throughout the years, and is still being expanded upon today. Baskets were at one time used simply for storage and transportation of goods. Decoration was an afterthought at best. Today, functional baskets are still in use, but many are made for more decorative purposes. Patterns and “how to” books are now available for anyone to learn the craft. Native American basket weaving Native AmericansNative Americans in the United States Summary American Indian and Alaskan NativesU.S.... made their baskets from the materials available locally. In New EnglandNew England Overview New England is a region of the United States located in the northeastern corner of the country.... they wove their baskets from swamp ash. The wood would be peeled off the felled logFacts About Logging Logging is the process in which trees are felled and transported to a mill.... in strips, following the growth ringGrowth ring Growth rings can be seen in a horizontal cross section cut through the trunk of a tree.... s of the tree. They also wove baskets from sweetgrass. Northwestern tribes used spruce root, cedar bark, and swampgrass. Southeastern tribes like the CherokeeCherokee The Cherokee, or in the Cherokee language, are a people native to North America, who at the time of European contact in th... used bundled pine needles. Southwestern tribes coiled baskets from sumac, yucca, and willow. In northwestern MexicoMexico The United Mexican States, generally known as Mexico is a country located in North America, bordered at the north by t... , the Seri people continue to "sew" baskets using splints of the limberbush plant, Jatropha cuneataJatropha *Jatropha* is a genus of approximately 175 succulents, shrubs and trees, from the family Euphorbiaceae.... . Arctic and Sub-Arctic tribes use baleenBaleen Baleen is a substance made of keratin and is therefore stiff but somewhat elastic.... , and incorporate ivoryIvory Ivory is a hard, white, opaque substance that is the bulk of the teeth and tusks of animals such as the elephant, hippopotam... and whale bone. Birchbark was used by Northern tribes like the DeneDene The Dene are a group of First Nations that live in the Arctic regions of Canada.... . Birchbark baskets are often embellished with dyed porcupineFacts About Porcupine This article is about the rodent mammal.... quills. See also WickerWicker Wicker is any sort of hard woven plant fiber formed into a useful object.... WithyWithy Summary Withy is the name given to strong flexible willow stems that are typically used in thatching and for gardening.... Underwater basket weavingUnderwater basket weaving Underwater basket-weaving is a process of making wicker baskets which involves dipping reeds or stalks of plants into water ... External links TheNantucketBasket.com Google Books Google Books