Not Quite

I was determined to finish my basket before the end of yesterday's workshop. I started the day feeling confident that things were well underway. The handle and rim of this basket are part of the basic structure. That was completed on the first morning. Then there was twining. Then there was more twining. And more twining. As the afternoon wore on one or two of my fellow students finished their work. By three o'clock people were starting to talk about packing up. We were offered extra materials to take home to finish up. I didn't want to know. There I sat--a little island in a sea of basket-making materials. They pulled out the rakes and brooms. They swept around my chair. When the vacuum cleaner roared into action I admitted defeat. The basket is not quite finished.

You can see a little gap in the work just in the middle. It's a persistent little gap. I don't know how many times I thought it was nearly finished, but still there was just a little gap to be filled. I hope to get it done in the next few days. I don't need another nearly-finished project at my house. I'm looking forward to the satisfaction of a completed basket. Then I'll need to decide where to put it. Meanwhile I'm curious about various aspects of what I've learned. There's a world of new materials to be explored, but I keep reminding myself of the realities of space and time. So, we'll see what this little basket leads to . . . I'm not quite hooked . . . yet . . . 

Happy-Tired

There should be a word for it: that satisfied feeling at the end of a concentrated day of crafting. The brain has been occupied all day--focussing on patterns and rhythms, dreaming of possibilities while tuning into incomplete realities. The hands have been following new paths, learning new ways of doing. And this is a workshop, so there's been a warm social context with others who are either demonstrating or likewise learning, observing, attempting, dreaming . . . I don't know the word for it, but it's a good thing.

It was my first day of basket making and it began like this:

 

Twist together two circles of lawyer cane and intersect them at right angles to each other. One circle will form both the handle and the bottom axis of the basket. The other will be the rim. The last time I met lawyer cane--aka "wait a while"--I was bushwalking in Queensland. I'm glad I didn't have the job of harvesting and stripping off the vicious little barbs for which it is notorious! Thankfully this stuff is available for sale all clean and ready to go.

The next task was to secure the join. Then came twining. Today there will be more twining. Jean, our experienced teacher and Sue, workshop coordinator, provided all the materials plus a running commentary on where and how they could be harvested. I don't have room in my house for a new collection of stuff, so at this stage I'm practising restraint. That could change though. I hear that some vines--and the branches of my precious Silver Princess--can be used fresh. I will have to find out more about that. Meanwhile it's time to pack my bags and head off for another day of concentration and satisfaction. Hopefully by tomorrow I'll have a basket to show for my efforts. 

Photo Shoot

I'm off to my basket making workshop this morning. It's on the other side of town, so last night I decided to think about a picture for the blog before I went to bed, rather than have one more thing to do this morning. By the time I thought of it the light was getting low. I've made a few more of the crochet flowers. I've also been reading a little bit about taking photos to showcase handmade work. Everyone says that using the flash is a bad idea. And they're right. The flash made everything look flat and there was a nasty shine from my table as well. Back to natural light.

I found that the low light emphasised the shape and depth of the flowers, but I wouldn't call this a glam shot. The colour is reasonably true to life--on my monitor at least. To dress up my photos I'll need to think about some props. Another challenge is to find some human models--not so much for the brooches, but my hats, scarves and necklaces would certainly look better with a human. These are some of the challenges I come up against when I think about a real photo shoot. For now though, I need to brew myself another coffee and get organised for that workshop. I'm taking my camera, so hopefully I'll have something to show tomorrow. 

Looking Forward

I've been wanting to have a go at basket-making for a while. Not that I expect it will become my primary passion, but the structural possibilities intrigue me. And I have some exciting ideas about ways in which my fibres and established interest in weaving may be incorporated. At last year's Sheep and Wool Show I promised myself a basket-making workshop. I even went as far as enrolling, but had to cancel because of a teaching commitment. I came across the Basket-makers of Victoria again at the Quilt and Craft show a few weeks ago. There was the workshop I had promised myself.

The flyer arrived yesterday. I've already made a call today to see if I can book my place. It will be interesting to see what comes out of it.