Brian English

Those root baskets were made with dry roots gathered in winter from creek bank,very brittle but soaked thet are very supple.

Mark,red osier is a favourite for baskets,I use it especially for joining the handle to the rim as it's very supple which is nessicary for the tight weave needed for this joint.I also use them for handles and rims as they are flexible but strong,have a frame started so will post.This year because of drought there was little growth but was able to find a few.

Here are a few of my baskets:

I've  been making willow baskets for 30 years called melon baskets but they really resemble half a football. After all these years I finally made my ultimate garden basket it's 22in.long,15in.wide and 11 inches deep.The nice thing about this design is that you can fill with veggies  wash and the water and dirt drain through.I've sold some over the years but there's not enough return to make it worth my while,I usually give them away .This basket I just finished took 12 hours to complete not counting the time to gather material,I do it to help pass the long winters,-35 with the wind today