Is Anyone Weaving Willow?

We have a lot of willow on our farm and the weaving of willow intrigues me. One of the main ones is sandbar willow I think, the bark is tan. There are also willows with a green bark and those with red, I need to do more research on what is growing here. Would be interested in hearing about willow weaving by those with experience.

https://www.minnesotawildflowers.info/shrub/sandbar-willow#lboxg-8


Thank you,

Doug

How lovely that you have different colours to start with!

I've had a little go at weaving with willow. I went on a beginners workshop locally and every now and again have a play with the willow I havegrowing round here. I have purple willow which grows pretty well - up to 7 ft or so in a season if I cut the bush back. I found bending it without breaking tricky and hard on my hands, but I'd love to be good at it. Like any craft I guess it is a mixture of practise and knowing what to practise!

Nancy Reading wrote:How lovely that you have different colours to start with!

I've had a little go at weaving with willow. I went on a beginners workshop locally and every now and again have a play with the willow I havegrowing round here. I have purple willow which grows pretty well - up to 7 ft or so in a season if I cut the bush back. I found bending it without breaking tricky and hard on my hands, but I'd love to be good at it. Like any craft I guess it is a mixture of practise and knowing what to practise!

Cool, for some reason the color of the bark does not seem significant to me as my first go at it I stripped the bark. For me the colors are more an indicator of the size, sandbar is small, green willow medium and the red willow growing with cattail is quite tall. The size of the willow would in my mind make it a choice for different tasks. The larger willow could be used as a room divider for instance. I love the look of wood and the more the better for me. Not sure that it all needs to be weaved, some could be pinned with willow dowels or tied together with the bark.

I have taken a couple of classes, and have just started growing a little willow myself for basketmaking.  For the classes, we've used "brown willow" where the willow has been cut in the previous fall/winter, allowed to dry, then soaked to make it flexible before weaving.    My understanding is that weaving with green willow (cut and then woven before it dries out) can leave some gaps in the basket since the fresh green willow will shrink as it dries.  
I think the bark colors might change as well from their live growing color compared to after drying (either after weaving green or using brown willow).  
I'm a long way from weaving anything where gaps could be blamed on the willow rather than on my technique!
Do you have deer around where your willow are growing?  They will nibble the tender tips, which will cause some branching.

We have acres of willow in our grassland, the occasional burn will set them back. Too dry this year for a burn so the willows are going strong. I have been reading up on the time to harvest, the dormant season is best. Basket weaving is too intricate for me, something larger scale, trellis like creations. Because we have so many they grow straight in those thick stands.

I have woven willow rods for a living fence using a variety named Salix purpurea 'Oka.'  Purpureas tend to be more deer resistant.

Ghislaine de Lessines wrote:Purpureas tend to be more deer resistant.

Yes I heard they were rabbit resistant which is one reason I selected one for my tree field.

salix pupurea in the green

It doesn't actually turn purple till after it has dried, but it is my best for long strong straight stems so far.