Basket making and Willow

pollinator

Posts: 933

Location: France

posted 15 years ago

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I have pollarded all of our willows and now I'd like to know if I can still use these wands for basket making throughout the year. Or can you only use them when they have just been fresh cut?

Aljaz Plankl

Posts: 386

posted 15 years ago

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They can be used dried, but it's easier to work with fresh ones.

Brenda Groth

pollinator

Posts: 4437

Location: North Central Michigan

posted 15 years ago

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soak them in hot water if they are dried before using them

Brenda

Bloom where you are planted.
http://restfultrailsfoodforestgarden.blogspot.com/

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 12622

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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posted 2 months ago

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My understanding is that the baskets will be better - more durable - if the willow is dried and then resoaked. This is because the wands will shrink slightly as they cure, so the basket will lose the tightness of weave if they are woven fresh. Rehydrating makes them supple again (but presumably not bigger diameter). You can soak in cold water overnight apparently, I don't think it needs to be hot.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "