Thanks guys, glad you find them of interest!
I sent this information to John Fenna in a PM but i thought many people might find it to be usefull so i am posting it here too.
The basketry tutorial that i made quite some time ago: (
http://www.jonsbushcraft.com/basicbasket.htm) has become a little out dated now because i have learnt a lot since. The main method of weaving the sides and bottom of the basket in the tutorial was a weave called 'twining' but these days i have learnt that this is maybe not the neatest way of weaving a whole basket. If you follow the tutorial you will get the same result as in the final picture but being as i wrote that article quite a while ago i now know a neater way to do the main weaving. On my baskets these days i still use the 'twining' method for the first couple of rows at the centre of the base to lock everything in place but then after that i use a method called a 'chase weave' or on the main sides of the basket i sometimes do 'French Randing'.
To do the 'chase weave' you need an odd number of spokes/ stakes. To start you simply add two weavers in, (one behind one spoke and one behind the next spoke) then weave arround the basket as normal with the first weaver (in - out - in -out- .... etc) then you stop and take the second weaver that is behind and weave arround with that one in the same way... but the second one never over-takes the leading weaver. Its really very simple and you get a really nice even weave. Hope you understand what im trying to explain there. (btw, i have also found that If you have an odd number of stakes you can just weave around and around with a single weaver and it will look great too.) Example of the Chase weave:
If you use the twining method all around the basket you get weavers crossing over all the time and this can sometimes look strange in places... I'll update my tutorial some day soon...
If you wish to try the 'French randing' method on the sides (which looks pretty posh and uniform) of a basket you Basicly add a weaver at the side of each stake and weave each one (to the right) infront of the stake next to it, then behind then next and then out to the front again. Then you take the next weaver from the left and do the same. always taking the next weaver from the left. Things will look a bit complicated when you come back around to the point where you started because the first one you wove will be over the top of the two last weavers... but its not as complicated as it looks, just weave those ones from underneath as you did for all the others. (this will all make sense if you actually try it... you'll work it out) This is how i wove the sides on my latest baskets at the start of this thread.
Another tip for making even and smooth sides is:
When you come to the end of a weaver and want to add in a new one, add thick ends to thick ends and thin ends to thin ends. And cut the old weavers off on the inside.
Hope this all makes sense and helps out a bit
Best wishes!
