Pine Needle Basketry

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Robson Valley

Full Member
Nov 24, 2014
9,959
2,664
McBride, BC
Excellent. Not something self-evident from specimens in museum collections.
Pinus ponderosa (Ponderosa pine) has the best needles, from 12 - 25 cm in length.
 

Tony

White bear (Admin)
Admin
Apr 16, 2003
24,131
1
1,875
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Wales
www.bushcraftuk.com
Nice stuff, it would be a great activity at the Moot, although I can't imagine that the needles there are going to be long enough... :livid:
 

Erbswurst

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Mar 5, 2018
4,079
1,766
Berlin
I guess with the here common pinus stupidus brandenburgensis that's impossible isn't it?
 

Toddy

Mod
Mod
Jan 21, 2005
38,937
4,570
S. Lanarkshire
You can use them from about 2" upwards, but you need to 'tube' them to do it.
A hollow bone of the right diameter, a bit over a cm in the centre, and you pack the needle bunches in end on (best if you keep them all facing the one direction) and you stitch them tightly as they come out to the previously made rounds.
Starting isn't so simple as it is with long needles though, but you just whip stitch a bunch and coil it round. The centre ends up being thread wrapped.
If you have really good fine long nettle strands they work well for this, but I made a tea plate sized platter doing this with willow bark and two inch pine needles. It lasted very well indeed.

Patience, and just to prove that it could be done :)
 

SaraR

Full Member
Mar 25, 2017
1,631
1,177
Ceredigion
I guess with the here common pinus stupidus brandenburgensis that's impossible isn't it?
If you can get hold of roots (birch, pine or spruce), they can be made into baskets using a very similar technique. Windthrows are great for sourcing roots (stay safe etc).
 
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TLM

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 16, 2019
3,092
1,624
Vantaa, Finland
Pinus ponderosa grows quite well in most of Europe but I have no idea how common it might be. After that I think Pinus cembra and Pinus peuce might have the longest needles.
 
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