Hi Friends!
Well, I'm back. After spending the past six months doing nothing but Covid-19 plans for our county school system (which worked remarkably well :-) and having all of my travel plans cancelled, I came to realize how important my craft projects were to the state of my mental health. Knitting, crochet, basket making... all wonderful ways to incorporate a form of meditation into an unexpectedly chaotic life.
So this is what I've been up to....
In prior thrift shop travels I found a bag of broken jewelry. I had no clue what I would do with it but the bag was a shiny object I couldn't pass up. During the Covid quarantine I came across the jewelry and finally had an idea for a possible use..... recycling it into pine needle jewelry.
Such fun turning trash to treasure
and something a little different from making a basket.
If you've never tried working with pine needles to create a basket, I recommend it. This craft is by far very inexpensive to get started with and relatively easy to learn....at least the basic stitches. Pine needles are free. I live in the south and the Southern Long Leaf Pine tree is my needle of choice but there are many other varieties. Just look for flexible, long needles that are clean and straight and you are on your way.
Being a learner that likes to read and follow printed instructions, this is one of the first books I used to get started. Lots of good information and step by step photos make the instruction easy to follow. And as you advance, there are other stitches to learn.
I also discovered Nadine Spier who created this wonderful DVD of precise instruction of how to create the most beautiful spiral stitch and makes it so very easy! Check out Nadine's website. She holds workshops which I would love to attend except they are held in the northwest and I'm in Florida.
I've found that most pine needle basket supplies are available on Amazon, including the artificial sinew used for stitching your coils. There are many colors available but I tend to use a neutral color in most instances. Neutral is good for a beginner and then as the use of various stitches increases, so does will the desire for different color threads.
And large eye needles are a must when using thick threads. Sinew can be split into multiple threads, and since it's also waxed, a long, large eye needle makes the stitching so much easier.
Disclaimer...
I have begun adding links for reader convenience. Not all, but some are links to Amazon products. I am a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to amazon.com. As an Amazon Associate I may earn a small amount from qualifying Amazon purchases, however there is no additional cost to you.
I hope I've enticed you to at least think about trying this new craft. Who knows... you might just get hooked! I'll be back soon to share more of what I've been up to, including some new basket stitches I've been learning and an update on my other stitching passion....knitting!
Until then, happy crafting!
Terri
