There was frost on the lawn this morning when I left and I had to wear my winter coat. I am not ready for the cold, but this will certainly make the leaves really start falling from the trees. So, I think it is finally time to share my most recent basket that I made in a class last month. This is a basket that hangs from a doorknob and is Halloween themed!
To be honest I thought this was going to be a piece of cake to make, but it proved more challenging than expected. I think it was the narrowness of the basket and having to weave while holding it upright and how fidgety it felt working with those first few rows.
Once the form took shape and more rows of weaving were added it became easier to manage.
The next challenge was getting the embellishment attached to the reeds. It is a narrow space to try and squeeze your hand into to get the wires firmly attached, but I am glad I did it as I was weaving rather than at the very end with all the rows finished.
Getting near the top here and ready to finish the top edge. As challenging as it was, I am happy to have learned how to make a different shape basket. Third basket under my belt!
Here is my previous basket, which is an Autumn basket, which was the easiest to make. I still need to tea stain it, but I have not gotten all the ingredients I need. I think I will use it for postcards and letters that come in the mail.
And my first attempt--my herb basket. I am pleased with it, but I can see how I would do it differently in the shaping and the way the sides sit. Still, not at all shabby, I think!
I am going to take one last class to make a "poinsettia" basket later in November. Something to look forward to. I love basketweaving and want to keep honing my skills. I would love to try my hand alone at home, but for now I am happy to keep taking classes and working with a teacher. The more I learn in class the easier it will be when I try one solo.
I still want to get back to my at home crafts, most notably my cross stitching. I did start a new project which I want to share but was hoping to get more of the design stitched before sharing here. Maybe I should share sooner rather than later and it will inspire me to spend more time working on it!