Hello! Long time no see!
I didn’t do a ton of crafts this summer but one thing I did was tear down a bunch of Virginia creeper. It’s a vine and it attracts mosquitoes apparently? So I ripped a bunch of it down from off my house. Then I was looking at it and decided I needed to do something with it. I never thought I would end up making baskets but I did! I made a few.
The first one wasn’t very good it’s the regular sort-of bowl shaped one on the right. Then I found a much more beginner -friendly type. (The one on the left) I think it turned out pretty good!
I also cannot believe that 1) you’re back (YAY!) and 2) that you’re-oh-so casually posting that you harvested the material and handmade baskets. This is the best.
Uh I would LOVE to be in your team. I totally bet I could just through sheer force of will. Australia is my dream. Although with my constant tampering with nature I feel like I would get poisoned by something pretty quickly. I’m always picking up bugs and toads and making friends with deer and stuff. And just like… Sitting in a bush trying to check in out a woodpecker or something. Eventually I ran out of my own Virginia creeper for baskets so I was in the woods and grabbed some and of course I got stung by some Nettles.
I have been trying to learn little from-scratch survival skills lately. Mostly crafting stuff but yesterday I tried to learn how to make penicillin but they make it sound simpler than it is. Or… Not simple? Like you can do it but you also gotta get stuff to make it actually powerful enough to work. So then you gotta order stuff off the internet. Not useful. I HAVE been getting good at foraging. I plan on trying to make bread from cattails next. Bahahaha
What a great skill to teach yourself, and great way to make use of a “waste plant”. Your mom’s reaction was a wonderful reward for your efforts, too. The baskets are lovely!
Glad to have you back! The basket you made your mom is such an awesome shape—I would cry too!
Lovely work!
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AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
12
Great to see you! Your baskets turned out fabulous!
I just cut the stems from massive amounts of the creeper from my pine trees…they are quite prolific here. I always worry that the vines will get mixed in with poison ivy and I would make dangerous baskets! lol
Have you tried making pine needle baskets?
I hope you will post more of your “back to nature” aka survival crafts!
These are made so much cooler just by virtue of the fact that you picked the creeper and everything! So awesome! I hope you’ll post up pics of your cattail bread! Their roots are quite tasty when sliced and sautéed, too!
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AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
15
I have heard of this, but I am deathly afraid of alligators so I won’t go anywhere they might be lurking…
Nice! Basket weaving is so cool. The grooviest guy showed a bunch of us willow weaving when we were at a mud/cob building workshop on Salt Spring Island yaers ago and I always meant to do more of it. I have lavender growing in the yard that would make a lovely basket but it’s brittle. Did you do any soaking or softening or just go for it?
A friend’s been saving nettles from her yard for me I plan to spin the long stalk fibers into twine. The sting goes away once they are dry.
Lol to everyone who has been commenting on all my posts I totally forgot i could just tag everyone in one post and that it would cause a bunch of notifications for everyone otherwise! Woops! I’m sorry!
@jemimah
Thanks! Yeah I’m like super baggy about it cuz I feel like a mountain person living off the land.
Thank you! Lol I don’t need to plant them cuz they’re already back!!! They are definitely weeds. I could probably make a quick wreath out of what grew back before winter. Hehehe
Thanks, Hon! Yeah I think they work better for it too. I like the rustic look to it. And it was easy!
@bethntim I just didn’t think I’d get that big of a reaction from it. Not all my stuff has provoked such. My mom just really loves baskets I guess. I mean she has a lot. Lol. Thanks!
@AIMR
Yes you have to be careful! But poison ivy is pretty easy to identify. “Leaves of three let it be” and all that. The stuff is really too much here. Chokes out everything. So I don’t feel like I’m messing with stuff if I take it from the forest.
I’ve definitely been thinking of doing pine needle baskets! It seems way more tricky though. But I might have to try. Im always interested in adding more crafts to my arsenal. Heheh.
And yeah the cattails you must live in Florida or something? I’m jealous (I love reptiles or any animals really) but also I would probably get eaten by an alligator because I can’t leave things well enough alone. We have almost NOTHING dangerous in Minnesota. I guess that’s why I live here (fate?) cuz otherwise I’d be picking up poisonous snakes or spiders or I’d try to hang out with some gators… I did find out recently that the caterpillars with hairs on them can sting you. I’ve never been stung so I had no idea. I just pick them up by letting them crawl into my hand. Lol I’m also the kind of person who lets wasps and bees just come over and sit on me. People think I’m nuts. Pffft
@TheMistressT it’s good to be back! It’s actually pretty easy at least with the boat-like design and just using vines.
@Bunny1kenobi thanks! I feel extra accomplished because of how natural and anti-waste they are. Like a off-the-grid nature person. Bahaha. I didn’t know about the roots somehow! I will totally post the bread when I make it.
@Magpie I actually just sent for it! They do break a little sometimes but I just leave it as-is. I’m too lazy to dry and then soak I guess? I really want to try Willow weaving but I didn’t want to take them off the trees so maybe I can go grab some off the ground now?
I didn’t know you could use Nettles! I’m afraid of them! I got stung when I was harvesting the Virginia creeper at one point. Do not like!!!
AIMR
(Linda -2024 Choose Projects that You Want to Do :us:)
19
I can recognize poison ivy when there are leaves…but when it is just the vines, I can’t. Our landscaping people cut them at the base and leave them hanging off the trees until they just die…they don’t want to pull them down as they might bring down branches.
I live in NC…lots of swamp land. We have a lake in a large park near me where you can rent swan paddle boats. I used to love doing that but recently, alligators were spotted (small ones)…so now I am even afraid to walk on the paths near the water.
I leave spiders and snakes alone as well…every creature has a purpose.
You are a natural nature person! Creatures sense that!
They are definitely weeds. I could probably make a quick wreath out of what grew back before winter. Hehehe
I just didn’t think I’d get that big of a reaction from it. Not all my stuff has provoked such. My mom just really loves baskets I guess. I mean she has a lot. Lol. Thanks!
Bahaha. I didn’t know about the roots somehow! I will totally post the bread when I make it.