A Cat's Head Basket

A lack of blog posts doesn't mean a lack of things to blog about, just a lack of time. Take this post for example, you'll see I have been busy with something a little different. 
I branched out (pardon the pun) into a slightly different branch of the fibre world and took a course in basketry from Joan Carrigan on Saltspring Island.
Joan is a very accomplished basketry artist. Check out her web site to see her gallery of works and see her workshop list.
What fun we had! A group of six of us met and worked side-by-side for the day on these Cat's Head baskets. Cat's head is from the shape of the basket when held upside down. It looks like a cat's head with each corner like ears on a round head.

   

We used red cedar for the main structure and used willow bark to weave a twill pattern onto and through the cedar. Yellow cedar was used to twine the edges together with a couple of rows of waxed linen thread to accent the rim. And just look at the finished baskets. So inspired, I have signed up for another one in a week.