A Fragrant Craft

Day 237: The last time I did any pine-needle basketry, the internet had not yet come to this area. There was no Amazon, no Etsy, and I was working with a small handful of needles I'd gathered during a trip to Eastern Washington. I'd only picked up enough to make a coaster-sized disk before I was forced into retirement by lack of supplies. Recently, I found a source for Loblolly needles, about three times the length of anything growing in Washington. I thought, "Well, why not?" and ordered a one-pound bundle. I'm a bit out of practice, but I haven't forgotten the principles. What did slip my mind was how delightfully fragrant this craft can be. After soaking in hot water for half an hour, the needles become quite pliable. I prefer to make a wrapped center as a base for the stitching, which here is cotton rug warp. It's not the material I would have preferred, but I had it on hand. In the future, I'll use waxed polyester cord or synthetic raffia for durability. When making pine-needle baskets, it's advisable to employ some kind of gauge to keep the coils uniform. In this case, I'm using a 1.5" long section cut from a ball-point pen. The diameter is very close to that of a soda straw and a good size for this project. By now it should be obvious to my readers that getting started in pine-needle basketry requires very little outlay, and if you have a pine tree nearby, you can probably start without spending a dime. You only need pine needles, a sharp, large sewing needle, some cord or twine and a gauge, and you can have the scent of Christmas in your home at any time of year.