Lichen Love Letter

Day 124: A friend once asked me if I felt my deep love for Nature was in any way returned. I gave him an unequivocal reply: "Yes, absolutely!" and then went on to explain that one can't apply human values to the exchange when in a relationship with a non-human partner. When I am gifted with something like finding a rare plant or watching ravens perform aerial acrobatics where my eyes are the only ones to see them, I perceive these things as rewards. Some are more obvious than others, and some approach a human-like parity; others are subtle and only apparent to someone who is more intimately connected. Some defy quantifying because they cross the lines. Case in point, finding a heart-shaped specimen of Buellia (erubescens?) on the day before Valentine's Day. When your Mother spends years on hand-crafting a present for you, there's no denying that a lot of love went into its creation.

Weave A Paper Heart Basket

Day 212: By popular request, here is a set of visual instructions for creating the heart-shaped interlaced paper May basket I posted yesterday. You will need two sheets of colored paper (two colors), a ruler, a pencil, scissors and glue if you want to add a handle.

Begin by creating a heart-shaped template. Using an engineering compass or by tracing around a jar lid or glass, draw a circle. Fold it in two neatly and on another sheet of paper, trace around the edges with a pencil. This gives you the curved upper portion of the heart. Measure across the diameter of the circle, and then draw a square with the sides equal to the diameter, i.e., if your circle has a three-inch diameter, your square will have three-inch sides. Align the square with the straight edge of the half-circle you drew on the second piece of paper and trace around the edge of the square. Bingo! You now have a half-heart template!

Step One (top left): Trace around the template onto your sheets of colored paper. Mark the points where the semicircle and square meet and draw a line from point to point. Next, divide the lower portion of the half-heart into five equal sections lengthwise (a center-finding ruler works best, but any ruler will do if you measure accurately).

Step Two (top right): Cut carefully along the lengthwise lines, taking the cut just slightly beyond the horizontal line which divides the curve of the heart from the lower portion. Reverse the fold of the half-hearts so that any pencil markings are on the inside.

Step Three (middle left): Begin weaving the folded tips by passing the innermost blue strip through the center of innermost orange strip. Then pass the orange strip through the center of the second blue strip. At this point, the work progresses on an angle and is fairly easy.

Step Four (middle right): Do not completely weave any strip all the way across at this point! Gradually add in new weaving until the work becomes too tightly packed to weave the last strip. Ease the first strips of weaving toward the curve of the heart, being careful not to tear the paper.

Step Five (lower left): The last few weavings will be the most difficult. Continue working the earlier strips toward the curve of the heart until the final strip of orange can be passed through or over the last two strips of blue. Patience is the key here, and if you want a real challenge, try making a two-inch heart out of fragile origami foil!

Step Six (lower right): Your woven heart is complete! Add a handle by gluing on a strip of leftover paper, or even glue a narrow strip of the contrasting color to the center for a fancier look.

This pattern was originally published in the Jan.-Feb. 1989 issue of "Cross-Stitch and Country Crafts." I adapted its size so that it was suitable for a May basket.

Happy May Day

Day 211: The tradition of leaving May baskets on the doorsteps of friends and family seems to have fallen by the wayside. A common practice when I was a young girl, I often made trugs of woven construction-paper strips or even just rolled a cone and attached a handle. Indeed, the construction of May baskets was an annual class project when I was in the elementary grades. Sometimes, my Campfire group created them as well.

Often as not, the flowers I used to fill the baskets were pilfered from the gardens of the very friends who were to receive them, but no one ever seemed to object. Sometimes when winter had held on too long and flowerbeds were only just beginning to color up, I'd fill my May baskets with dandelions and ferns.

May baskets are the springtime equivalent of a visit from St. Nicholas on December 6. The approach to the door is made with extreme stealth, and the basket is either hung on the knob or placed on the doormat where it can't possibly be missed by the recipient. Then, a knock on the door or a push of the bell, and and a quick scamper around a corner to a hiding place sets the stage. The giver of the May basket awaits the inevitable comment, "Oh! Someone left me flowers! I wonder who?" and may or may not reveal themselves as the benefactor.

In my opinion, the practice of giving May baskets is one which should be revived. Simple joys are almost forgotten in today's hurried and impersonal world.