Woven Wicker Hearts
Learn to weave with willows: they are such a joy to weave with! We'll cover identification, regenerative gathering, storage and processing, and a basic technique required to make a lovely heart for Valentine's Day. Bonus projects: fish, stars and other shapes!
Since the earliest stone tools date to over 2.6 million years ago, presumably, humans have been weaving baskets for, at least, hundreds of thousands of years, if not longer. Willows, also called sallows or osiers, account for over 400 species within the genus Salix, and, when appropriately managed, produced a fine material for weaving. Willows have ancient, global cross-cultural significance; they are strong and respond positively to coppicing and pollarding, two pruning techniques used in land management. Willow bark contains salicin, which has been used by humans for thousands of years to ease pain from stomach pain and headaches.
Learn to weave with willows: they are such a joy to weave with! We'll cover identification, regenerative gathering, storage and processing, and a basic technique required to make a lovely heart for Valentine's Day. Bonus projects: woven fish, stars and other shapes!