January 2021
My original Christmas plans were scuppered by Covid. New Year has become slightly less raucous since becoming a mum, and obviously Covid had a play in them too! So in went the willow to soak and I made a pledge to see if I could do something “willowy” for the next month.
This is how it went:
January 1st
Steamed and white willow basket with finger holes. Lessons learned included cold weather makes willow take longer to soak, and thus the border is a tad less than satisfactory.
January 2nd
Steamed and white willow oval plant pot cover.
January 3rd
Cut down and sorted the hazel handles.
January 4th
Made the base of a basket in buff willow.
January 5th
Sides of the base made on the 4th. In buff, white and steamed.
January 6th
White and buff plant pot cover.
January 7th
Asymmetric basket in buff, white and a beautiful red dogwood. The dogwood from this basket is taken from cuttings from a local park! I’ve planted a few stems to have my own dogwood in this colour!
Steamed, white and wild willow plant pot cover.
Pegged and wrapped the handle of the buff, white and steamed basket from the 4th and 5th.
January 8th
Freeform flat tray in steamed.
Rubbed down the handles lightly.
Base and staking up for the toilet roll holder.
January 9th
Finish the toilet roll holder. (I am so incredible proud of this basket, my first one from conception idea all the way through to completion!)
January 10th
White basket with plaited border.
January 11th
Collected more twisted handles.
Nest basket.
January 12th
Small asymmetric basket in steamed and buff.
January 13th
Prepped sticks for a large dog toy basket.
January 14th
Base of the dog toy basket.
Base and staking up of a fruit basket in buff and steamed.
January 15th
Finished off the fruit basket.
January 16th
Steamed free form bottomless basket with a white plait highlight.
White decorative tray.
January 17th
Heaven forbid I did nothing.
January 18th
Sorted through the massive delivery of willow! So many beautiful colours!
January 19th
Burkino faso trial in brown willow.
Base of a sculpture.
January 20th
Brown willoe round base.
January 21st
Brown and white willow zigzag asymmetric basket.
January 22nd
Buff willow wall basket.
Sides of the dog toy basket.
January 23rd
Tiny egg basket.
Flat decorative tray in buff.
January 24th
Blooming nothing! Tut tut!
January 25th
White willow swirl basket.
January 26th
White willow wall basket
January 27th
Website work!
January 28th
Sorted and soaked base sticks.
January 29th
Buff and steamed base and upsett,
Buff and steamed base.
January 30th
Buff and steamed small pot cover. (Some terrible mistakes in the weave of this one, so don’t look closely)
Big oval base for a toy crib.
January 31st/February 1st
Finished off the toy crib. (Daughter saw it and immediately asked for a bigger one)