New kit: Wool and Rope Basket Weaving

The wool and rope basket weaving kit

13th November 2020

This has been on my crafting wish list for ages! Yes it’s a long list. I’ve been inspired by the rope and wool rainbows that have been everywhere this year but I wanted to see whether I could use a similar technique to create a basket. I think it’s worked really well. The traditional stitches provide the strength to the basket and the wool provides the colour and a lovely fluffy feel.

It’s all about the rope

After doing loads of research on rope baskets and having a couple of failed attempts, I’ve discovered that the type of rope you use is super important. Lots of rope is made from plastic which is horrible to work with and especially tough to get a needle through it. This craft kit uses cotton rope, making everything much easier!

The finished basket

craft history

It’s widely thought that basket weaving is one of the oldest known crafts. Just imagine how useful it would have been to turn materials like sticks and grass into baskets to help carry things long distances! The process of interweaving twigs, seeds, or leaves for baskets and mat making is one of the most universal crafts, ranking among the most ancient industries.

As these baskets would have been made from natural materials very few of them survive. However, the weaving techniques have been passed down through the generations and they survive to this day!

The oldest known baskets were unearthed in Faiyum in upper Egypt; radiocarbon dating has shown them to be between 10,000 and 12,000 years old. Other Middle Eastern sites have produced baskets up to 7,000 years old. The earliest dates for baskets are older than any yet established for pottery.

New craft kit testing team

I’ve started to test all the new crafts out with my girlfriend Emma. We had the best afternoon making this kit together and checking that it would be easy and fun for all the awesome CBC subscribers to do. We’re going to do this now with every kit as our little crafty partnership starts to develop.

Thanks Emma!

Beautiful merino wool

Go Get creative

I really hope you enjoy this kit!

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