Archive for NEEPS North East Eco-friendly People's Site
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jaydee67
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new basketI made some rope from daffodil leaves a few weeks ago. Tonight I coiled it into a basket around a piece of driftwood using the string from the top of the chicken feed bags as my thread.
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pete_inthehills
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Re: new basket | jaydee67 wrote: | I made some rope from daffodil leaves a few weeks ago. Tonight I coiled it into a basket around a piece of driftwood using the string from the top of the chicken feed bags as my thread.
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Honestly JD! You make it sound so common place...rope from daffodil leaves?! How did you do that? How do you make rope anyway!? and you make a basket, just like that! I'm amazed.
Your baskets are alway absolutely brilliant!
pete
inthehills
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Smooth Hound
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its really good  id like to know about these daffodil leaves too
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jaydee67
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Ok, how to explain ...
I used dead leaves dampened slightly so they aren't brittle. If you use green leaves they shrink and everything goes to pot. When collecting try to keep the leaves all the same way up.
Depending on how thick you want the rope, choose a few leaves and loosely tie some string around the middle. Attach the string to something you can pull against (door handle, coat hook, dog cage, table leg, etc).
Now to making the rope. Hold the leaves so you have half in each hand. Twist the right hand side to the right and then pass it OVER the left, swapping the leaves from hand to hand. Twist on the right, pass over the left. As the leaves are used add in more. You can let go to fiddle with your leaf bundle as the rope will not undo. Move the string along the rope (unless you want to go back a long way and have the space to do so!) as the rope lengthens.
This method can be used with lots of plant materials, one person at the workshop I did used dry grass, a bit more fiddly coz the length was shorter but a great rope!
Clear as mud?
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Maria
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Wow - wonderful 
I would have never guessed it was a daffy basket. What will you use it for, or does it already have a home lined up?
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Maidenstone
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Fantastic basket! I suppose it is a traditional craft in Shetland as they seem to have made a lot of things from straw in the absence of wood etc.
The string at the top of feed bags (if you can find the right end) is ideal for tying hanks of wool after spinning and plying when you want to wash it. I learnt that years ago and find it really hard to use anything else!
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Smooth Hound
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| jaydee67 wrote: | Ok, how to explain ...
I used dead leaves dampened slightly so they aren't brittle. If you use green leaves they shrink and everything goes to pot. When collecting try to keep the leaves all the same way up.
Depending on how thick you want the rope, choose a few leaves and loosely tie some string around the middle. Attach the string to something you can pull against (door handle, coat hook, dog cage, table leg, etc).
Now to making the rope. Hold the leaves so you have half in each hand. Twist the right hand side to the right and then pass it OVER the left, swapping the leaves from hand to hand. Twist on the right, pass over the left. As the leaves are used add in more. You can let go to fiddle with your leaf bundle as the rope will not undo. Move the string along the rope (unless you want to go back a long way and have the space to do so!) as the rope lengthens.
This method can be used with lots of plant materials, one person at the workshop I did used dry grass, a bit more fiddly coz the length was shorter but a great rope!
Clear as mud? |
mud is a good description, ill have to read it again, and again , it looks good, i dont suppose we can have step by step pictures 
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