Oak Hoop Egg Basket

Baskets add warmth and a cozy comfort to a home. This is a very  sweet little project, and has several every day uses.  This is a beautiful 8" X 8" X 10" medium sized basket woven with 1/4" reeds.  It is finished off with half round reed.  It is perfect for dinner rolls, grapes, apples, and, well melons !  I made a little fabric lining for mine, and use it as a catch all in the sewing room, but your imagination is the limit for this  sweet basket. You will love the fact that you made it yourself, you'll go from not ever having weaved a thing, to making a basket in 3 1/2 hours ! After completion, the basket will be dipped in a black walnut stain for preservation, beauty and durability. This basket is attractive, sturdy and has a myriad of uses. 

 Students usually find that basket weaving has shown a positive effect on their ability to maintain manual dexterity, and also as a means of warding off the stiffness of arthritis. Persons with even major sight impairment can weave baskets.  Mentally, basket weaving can also help to keep senses sharp in the same way that puzzle-making, crossword puzzles and balancing the checkbook without a calculator all require more active brain manipulation than the passive use of calculators. With basket weaving, measurements are taken as supplies are cut; decisions are made as the weaving progresses, and most of all, a deep sense of satisfaction comes with the finished basketry! I also think that the relatively short amount of time that's required to weave a basket is a good incentive for pursuing this craft. Good, clean, fun!