What I don’t know is whether the Cedars decided to scatter the tips of their branches across our path that day so I would notice that they are as beautiful, flexible, delicious smelling and abundant as Ponderosa Pine needles--—
Lovely! I love the texture. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to strip part of the bark of a downed cedar and then learned how to strip the inner bark for weaving.
Thanks for the links - I am a big fan of Robin's and will join the Plant, Baby, Plant!
Oooh -- what a treat to learn to work with the inner bark of the cedars, a thing I hope I'll have the chance to do one of these days too. Perfect when the teacher and the down tree arrive together, eh?
The tree fell in someone's yard, and they donated to my son's Eagle project. Two of us peeled the bark, and someone sliced in halfway, and my son and crew used one half for a bridge over a creek and donated the other half to another bridge project.
i'm a plant baby plant member, too! me who is not a joiner. at all. cedar bast paper is very nifty, as well. BUT i think that you have already given back, in honoring cedar with your kind, loving creativity and extending and celebrating ki's life in a new way.
Oh gosh thank you Velma. That's just lovely to hear (about giving back I mean). Most reassuring, even as I'm also excited to see where plant, baby plant leads us all..xoxoxo
Your baskets are so beautiful Sarah....I love the little knobby bits takng their place and being included .... I often feel like I am a bit knobby too and love that I am included and, I do love the stitching!
Oh yes, I also watched that talk by Robin.....and, being from NZ, it was so affirming to hear her mention our first people, As we say, tangata whenua, or people of the land, Maori....it is a wise person who listens and takes note of the people who have lived closest to our land.
Yes, I loved so much that she talked about the first people of NZ-- indeed referenced indigenous cultures all over the world where the plant diversity is not being destroyed. Such a clear message.
And thank you for your kind words about the little knobby bits! I do feel often feel quite knobby (and my knuckles really are), so here's to all of our little rough woody bits, eh?
I grew up "in the sticks" so the western red-cedar, and hemlock, and Doug fir were in our back yard of several acres. Those dead ends of branches on the red-cedar are rough and rather prickly. They catch on wool or fleece. So I had to chuckle at the "how not to be glad to get to caress them with fingers" as they're not very caressible unless done lightly and only one way, down to the end-tips. What a wonderful basket it is though!
YES! That prickliness almost stopped me picking them up in the first place as they caught on my mittens and then on the kangaroo pouch of my outer windbreaker (where I tuck woodsy treasures as I walk). And then working with them was definitely an exercise of going with the little scales rather than against them. I love that you know the texture exactly....
The fragrance of trees is a fascination for me. Do they know they are fragrant? Have they created their fragrances for a purpose? With flowers one can perhaps accept that they use their fragrances to attract pollinators. As is true for many of the fruiting trees. But with other trees ... what or how might they use their fragrances? Maybe to deter harmful insects?
I have a fond memory of an old buck meandering out of the woods late one spring morning with a young doe tagging along behind him. He wandered over to one huge old cedar at the back of the field and stretched his nose and mouth up to the new growth of a high bough and gently nuzzled it back and forth a few times. Then he stepped back as if to take-in the fragrance. One last tilting of his head to admire the tree before moving on with the doe still following a few feet behind.
Oh Sandy, what a lovely lovely story. I'm entranced. Wondering what the buck was experiencing, and wondering too what the trees think about their fragrance. My scientific/darwinian brain thinks "of course there is a reason, some benefit to the tree," (your insect supposition makes a lot of sense given that some cedars repel wool moths), even as my body believes that the reason might be pleasure, joy or maybe forest communication?
I’m intrigued by the use of that cunning little tube to restrain the pine-needles … how have I never thought of that? Also, I’m imagining the scent of those wee baskets is delicious.
I first saw a little tube being used like that in a Sally Pointer Video. I think she was making a coiled basket with burdock stem fibers laced with bramble, and her little tube not only kept the mass of burdock fibers contained, it also made sure that it was a consistent diameter (assuming one remembers to keep feeding the new fibers into the end). https://youtu.be/Z6c2wmIUpvM?si=uuZdGl5mWZZT3EIe
The pine needle basket book I found in the library also mentioned it and somehow I remembered that I had this little piece of brass tubing in a bag of random hardware detritus, so off I went (as one does....)
What wonderful woodsy baskets! I find that the green pine needles do turn brown in time. Thanks for the links... Robin Wall Kimmerer is always an inspiration, and yes to Plant Baby Plant!
Now that is a brilliant idea. Years ago I put some rough willow baskets in trees (just to have someplace to put them when I made too many), but forgot about it till you suggested this. Thank!
Lovely! I love the texture. Many years ago, I had the opportunity to strip part of the bark of a downed cedar and then learned how to strip the inner bark for weaving.
Thanks for the links - I am a big fan of Robin's and will join the Plant, Baby, Plant!
Oooh -- what a treat to learn to work with the inner bark of the cedars, a thing I hope I'll have the chance to do one of these days too. Perfect when the teacher and the down tree arrive together, eh?
The tree fell in someone's yard, and they donated to my son's Eagle project. Two of us peeled the bark, and someone sliced in halfway, and my son and crew used one half for a bridge over a creek and donated the other half to another bridge project.
i'm a plant baby plant member, too! me who is not a joiner. at all. cedar bast paper is very nifty, as well. BUT i think that you have already given back, in honoring cedar with your kind, loving creativity and extending and celebrating ki's life in a new way.
Oh gosh thank you Velma. That's just lovely to hear (about giving back I mean). Most reassuring, even as I'm also excited to see where plant, baby plant leads us all..xoxoxo
I can almost smell the cedar and pine from my desk here in So. Cal. Oh the fragrance!!
Your baskets are so beautiful Sarah....I love the little knobby bits takng their place and being included .... I often feel like I am a bit knobby too and love that I am included and, I do love the stitching!
Oh yes, I also watched that talk by Robin.....and, being from NZ, it was so affirming to hear her mention our first people, As we say, tangata whenua, or people of the land, Maori....it is a wise person who listens and takes note of the people who have lived closest to our land.
Yes, I loved so much that she talked about the first people of NZ-- indeed referenced indigenous cultures all over the world where the plant diversity is not being destroyed. Such a clear message.
And thank you for your kind words about the little knobby bits! I do feel often feel quite knobby (and my knuckles really are), so here's to all of our little rough woody bits, eh?
I grew up "in the sticks" so the western red-cedar, and hemlock, and Doug fir were in our back yard of several acres. Those dead ends of branches on the red-cedar are rough and rather prickly. They catch on wool or fleece. So I had to chuckle at the "how not to be glad to get to caress them with fingers" as they're not very caressible unless done lightly and only one way, down to the end-tips. What a wonderful basket it is though!
YES! That prickliness almost stopped me picking them up in the first place as they caught on my mittens and then on the kangaroo pouch of my outer windbreaker (where I tuck woodsy treasures as I walk). And then working with them was definitely an exercise of going with the little scales rather than against them. I love that you know the texture exactly....
The fragrance of trees is a fascination for me. Do they know they are fragrant? Have they created their fragrances for a purpose? With flowers one can perhaps accept that they use their fragrances to attract pollinators. As is true for many of the fruiting trees. But with other trees ... what or how might they use their fragrances? Maybe to deter harmful insects?
I have a fond memory of an old buck meandering out of the woods late one spring morning with a young doe tagging along behind him. He wandered over to one huge old cedar at the back of the field and stretched his nose and mouth up to the new growth of a high bough and gently nuzzled it back and forth a few times. Then he stepped back as if to take-in the fragrance. One last tilting of his head to admire the tree before moving on with the doe still following a few feet behind.
Oh Sandy, what a lovely lovely story. I'm entranced. Wondering what the buck was experiencing, and wondering too what the trees think about their fragrance. My scientific/darwinian brain thinks "of course there is a reason, some benefit to the tree," (your insect supposition makes a lot of sense given that some cedars repel wool moths), even as my body believes that the reason might be pleasure, joy or maybe forest communication?
Thanks for the link to PBP Sarah. And thanks too for the reminder that exploring without a map is really fun!
I’m intrigued by the use of that cunning little tube to restrain the pine-needles … how have I never thought of that? Also, I’m imagining the scent of those wee baskets is delicious.
Hi- you can cut a length from a fat milkshake or ‘boba’ straw and make one yourself!
I figured that…was merely wondering why I had never considered such a clever notion!
I first saw a little tube being used like that in a Sally Pointer Video. I think she was making a coiled basket with burdock stem fibers laced with bramble, and her little tube not only kept the mass of burdock fibers contained, it also made sure that it was a consistent diameter (assuming one remembers to keep feeding the new fibers into the end). https://youtu.be/Z6c2wmIUpvM?si=uuZdGl5mWZZT3EIe
The pine needle basket book I found in the library also mentioned it and somehow I remembered that I had this little piece of brass tubing in a bag of random hardware detritus, so off I went (as one does....)
What wonderful woodsy baskets! I find that the green pine needles do turn brown in time. Thanks for the links... Robin Wall Kimmerer is always an inspiration, and yes to Plant Baby Plant!
Good to know about the needles turning brown. It'll keep me from trying to get all intricate with color.... Thanks!
Bird nests! Tucked into trees where they might be found and used.
Now that is a brilliant idea. Years ago I put some rough willow baskets in trees (just to have someplace to put them when I made too many), but forgot about it till you suggested this. Thank!