Roman Basket Making

A piece of history narrates that Romans had a very rich history of arts and crafts. They were one of their kinds in making crafts using weaving, dyeing, cooking, basket making, woodturning, metal casting and iron working.

Even now the same basket making art is done but with a little more details into it. Basket making is a very satisfying and peaceful craft.

To have a better understanding of basket making you should have a better understanding of the method and the types of basket making. Here are some essential details that can help you get started:

1. Start by understanding some basic terms:

• Weaver: These are the basket strands that weave through the spokes; they are lighter, thinner and more flexible than the spokes, to enable them to be woven in and out.

• Spoke: These are the strands that stand upright and form the side supports of the basket; they are much stiffer than the weavers and are strong.

• Under-and-over-weaving: This is the most commonly used technique. It is also the simplest.

2. Note that double weaving is the same form but two weavers are used at once. This is an effective weave on large surfaces, and in bands or patterns of the same or a contrasting color on plain rattan baskets.

3. Note that pairing may be used with an odd or even number of spokes. Two weavers are started behind two succeeding spokes, and crossed between them, so that what was the under weaver becomes the upper weaver each time.

4. Identify the triple twist. Here, three weavers are placed behind three consecutive spokes, starting with the back one, over two and less than one spoke, each on its way to the back of the third spoke being laid over the other two weavers.

5. COILING: In coiling a bundle of strands or thin rods is stitched into a spiraling oval or round form with a thin, flexible element to create coiled baskets.

Abundant variations of stitch types and embellishments such as intertwining colorful strands and silver, copper or golden metallic strands can be added for a wide range of possibilities.

6. TWINING: Twining is the other method which involves two or more flexible elements that are used to encircle another base element.

When two weavers are used, this technique is called pairing.

When three or more elements are twisted it is called waling.Variations can be achieved by twining rows tightly row upon row or leaving an open warp, crossing the warp, wrapping the warp, twining plain or on the diagonal, among others.

7. WEAVING: Woven baskets have two sets of essentials. The first is the inflexible spokes which create a warp and the second are the more malleable elements which are woven in and out to form a weft.

8. PLAITING : Plaiting is the weaving together of like elements. Stakes and weavers are identical materials.

They are woven together at right angles in either diagonal, or horizontal and vertical orientation in plain or twill weave.The plaiting can be open checker-work or closed work.