Thanks to Basketmakers South West , Tim Johnson was invited to teach the Hayve basket for the very first time in November. It was an absolute joy to take part in the beginnings of reviving this heritage basket and learn this traditional basketry technique.
Hayve Basket - Tim Johnson 2 Day Workshop November 2021
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Once used by fisherman for carrying their bait, this incredibly rare basket is so special because it is an example of continuous braiding - a newly found traditional technique of the British Isles. Original Hayve Basket measurements recorded by Tim: Base 26 x 24cm Wide. 15.5 - 16cm High. Tim initially spotted this basket in the window of a small privately owned museum in Thurso on the Scottish north coast. Made with locally abundant Soft Rush (Juncus effusus), he went on to discover 2 similar baskets made from heather on Orkney. What makes this basket so special is that until now, Tim had found no documentation of traditional use of the continuous braiding technique, also known as Neolithic braiding in Northern Europe.
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Working in rush harvested pretty locally from the Somerset Levels, over 2 days we learnt the braiding technique and tension required to make this beautifully shaped basket.
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There’s an ancient rhythm and journey when making this basket, one which begins with creating the more complex border and reaches completion with simple plaiting and threading away.
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My first basket, although much smaller and shallower than the original, may not enable me to catch any fish, (my energetic crustacean bait would be able to jump right out!) but it did enable me to learn a new to me, but very old way to weave, and gifted me the honour of being at the beginnings of this revival.
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Key to learning any new technique is practice and making that practice happen as soon as possible!
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Creating my second larger Hayve basket, again from local Somerset rush material that this time I had harvested myself, really helped me to hone the continuous braiding technique and begin to understand the subtleties of the tension required to create the form.
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The beautiful Hayve base is created through weaving plaits into the continuous braiding. Second Hayve Basket Measurements: 36 x 36cm Wide. 12cm High.
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Thank you to Tim, for his amazing knowledge and teaching expertise and to Basketmakers South West for making this happen.