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interlaced willow, brambles and flowers on lattice base |
I was very lucky earlier this week to be able to mix my
interest in weaving with gardening and foraging, when I took a group of
university students to
Stave Hill, an ecological park close to the river in
South East London. I knew they’d
be wowed by the park, and its spectacular 360’ panoramic view of London.
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twined blackthorn, willow and dogwood |
We came with as little as a cutting tool and some twine,
then proceeded to source materials to weave with from plants around us, using
the park as a studio for the day. The great thing about ecological gardens is
that they are man made and so designed to sustain human intervention, unlike
nature reserves. At the right time
of year, with permission from gardeners and site managers, they are a fantastic
place to source materials to work with.
It is well into spring here in the UK and is nesting season too, so not
particularly the best time to forage.
Mid summer or early autumn would be better when brambles and bindweed
desperately need cutting back. We nevertheless found plenty of plants to work
with – apple and cherry suckers, dogwood, willow, hops, creeping roses... A good number of species we found were
edible too, as well as being good to weave with, such as alexanders, angelica,
nettles, goosegrass and garlic mustard.
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angelica |
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goosegrass (or cleavers) |
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alexanders stems with cordage and twined basket (bindweed and willow) |
So we twined the sunny afternoon away, and then collected
some more materials for supper. On
hindsight, we might have saved ourselves time and effort by making a basket
entirely from edible materials which could later be dropped into a pot of
boiling stock, and then hey presto, soup’s made! That is a sure recipe for my next book, and it also leaves
me wondering, is this the reason basketry instructions are traditionally called
‘recipes’?
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twined blackthorn, dogwood, and willow |
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stripped willow and bark |
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willow, day lilies and bindweed |
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our materials |
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