How to make a basket: EP02 Scraping out the pith

In this episode of ‘How to make a basket’, we’ll look at pithing and stropping of bramble (blackberry) cane. Pithing is the removal of the pithy matter from within the heart of the plant and stropping is the technique by which you take a strip of hard wood and turn it in to a flexible but durable piece of binding cane.

Buy Cræft: An enquiry into the origins and true meaning of traditional crafts (USA) https://wwnorton.com/books/9780393356571

Buy Cræft: How traditional crafts are about more than just making (UK) https://www.faber.co.uk/9780571324408...

‘How to make a basket’ is a chance to connect with the world of traditional and heritage crafts but also to see the kinds of things that you can do in your own back shed. The natural world provides a vast range of natural materials that, since primitive times, have been used to make many of the day-to-day objects that we surrounded ourselves with. Many people the world over still use natural materials and craft skills to make stuff and in Britain, up until the early twentieth century, many of these skills still resided amongst the rural community.

If you’ve enjoyed the BBC’s Victorian Farm, Edwardian Farm and Wartime Farm, then hopefully you will enjoy my lockdown project: 'How to make a basket'. I am spending so much time in my shed at present, that I thought I might as well film it. So, follow me in this series as I go about showing you how to craft a traditional coil basket. On the way, we’ll look at the different kind of plants that you can use, the skills and techniques, the key tools, and I’ll throw in a few juicy historical facts.