Pine Needle Basket Coiling: Initial wrap and coil 

They are just Ponderosa pine needles. Mine are anywhere from 5-8" long. There are Texas long leaf pine needles which are 12+ inches long that can be ordered online (Etsy, EBay) but I typically just use ponderosa

@@dawneolson1788 im in scotland and ive never seen pine needles longer than about 2 inches haha. Ill be on the lookout now though. Maybe there is some kinds with long needles here

@@loadapish that's very interesting....I don't know what the vegetation in Scotland is like -- but i have always wanted to go there. The basket craft has always evolved with whatever materials were locally available. Perhaps you could use this same technique with a type of wirey grass or thin stemmed plant....straw-like but pliable.....thinking outside the box ;)

@@dawneolson1788 yea theres plenty of long grass that im sure i would be able to do that with. I honestly couldnt do it though. It looks like way too much fidgety work for me. Im actually just learning about weaving and considering starting to weave using willow sticks. It looks like a fun hobby but its been hard work trying to identify the local trees and plants. Trying to gather the material and process it before even starting to learn. With no help im finding it a struggle. Scotland is nice but if u ever do get here id recommend that u go on a road trip to see the sights. If u like hills and valleys. Windey roads that go nowhere then check it out. The hussle and bussle of citys has never done it for me personally. The more north u go the more remote it gets in scotland 👍🏼🏴󠁧󠁢󠁳󠁣󠁴󠁿

In California, USA the sequoia and redwood trees have long pine needles. The only trees I’ve seen with short needles are what we grow for Christmas trees 😂 I’ve never seen trees with short needles naturally growing in California, maybe there are some on the east coast? Idk, but it’s very interesting how different environments are

Bruce Diana it is imitation sinew which I order from Consolidated Thread Mills . It does have a wax on it

Hello, thanks for your question. As you are coiling you keep adding pine needles into the gauge a little at a time. The gauge should never be so loose when you slide it that it feels like it could fall off. Keep enough pine needles in it to keep the gauge slightly snug but not so snug that it won't slide when you want to move it

Yes... Pour boiling water over then and let them soak about half an hour

Hi, I use dried needles so they won't shrink after coiling. You can use green needles I suppose but have to account for some loss of rigidity in the basket after some time goes by and the needles dry/shrink. After the basket dries completely your stitches will not be quite as taught

Just cut up a plastic drinking straw ,:)

Hi, I use a tapestry needle. It has more of a blunt end but larger eye for threading. I get a variety pack in the cloth/sewing department of Wal-Mart. Also handy is a curved needle for very small baskets that are hard to reach inside of :)

Hi, if it is the gauge (hollow tube to put pine needles through) that you're referring to, it just a plastic drinking straw cut at about an inch or two

I use imitation sinew but you can also use florist wire or upholstery thread, rafia