Tutorial– Natural Rope Basket

I don't know about you, but I can never have enough storage. After coveting the many basket-weaving DIYs and inspiration over on Pinterest, I wanted to create something out of cotton rope, that was purely knotted and woven. Its perfect for storing everything from jewellery, washi tape to erm, tea!



Basketry is an ancient craft; archaeologists have found examples in Egypt dating from 12000 years ago! Here in the UK, examples of woven fences and vessels have been found at an Iron Age site near Glastonbury. Update this age-old technique with cotton rope from the DIY store. And because the rope is cotton, you can even dye it different colours!

You will need:

-8 metres/26’ of 3mm Cotton Rope (Mine is from B&Q but you could also use 550 paracord)
-Super Glue
-Scissors
-Macrame Board
-Pins
-Sellotape



How To:

1.Cut 3x 40cm/18” lengths of rope and put aside. Pin the remaining length of rope to your macrame board (you can also use a foamboard or cork) 30cm/12” from one end. Top tip- if you stick a small amount of sellotape around the point you want to cut your rope it will stop the ends from fraying!



2. Take one of the 40cm lengths, fold in half and slide under both of the ends on your board.



3.Bring the ends through the loop and pull tight to create larks head knot.



4.Repeat with the other two 40cm lengths.



5.Unpin the main piece of rope from your board and pull both ends through the loop. Pull into a circle.



6.Pin the 7 shorter lengths to the board, spreading them out evenly, leaving the long length free to weave your basket. In basketry terms, the shorter lengths are referred to as stakes and the long length as the weaver.



7.Begin weaving round, over, under, over…



8.….until the weaving reaches at least 5cm in diameter. This is so your basket has a firm base.



9.Unpin the stakes and start weaving upwards off the board, sitting each pass of rope slightly on top of the previous, rather than at its side.



10.Keep weaving, being careful not to pull too tightly, until you are happy with the height of your basket. The stakes need to be kept at least as long as the basket is high.



11.For the stakes that finish on the outside, bring them down the inside, over the top 2 weavers, then under the next two.



12.For stakes that finish on the inside, bring them over the top to the outside, over the top 2 weavers and through to the inside of the basket.



13.Weave each stake down through the weavers to the bottom of the basket. Cut off any excess and apply a small amount of glue to secure the ends and prevent fraying.





If you make your own basket or have any questions feel free to comment below or message me on Twitter, Instagram or Facebook! Happy Making!