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Wood Water Weave - a year of split wood basketry (CANCELLED)

Name: Wood Water Weave - a year of split wood basketry
Start: 2024-01-15T09:00:00+00:00
End: 2024-01-15T09:00:00+00:00
Location: The Yan, Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre

About

Immerse yourself in ancient woodland in the home of spelk basketry.

After the success of the first year of Wood Water Weave I’m delighted to open the 2024 programme for bookings.

Learn how to make a living in connection to woodlands and the seasonal cycles, this course will take your basketmaking and natural design to the next level.

Part retreat, part professional training, all fun. I know you are going to love it.

What is it?

The very first long-term course in UK split wood basketry. 30 days learning the alchemy of turning locally coppiced trees into jaw-droppingly beautiful products.

Each month you’ll learn a new basket pattern in oak, hazel or ash, either by me or another expert tutor, and you’ll go home with at least one that you’ve made. Learn how to boil oak, pound ash and split hazel to weave baskets in styles from the UK, Scandinavia, Eastern Europe, Spain and US and gain the confidence to design your own products using wood you've harvested.

Numbers are limited to 8 with 2 tutors so you’ll be sure of lots of 1-1 attention. The programme for the year is partly dictated by seasonal cycles of harvesting materials, but there is plenty of flexibility in the later months should you wish to try a particular style you’ve researched or revisit previous lessons.

There aren’t any compulsory workbooks, homework or qualifications so you can take part at whatever level suits you. There are plenty of skills to practice in between sessions if you have time available and want to get the most from the programme.

Additional online mentoring and troubleshooting sessions will be available for an extra fee and a Whatsapp group can provide moral support and shared enthusiasm in between sessions.

Who is it for?

Anyone who wants to learn more about split wood baskets, woodland management and heritage skills.

Perhaps you’ve been on a weekend course and would to weave more, but find it difficult to carve out the time from usual life.

You’re already weaving a bit and would like some in-depth skills training and support while you find your feet.

You’re a greenwood worker or basketmaker and want to add split wood baskets to your repertoire.

You're a designer who wants to incorporate woven elements into your work.

You want to fill your home and life with unique handmade baskets.

You’re super keen to start making oak swills but can’t get going because there isn’t an apprenticeship or the chance to learn on the job (sorry about that!).

This course is your way to put aside dedicated time each month to learn and hone the skills you need and grow your endeavour into a business, or just come along and have a nice time making a load of gorgeous baskets.

Where is it?

In the Rusland valley, a secluded valley in the Lake District in between Coniston and Windermere, where the sound of woodsmans axes have been heard for centuries. I’ve coppiced in the valley for 10 years.

This is the historic region of oak spelk basketry, what better place to learn to weave with split wood?

Our venue is a beautiful glass fronted building called The Yan at Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre. If the weather is nice we can use the courtyard space outside, otherwise we’ll be inside looking out across the valley and the forest. My studio is a short walk away and the woodlands that I manage are very close by.

There are great walks to do in the evenings in surrounding woodland and nature reserves and there are plenty of swimming spots too. In Spring the woodland fills with the sound of migrant birds like wood warblers, and in Autumn you can hear the red deer rutting.

The venue address is:

The Yan, Grizedale Forest Visitor Centre. Ambleside. Cumbria LA22 0QL.

What is included?

30 days of expert tuition with additional support available in between sessions.
All materials are included in the course. Specialist materials that are grown especially for this purpose and unavailable to buy elsewhere are all included in your fee.
Homemade lunches are included and we’ll gather together to eat. There’s high concentration levels while we’re making and learning so lunch is our chance to get to know each other, catch up and have a laugh as well as replenish our energy levels.
And of course copious amounts of tea, coffee and herbal drinks plus delicious homemade cakes and healthy snacks.

Plus:

Exclusive access to online teaching resources, links to films, tool suppliers.
High quality photographs of all the sessions will be available for you to use in your portfolio, social media or website.
You get first dibs on the paid teaching assistant role on the following year’s course. The perfect way to reinforce all that knowledge.

Where do I stay?

The programme is non-residential in 2024.

The Lake District is full of accommodation so you won’t have a problem finding something nearby. I can provide a list for you to get started with, get in touch.