Bamboo Baskets Winnowing

Carring Baskets - Fruit Baskets - Grass Baskets - Bamboo Shooting - Shopping Basket - Function Baskets - Shallow Carring Basket

Several types of small baskets are made from bamboo, each intended for a specific function an woven in an appropriate form. Some of these are for containing puffed rice which is eaten directly from the basket, some are measures for rice, while others are to collect and store flowers.

This bamboo product is a small semi-spherical basket made from bamboo and used to contain puffed rice. Wide warp elements overlap radially at the base and these are held between twists of a pair of thin weft elements that spiral upwards. This construction is repeated for a few turns of the spiral, after which a tabby structure is formed with a double-start spiral in the weft. Extra-warp elements are added to the outer surface of the basket to cover gaps between the main warp as the diameter of the basket increases . The rim is strengthened by sandwiching between rings made from thick bamboo splits, the woven edge including the extra-warp elements and this rim is bound in a decorative manner using split-cane binding.

Size and Shape

This is a small semi-spherical basket woven form split-cane elements. The basket's semi-spherical form rests on a circular hand attached to the base.

Structure

The main warp elements overlap and radiate from the centre of the base, up the sides of the basket. The weft is a single element which is first taken parallel to one of the main warp elements, before being bent sharply to start spiralling around the centre of the base and interlace the warp elements in a tabby structure. This structure is continued for a few turns of the weft spiral, after which an extra-warp element is placed beside each of the main warp elements, to run beside the main warp element up to the rim, as the weft spiral continues. The lower ends of these extra-warp elements are used to bind the ring-like band made from a wide split of cane, using the pulpy core portion of the cane.

A second set of extra-warp elements passes vertically on the outer surface of the basket, lying in the gap between consecutive main warp elements. This second extra-warp is interlaced to the side weave at only two points, one point near the rim and the other halfway down the side of the basket where it passes under the weft. Hence, these extra-warp elements pass over the side as long floats. The lower ends of these extra-warp elements too are used in binding the ring-like band to the base of the basket. The upper rim is strengthened by sandwiching the edge of the side weave between wide splits of cane before being bound together decoratively by split cane.