The “basketmaking” doesn’t stop even though conventions are cancelled from Covid. Eric has been busy preparing materials.
The weather has been great here so a vat of black ash splints are being soaked overnight in preparation of splitting these splints to satin. All of this has to be done before winter when it’s too cold to soak.
Speaking of this vat, when it is out on the walkway in front of the shop and our house, we get a lot of stares from delivery people wondering what that thing is. Even Eric’s mom said it looked like a coffin! It sort of does, when it’s sitting there empty. But today it’s full.
I’m guessing from what I see here in the vat and green bucket, it will take two days for these materials to be split.
His plan is to do a batch once a week until October. All the other processes of finishing these strips can be done indoors, over the winter months.
Here’s Minnie Kitty looking over the whole situation… and wondering why she cannot drink this water, she can hear it, but it just doesn’t seem right…
Tomorrow he will do some splitting to satin and I will be sure to get some pics to share.
All of that ash is a thing of beauty!
Looks like a bunch of wood strips soaking to me! LOL (joking)