Update September 2025

It's hard to believe it's autumn and I haven't yet written a blog this  year. It's been a pretty busy year so far. 
In March, I had the amazing opportunity to travel to Bhutan, the remote Himalayan  mountain country, about the size of Switzerland,  between India and China. I went on a guided 'Weavers' Trail' tour organised by the company, Mountain Kingdoms. We were taken to numerous awe-inspiring Buddhist temples and monasteries, attended two local festivals, and were treated like royalty wherever we stayed. But for me, the highlights were visiting traditional weavers in  weaving centres and in their homes, including award winners weaving 'Kushithara', silk on silk, on a backstrap loom. The detail of the weaving, and the time it took to weave by hand, were unbelievable.

My summer has focused on learning about basket weaving. A friend donated a bundle of cane, (rattan core cane), which inspired me to give it a try, buy a couple of books, and spend hours studying Youtube videos. Initially I experimented with foraged natural materials, but I found them frustratingly brittle and too 'rustic' for my taste. So, having bought more cane and buff willow, I combined basket weaving with my love of 'weaving with waste' to include electric cables, old ribbons, fabric and yarn scraps. My baskets have become more colourful and unusual.