During the summer courses we braintanned two deer hides and made red osier dogwood and spruce root baskets. Here is a photo of one person’s work, with the basket full of summer wildflowers, herbs and berries.
The hides were ones I had scraped a few years ago, so we just did the braining and softening. We spent a lot of time talking about the philosophy of crafting during the courses. These days I find myself discussing the “why” as much as the “how”, and have been thinking about creating a winter reading-based course on the philosophy of crafting.
Another angle: 
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Nice spruce roots! I bet those pulled up right out of the moss like in the photo. Is that spahgnum? I can’t tell if they are split or not, but looks like not split.
Simplicity and Connection in a Container
I was looking for the longer writing on “why” but didn’t find it. But that’s an interesting topic.
What is it in these old hands that “feels the pull” to make a basket? My hands WANT to make a basket. Saw a stand of paper birch in South Dakota recently and my whole body was drawn to those trees because of the basket possibilities. I thanked them, but did not harvest.
Someone asked me recently to help them with a basket and I said, “I can’t really remember the next weave, but if you let me handle the basket my hands will remember.” They allowed it, and my hands remembered what my brain could not put in words or even remember.
What is it about skills that lives in our bones?!