We had a very enjoyable day at Letchworth Settlement on 20 April. Deb Hart brought an extensive selection of willow in her trailer from 3-8 foot. Each participant used a wooden support drilled with 12 holes. We used double 8 foot rods in each hole and tied them at the top. Deb showed us a two rod pairing weave which we interlocked after one round. We replaced the tie with a hoop to keep the structure upright and wove several rounds before starting a spiral. We chose the frequency of inserting rods depending on the desired strength of the weave. Once the spiral was levelled off with several more rounds we bent over the uprights and inserted them down through their opposite number to create a lattice top. Each crossover point was tensioned and held with a godseye binding. During the remaining time Deb showed us how to make snails and spirals.

Deb is a patient, knowledgeable tutor and there was great anecdotal exchange throughout the day. It was lovely to see some newer members.