We all sat round in a large square whilst Mary showed us examples of wrapped twining interpretations from various parts of the world – from north-west America to the Botonga people of the Zambesi.

To speed the starting process up, Mary very kindly provided us with a kit of various cut strips of Somband with which to weave a base and stakes of a small square basket held together with two rows of twining.

There were three elements involved in wrapped twining – the firm but flexible stakes (Somband in our case), a single flexible ‘weaving’ thread (waxed linen, string, raffia etc) and a stiffer horizontal material (Somband, chair cane, packing tape etc) which spirals upwards either within the basket or on the outside to create the different looking stitches. 

Having woven over the stake, you then wrap your weaving thread over the firm horizontal material on the other side of the basket, thus creating a slanting stitch on one side and a vertical stitch on the reverse. Extra stakes were added at the corners by just laying them in.

Whilst learning is seemed like a slow-ish process but the effects are extremely satisfying and it quickly became apparent the possibilities were endless. By the end of the day although the baskets were not completed everyone went home very inspired with thoughts and ideas of trying out different materials.