Wool Gizzard Basket

Gizzard Basket 1: 21⁄2″ tall; 51⁄2″ diameter

Material List

• About 70 gizzards in a #8 cut for a basket the size of the one pictured.
• #3 perle cotton
• #18 chenille needle
• Clothespin

Boredom is the rich soil from which ideas can come. Sprinkle a little curiosity into the mix and who knows what can spring forth? Just such a moment happened to me. While standing around waiting for sister Nola Heidbreder to join me for lunch, I was bored. Noticing her cascading baskets of gizzards, it suddenly occurred to me that I might be able to make cordage from those gizzards. Grabbing a small pile, I started twisting gizzards together into rope and sure enough, it worked.  I was on a roll now—before Nola was ready to go I had about a yard and a half in my hands.

It was fine to make cordage from surplus gizzards, but I really didn’t need any rope made from wool. What could I do with these to make them useful somehow?

Grabbing perle cotton and a chenille needle, I thought for a moment. Then I started coiling the rope into a basket. I had been making and teaching pine needle basketry for about twenty years, so was very familiar with the technique of coiling. I kept it going until I had a beautiful basket that was lightweight and yet quite sturdy.

How to make gizzard cords:

1. Take two long gizzards and fold them in half, holding them at the fold. All four ends need to be different lengths so that they don’t run out at the same time.
2. Pinch at the fold with your left hand. Twist the two farthest gizzards two to three times away from you. Without allowing the twist to come out, bring those twisted gizzards toward you and over the other pair of gizzards.
3. Twist the second pair of gizzards, and bring them toward you, over the first pair of gizzards that you previously twisted.
4. Repeat steps 2 and 3 until the desired length is achieved. You do not have to make all of your cordage to start your basket. At a minimum, about a yard is needed to begin the basket.
5. When any of your gizzards are about a half inch in length, you need to splice in a new gizzard. Lay in a new piece next to the pair that has a short piece, and twist the new gizzard into the pair, leaving a short end from the new piece protruding. When you are finished with the cordage or have made about 6 inches more of the cord, clip these protruding ends flush.
6. If you need to leave your cordage for a time, it won’t come completely untwisted. Secure the live end with a clip or clothespin. When you pick it up again, it doesn’t matter which pair you start twisting.

Note: These directions are for right-handers. If you are left-handed, you will pinch with your right hand and twist the gizzard pairs with your left hand. The two are not interchangeable, because you are putting a different directional twist in them. I am right-handed, but find doing it left-handed more comfortable. Experiment to find which way works best for you.

Gizzard Basket: 41⁄2″ tall; 33⁄4″ diameter

Construct a basket:

1. Using a #18 chenille needle, thread up a long piece of perle cotton and tie a knot in the end of the cotton.
2. Sew the needle through the beginning of the cordage.
3. Coil the cordage around the center. If you are right- handed, coil in a counterclockwise direction. Coil clockwise if you are left-handed.
4. Bring the perle cotton over the cordage and then back into where you first stuck your needle. From now on, you will be sewing a little bit left of the previous stitch you just made. Good spacing is 1⁄4″ to 1⁄2″ apart. Closer together is unnecessary; farther apart will make for a weak basket. Remember: right-handers will sew from right to left and left-handers will sew from left to right.
5. Continue coiling and sewing until the bottom is desired size.
6. To go up the sides, place the unsewn coil on top of the previous coil, right on the edge, and sew it down to the coil below. Continue for desired height.
7. If you want the basket to flare out, pull the cord toward you ever so slightly. If you want it to go in, push the coil away from you slightly.
8. To finish the basket, thin your cordage out by using two gizzards on one side and one on the other. Finally, use just one gizzard on each side. This should taper nicely as you sew it down to end your basket.
9. To end a piece of perle cotton, tie a knot near where it is coming out of the coil. Using the needle, pull the knot into the coil to bury it. To start a new piece, tie a knot in the perle cotton. Sew into where you ended, pulling hard enough to bury the knot.

Note: The basket can be turned inside out if it looks better that way. If you wish to travel with the basket, just roll it up and pack it away.