I had ankle surgery and one of those knee scooters and needed a way to carry my things around. Since I love to do basketry, I decided why not spend the time healing making a special knee scooter basket! This has served me through two surgeries (on the same ankle, sigh . . . ), and served a friend who broke her foot in between my surgeries. She modified it and put a foam ‘cup holder’ in the bottom of the basket. I’m sure there are other modifications that could be made for individual needs.
So, I had this idea, but how was I going to do this? It’s not like there is a pattern out there for a knee scooter basket. I started with this shoulder bag pattern from Basket Maker’s Catalog and adapted it, opting for a bit more width in the narrow direction and also a bit shorter and less wide.
I started with what I had, which is 3/4″ reed. With only the base done, already I think I might have made the base 5 reeds wide (vs. 4). I wonder if an odd number of stakes in the long direction would have made the corners easier.
I made sure to measure the “ends” of the stakes (either side of the base weave) from time to time to be sure I stayed centered. A good plan – I eyeballed the open squares for distance and evenness but did need to adjust more than once to stay centered.
Three rod wale – huh? Found a great Youtube video that explained it very well – hallelujah! Three Rod Wale Technique by Jenn Rhodes of BWS.
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The main part of the basket is a simple flat weave, nothing fancy, but I did put in a few rows of the colored round reed (used in the 3-rod wale) for color interest. I sort of made up the start/end and it looks fine from the outside.
The scooter has a cleat (obviously to hold a basket) brazed right on the handle. I took a piece of scrap cedar from the woodbox, trimmed it with a razor knife, then poked holes in it with an awl (and a little extra work with the razor knife), then lashed it to the back of the basket. Tricky, as it needed to ‘seat’ in the edge of the cleat – but it worked.
I finished the basket with a simple inner/outer rim, no handles, and tied it to the scooter with some grosgrain ribbon I had around. I did this while the basket was still wet, so it could conform to the odd curves created by the shape of the handle and the way the brake handles sit.
Here is the finished basket. Now it’s easy for me to get the mail and carry items to where I need them!
It was fun, and I learned some things, including not to be afraid to just try new things.
It works great! Only issue – I might have to figure out how to make a lid. It’s right under me (often) when I’m standing in the kitchen for prep, so it tends to catch things….
Guest Contributor: Aunt Mare
How did you learn basketry?
Years ago, I was taking tole and decorative painting classes from a lady who was interested in several crafts and loved to teach. She did a series of basket classes, also lampshade making (and painting), framing your pictures, all sorts of things. I miss her!
What other hobbies do you have?
Cooking, landscape gardening, reading, crochet, sea kayaking . . .
What is your favorite storage tip for your craft and hobby supplies?
A place for everything, everything in its place! I hate to rummage for supplies when I’m ready to get a project going. It’s worth the effort to organize and find a home for it all.
When you’re in your creative mood, do you listen to music? Watch TV? or prefer quiet? If you listen to music, what type? If watch TV, what types of shows?
I like quiet, and I like music. That means mostly ‘quiet music’ and I have several Pandora stations set up for different ‘quiet music’ types depending on what I want to hear. We recently installed a Sonos system in our home, which I love — it pipes the music of choice into the room(s) of choice with the touch of a cell phone.
How often do you start a new project?
It depends on what else is up and it’s seasonal. If it’s summer, I’m more likely to be doing something in the yard than a craft project. I always have a crochet project going for ‘small, keeps my hands busy’ work when traveling. Basket making means a couple of days when I can have the dining room table tied up, so it might happen if my hubby is away on business.
Anything else?
I eagerly look forward to reducing my work and volunteer load to give me more time to enjoy creating, in the garden and with crafts. Right now my big project is designing a major kitchen remodel, which is taking a fair amount of my ‘free time’.
Check out the berry basket by Aunt Mare
Check out all of our weaving projects on Create Whimsy.