Fire and Ice Basket #6

I have been exploring the possibilities of ply-splitting as a contemporary basketry technique since 1998. Ply-splitting is a unique textile technique in which plied cords are pulled through other cords to create flat or three-dimensional objects. Ply-split braiding was practiced by nomads in the Thar desert that stretches between India and Pakistan, where men used black and white goat hair to make girths for their camels featuring both geometric and pictorial images. Contemporary fiber artists are keeping the technique alive using different materials and a variety of objects. Anything that can be twisted into a plied cord can be used for ply-splitting. I make most of my own cords from cotton or paper ribbon, and also use Danish cord, which is a commercially-made 3-ply cord. Some of my baskets have geometric designs that evolve as I make the basket, and for more complex designs, I graph a pattern in Excel to follow as I work. In the past few years, I have made a number of baskets with a climate change theme, using colors inspired by Ed Hawkins' Warming Stripes, and my most recent work involves making baskets with designs from the tablet-woven belts of East Telemark, Norway. I have self-published two instruction books on ply-splitting, "How to Make Ply-Split Braids and Bands" and "How to Make Ply-Split Baskets".