Our time together…
We will start our weekend on Friday, Dec 12th (1pm) at the willow farm in Carnation where we will learn about growing willow for basketry and craft. We will harvest with gratitude for several hours (rain or shine) and then pack up and head to our weekend workshop destination in downtown Carnation, WA. Once settled in to our workshop space - with a little hot cocoa happy hour - we’ll have a delicious dinner of homemade vegetarian soup and hearty bread. After dinner, we’ll sort the willow and practice our hoop making skills - now that’s what I call dessert!
Saturday, Dec 13th (10am) we’ll come back together and set the foundation of our ribbed baskets - selecting and setting our rim and handle. Mid-day we’ll take a break for some tasty vegetarian lunch! After our lunch/refuel, we will explore how to shape our baskets with rib placement and work on our willow sewing technique. We’ll weave happily through the afternoon until the dinner bell rings.
Dinner will be a pizza party from local favorite Blake’s Pizza. Giving us time to reflect on our day and explore willow observations and questions you might have. For those who would like to stay and weave, we’ll have open weaving time until 8pm. You can also take home supplies and weave at home if you just can’t stop. :)
Sunday, Dec 14th (10am) we will come back together to finish our baskets. Every basket and weaver is unique so I expect us all to have our own timeline. If you need/want the full day to weave, you have it. If you finish and want to head home, that’s is an option too (if you finish on the earlier side, I will have a few willow project ideas you could play with while everyone finishes). Lunch will be served for those who want to enjoy.
The Schedule
Friday, Dec 12th
12:30 - 1pm: Arrive at the Willow Farm: 1550 W. Snoqualmie River Rd NE, Carnation, WA
1:00pm - Sunset: Harvest and sort willow (rain or shine!)
Sunset - 8pm: Dinner and exploring the willow
Saturday, Dec 13th
10:00am - 6pm: Learning and weaving (Lunch & Dinner included) at 4509 Tolt Ave, Carnation, WA
6:00pm - 8pm: Optional weaving time
Sunday, Dec 14th
10:00am - 6pm: Learning and weaving (Lunch included) at 4509 Tolt Ave, Carnation, WA
The Basket
We will be making a fresh or green willow ribbed basket - you can choose to make a basket with or without a handles - examples below. The no-handle basket was woven by the wonderful Jo Campbell-Amsler. I sold my sample without taking a picture - oops. Average circumference will be 12-14 inches. You will have the opportunity to add your own creative touches through rib shape and color choices. We will harvest a bit of every color willow I grow so we have a lovely palette to work with.
What to bring?
Snacks: Feel free to bring any snacks for yourself or items to share. I would recommend bringing a travel mug or coffee cup to use for the weekend. There will be plentiful snacks available as well as tea & coffee everyday!
Harvest & Project Materials: For harvest, please bring a strong/sharp pair of clippers and/or loppers and a kneeling pad, if you want something for your knees. I will be purchasing several sets of my favorite secateurs to have on hand for harvest and the workshop. If you would like to purchase your own, not required, you can find them here: size medium | size small. If you have a willow weaving bodkin, please include that in your tool kit - not required.
And finally an open and appreciative heart. Required. :)
PRICE: $320 (Price includes - 2 lunches, 2 dinners, tea/coffee/snacks, 2.5 days of instruction, fresh & rehydrated willow, and tools/supplies)
Registration is NON-REFUNDABLE. However, if you are able to find a replacement student, I’m happy to help facilitate a transfer/refund/purchase. Due to the nature of this event, I’m unable to support outright refunds without a replacement student. Pricing is based on full registration.
Your Teacher
Erin Cox - Basketry weaver, wild crafter, artist, forager, and teacher
Erin started her basketry journey in the fall of 2022, wove her first willow basket in fall of 2023, and had willow planted by spring 2024! She knew immediately she had found a new love in willow and is now eager to share her willow bounty with you. Erin finds great joy in learning from and weaving with plants that grow in the Pacific Northwest. Personally harvesting and caring for the plants she works with have deepened her connection to the land and built a community she loves
REGISTRATION FULL
Introducing Camp Kindred: Spirit of Willow
A 2.5 day field to basket willow weaving workshop in Carnation, WA
PRICE: $320 (Price includes - 2 vegetarian lunches, 2 vegetarian dinners, tea/coffee/snacks, 2.5 days of instruction, fresh & rehydrated willow, and tools/supplies)
Over the last few years, I’ve fallen in love with willow and now I want to share her with you. This will be a special weekend of willow, weaving, and kinship. From field to basket we will harvest and weave a vibrant fresh willow ribbed basket while exploring and celebrating willow.
Introducing Camp Kindred…a place to come together to learn about the incredible indomitable willow and ourselves. A time to strengthen our connection to the natural world, find others who hear the call of the wild, and explore the spirit of willow. A weekend to slow down and enjoy simple things - good food, kind people, and nature in our hands.
Spirit of Willow
With a playful spirit, willow grows with wild, untamed energy while serving as a steadfast guardian. It bridges the realms of water and earth, living where the two converge, a being of connection and grounding. In the fierce rain and flood, it stands as protector, holding tight to the soil with its filigree roots, offering stability and safety to the land it calls home.
Some may say the willow bends but does not break, this is simply not true. When a willow falls or the flood waters prove too great, it shows its true strength: resilience. It does not surrender - new roots take hold, new shoots sprout, and the willow begins again.
This ability to regenerate is part of what makes willow so powerful. An ally for us in times of upheaval or loss, she shows that we too can put down new roots, we can find stability again, and we can thrive.
Willow’s wild spirit can teach us about how to be grounded and steadfast in the midst of a changing environment and how to stay authentic in the edges of our lives. Willow is a connecting bridge in her community of water and earth and air and sun, embracing it all. Consciously engaging with Willow brings us an ally in times of upheaval and a teacher who is both fierce and gentle in encouraging us to find where we can settle our own stabilizing roots.
Weaving with Willow
Weaving with willow allows us to step into a timeless tradition, one that’s been passed down through generations. Willow rods are light yet strong, pliable yet resilient, offering both a challenge and a gift. Weaving with willow is a partnership – at times the rods will easily bend to your touch, at others they will resist. The willow offers gentle pushback that demands patience, strength, and a deep respect for its nature. But it is this very resistance that makes the process so rewarding. It is not a battle of wills, but a harmonious collaboration—where the strength of the willow and the steady hands of the weaver come together to create something lasting and beautiful, a reflection of patience and craftsmanship.