Our time together…
We will start our weekend at the willow farm where we will learn about the willow and ourselves. We will harvest with gratitude for several hours and then pack up and head to our weekend retreat destination - a Private Troop House at the Girl Scouts of Western Washington’s Camp River Ranch just a few miles away. Beginning with the physical effort of harvesting is a sacred and necessary task, so come prepared to be out in the field rain or shine.
The Troop House is rustic but comfortable with a large grand room, full kitchen, bathrooms and showers. Two large sleeping areas provide 22 different bunk bed spots - so we can spread out. Each guest must bring their own bedding and toiletries - camp mattresses (doubled up) may not be the Ritz but comfortable for a weekend.
Hot Cocoa happy hour will greet us when we arrive. We’ll have time to settle in and sit down to a warm and filling dinner and dessert. We’ll end the evening by asking for guidance from Willow and some time for journaling with prompts.
Rise and shine on Saturday and greet the day with mindfulness practice and short Awe Walk. Have a healthy breakfast followed by learning how to sort and select willow for weaving. We’ll practice making hoops - a key skill for ribbed basketry - and set the foundation of our large ribbed baskets. By then it will be time for a delicious lunch and a bit of a break. After lunch 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.
Saturday dinner will be a time to gather and share. Followed by mindfulness practice under the stars and Mytho-poetic Story hour to send you off to dreamtime.
Sunday morning we will greet the day with a short Awe Walk and thanking the land for holding us. Have a hearty breakfast and dive back into weaving to finish up our baskets. If anyone wraps up a bit early, there will be other fun willow crafts to explore until lunch and pack-up.
After lunch, we will bless each others baskets and the hands that made them. By 2pm we will be heading our separate ways but forever connected through our baskets.
Your Guides
Erin Cox - Basketry weaver, wild crafter, artist, forager, and teacher
Erin started her basketry journey in the fall of 2022 and had willow planted by spring 2023! 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.
Mel Fritchle - EcoSpiritual guide, poet, mindfulness meditation & embodiment teacher
While licensed as a Holistic Psychotherapist in California, Mel believes deeply that the healing we need now will come from connecting to the natural world that holds and sustains us and by honoring that we are an interconnected part of it. She now has an online private practice offering Soul Guidance to people around the world and leads workshops and trainings for organizations such as Stanford’s Healthy Living Program. She is a lead guide at the Center for Wild Spirituality and writes on Substack Soul Entwined with Earth. Learn more about her at Embody-Connect.com
The Details
Schedule
Arrival: Friday, Dec 12th between 12:30 and 1pm at the Willow Farm: 1550 W. Snoqualmie River Rd NE, Carnation, WA
Departure: Sunday, Dec 14th around 2pm from Camp River Ranch: 33300 NE 32nd St, Carnation, WA
The Basket
We will be making a fresh or green willow ribbed basket - you can choose to make a basket with a handle, like the sample photo above, or without a handle like the example below woven by the wonderful Jo Campbell-Amsler. I sold my sample without taking a picture - oops. Average circumference will be 10-12 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?
Bedding: Please bring your own bedding - sleeping bag or sheets & comforters and your pillow(s) of choice. The beds are twin sized.
Toiletries: There are several individual shower stalls and flush toilets. Please plan to bring all your own toiletries - including towels and shower shoes.
Food: Feel free to bring any snacks for yourself or items to share. Please keep refrigerated items to a minimum so we have room for meal ingredients. *I would recommend bringing a travel mug or coffee cup to use for the weekend. No alcohol or smoking is allowed on site. BASIC MENU
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.
And finally an open and appreciative heart. Required. :)
My and Mel’s goal is to give you a wonderful weekend. If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to ask.
PRICE: $600 (Price is all inclusive - accommodation, food, learning, willow, and 8.8%)
Student Max: 8 (Also attending will be myself, Mel, videographer Natalie, and non-overnight guest and chef - Christopher - my husband)
Camp registration is NON-REFUNDABLE. However, if you are able to find a replacement camper, 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 camper. Pricing is based on full registration.
Over the last few years, I’ve fallen in love with willow and now I want to share her with you. Join myself and my friend Mel Fritchle, an ecospiritural poet and guide, as we explore and open ourselves to the natural world around us. This will be a special weekend of willow, weaving, and kinship. From field to basket we will create a vibrant fresh willow ribbed basket while exploring and celebrating willow and ourselves.
Introducing Camp Kindred: Spirit of Willow…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.
Price includes 8.8% sales tax required as of Oct 1st in Washington State.
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.