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@@AbellTo Cheers Darren! Wonder if you could help, I’ve got a question that you may be able to answer; What would be the recommended time to dryout beech sticks (like in the video) for making staffs?

@@AnunnaHealing Bot just using, breaking the kit you got me 😁🤦‍♂️ I’m interested to hear more about the character these magical wands will be for!!??

@@Ficusforev There were about 3 varieties but I can only remember one, Welsh white. If you take a look at the “willow farm for free” video on this channel I go into a little more detail about the varieties that we had planted into the fields 👍

@@agreatalternative ok thanks 👍🏻

@@AnunnaHealing The next project, a magic staff/ wand for one of your characters………? 😁

@@agreatalternative thats so weird im literally writing a new script with a character who actually could need a wand!

@@agreatalternative Thinking about it she would need matching broom, wand and staff set! That would be the coolest!

@@AnunnaHealing AWESOME!! That’ll tie in great with the doc, because I can make a bunch of items for this character!! If you have time take a look through my wand/ staff Pinterest board and let me know if any designs you like and we can plan something just for this new character! pin.it/3UPMazOaa I’m so excited already!!!

@@benmoffitt7524 Thanks Ben! Although I love making wands they aren’t actually that useable in real life, which is why staffs at least are most practical 😁

@@agreatalternative 😄

@@Lurleneist Absolutely (which is great as I make lots of mistakes 🤣) Thanks for the comment!!

@@Jen999 Thank you so much for your comment, I can’t believe it’s still being seen, I thought RUclips had made it get lost under the algorithm!

@@agreatalternative No way! These are some of the most beautiful and inspiring videos we ever have seen.. each time we watch a new one.. at least new to us.. we can feel the kindness and goodness shine thru.. stuff like this only gets better with the passing of time…🌹 Slan mo charaid💜💙

@@Jen999 Wow, that means a lot! 🙏❤️😊

@@agreatalternative This video is well worth watching.. we learned a lot.. we have subscribed to Tom’s channel.. we love the Highlander series .. especially what life was like for Highlander women.. and the cooking videos.. there is much quality content to be found in RUclips.. if you be patient and willing to look for it..Slan mo charaid 💜💙

I'm not sure myself, (Margaret who I filmed for this is the expert) Check out naturopathiccanine.com to speak to Margaret directly Hope your doggy gets better!

@@rottenroadkill3311 Great question! In short in depends….😁 The methods I use to prevent cracking are - Like you said a twisting motion - Using a thumb to bend small sections - Pulling back and forth over a knee - Try to put as small a bend in the willow rod when weaving. Often this means your other hand is supporting while the main one is weaving. There are different techniques for this but it depends on what you are weaving. Wild willow tends to be more prone to snapping though, plus it depends on whether it’s fresh/ dry or dry and then re-soaked. Another method could be to re-soak it for longer? Or use material that is a thinner than you currently are using if possible? I’ve not tried it that much but you could also try to split the willow in half, which would make it thinner and more flexible. (I show roughly how to do this in the spruce root harvesting video) Hope that helps!!

Yeah they’ve got such an inspiring project ahead! This one’s has been sitting on the sideline for a while now, as it was filmed as part of their crowdfunder (some of this footage was used in that), so it’s been waiting for that to release to share on here! Does mean as this video is a week early it’ll be three weeks till the next one 😮😁

I’d recommend a RUclips channel from Sally Pointer, she does a video about it that I learnt from 👍

My pleasure 😊

Thank you so much! Your channel and East coast forager looks so interesting, I’ve saved a whole bunch of videos ready to view later 😁

Cheers Sam, that means a lot! Please share an image with me on insta, I’d love to see the result!

Cheers Ben, I've been watching a Sally Pointer video and I think she has a better method for joining fibres which ends in a cleaner result, so I think I'll try that on the next one. My aim for whats made in these videos is that I'll make a big display with every single one hanging from them! For now though they are just in a basket 😁 Although I am currently making a hiking staff video and I've used the 3 ply cordage for the handle wrap on that!

Yes!!!!! I observed this with my own eyes. Don't touch the darn thing. Touching it handling it, spreads it. See a vet oncologist

Cheers Darren, any weird and wonderful ideas for future materials? Next in the list I’ve got banana skin, willow inner bark, grass and thin plantain

@@agreatalternative sounds good, you’ve given me ideas for more coiled baskets. Dock always seems a stringy plant, have you trie that?

@@agreatalternative sounds good, you’ve given me ideas for more coiled baskets. Dock always seems a stringy plant, have you trie that?

@@AbellTo Hmm that’s a good shout, plus there’s some of that outside where we live 👍

Thank you! I would recommend Sally Pointer's youtube channel as she is much better at explaining than me plus shows how to do 3 ply cordage and a different joining technique.

Good luck 👍😊

Thank you 😊 It’s really nice to get that message as I do feel sometimes that I’m not being clear enough or that I waffle a lot 😁 Isn’t wales so beautiful!! Thank so much for your kind words ❤️

Thank you, I definitely enjoy that part of the process as it makes any woodland trip a potential treasure hunt 😁 I see that you’ve done some customisations to wands, have you made any before? If so do you have any advice for a newbie?

Thank you! Yea it started out as a quick “let’s see what I can make” kinda video and snowballed into a full process breakdown, so took a lot longer than expected!! 😂 I’d be honoured if it can be used to help any others out!!

Cheers, hope it was helpful!

No worries, glad you liked it!

Thank you! I’m not sure what to attempt yet, I think I want to try friction burning and some other types of carving before I get too intricate. The best part is finding an interesting ‘stick’, then half the work is done for you! 😁

Thank you! Really pleased with ‘most’ of the results 😁 Some are definitely better the closer you look, some are not! 😂

Cheers, yeah I think they are my favourite bits too, I did find it really difficult to choose between carving something away and leaving it how I found it!

The thumbnail is my favourite part now 😁👍 I’ve since watched a couple more videos about staining and maybe I need to sand over the top of the ones I’ve stained with a super fine grit as that gets a ‘better’ end result, but things like ebonizing, or using leather dye seem to end up with a better result Thanks as always Ben for your comments a support, means a lot 👊

….well I haven’t tried to see if they will work, so you could be on to something 😂

Interesting, they were two really simple ones, I think maybe even amongst my first few attempts! Thank you for the comment!

​@@agreatalternative yeah I'm a fan of really thin wands like in Harry Potter. if a wand is too thick it looks too odd to me personally.

@@RedCaio Ahh right, I don’t think I’ve worked out what style I like most so far, especially after realising how great they are for someone who fidgets a lot! Probably a mixture, I’m all about the varied 😁

Cheers, it was a lot of fun to make. I haven’t sold ANY of these clips so far! Not sure why, but to be honest I’ve now stopped putting clips on Pond5 as the sales:clips online ratio is so vast. But then got to make this video, which I loved doing, so I’m just focusing to RUclips now! Have you had any experience with selling clips online?

@@agreatalternative sorry to hear that, but everything takes time, hopefully it will get discovered in the future....I only do stock photos so far, but like to try stock videos, just submitted my first ever video last night to see how the review goes..... I like your creative ideas, the video looks like a finished product for a client. I guess if someone already has an idea then they may just want a simple clip so they can do it their own way, I don't know. But you definitely are good at this, so thanks for sharing your knowledge, best wishes for your RUclips channel! 🙂🙏

@@MJ-Travel Yeah you’re right, the more niche the clip the potentially less likely they are to need it, I’ve just gotta find those few people who think it’s perfect for what they need! Thanks again, fingers crossed your video sales are high!

@@agreatalternative thanks, you too! :)

I’ll pass your message onto Brian and let you know if he gets back, as he’s the expert 👍

Brian said: Slap it in a cold wash in washing machine, max 30 degrees. It'll come out dry as a bone 👍

​@@agreatalternative I was thinking a delicate cold wash but the bag has a lot of leather on it 👎

Thanks! Our hope was that these videos would still be relevant and (hopefully) interesting for years to come so that’s made my day to know it’s helping!

I’ve not had a lot of experience with this but what I’ve found so far is; - If the root has been dug up from underneath the ground and was clearly alive then no, I haven’t had any issues with rot. The only times I’ve found mould is after harvesting it I have therefore introduced air and various other debris to the root. If it’s not cleaned/ bark stripped and not stored in a dry, ventilated area then mould can appear. - If the root wasn’t fully submerged in the ground before harvesting, for example if it was poking out of the ground but still alive, or if it was pulled out by a falling tree and had been above ground in all weather for a period of time, then yes sometimes ‘rot’ may have already set in. I believe that this will appear different to the type of mould I mentioned above. Obvious types are either where the root snaps very easily or is very brittle, or another obvious sign is the white mycelium showing, although I’ve only seen this on bigger bits of tree/ root. I haven’t attempted treating anything yet at any stage of the process. That said I am looking into ways to treat a finished basket (for example mineral oil and beeswax), however generally one I have a finished product like a basket it’s ideally kept clean, dry and in a warm, ventilated(ish) area, like a standard home. If you were to leave any basket made out of natural materials outside in the elements it would rot/ deteriorate fairly rapidly. I hope I haven’t rambled too much and that helps! Any more questions let me know 👍

@@agreatalternative thanks so much for detailed answer! Baskets and objects made with roots and twigs such as these are a great alternative to pollutive plastics! But they need to be more long term durable. Come to think of it, yes, beeswax seems like a good option. Or soaking them in virgin flaxseed oil. Maybe adding some drops of tea tree essential oil in the solution would be great for anti fungal. Thanks again for your input. I would love to see such a project on your channel! 🙂

Additionally, using tree roots from Species preferring Flooded areas/swamps may be worth it, don't you think?

@@undefinednull5749 They are some great ideas! I think I’ll definitely have to try them out at a later date. From the basket weavers I’ve learnt from as far as I’m aware they don’t treat the willow baskets and providing you’re not leaving it outside they can last many years, longer than some plastic alternatives!! I’ll also have to look into other root systems as well, the main reason I’ve used spruce so far was that there were already some resources on the net/ RUclips about using it! Thank you for your comments!!

No worries Lottie, when you have a go please share with me (Instagram may be easiest) as it love to see the end result, I’m sure you could do better than I have in this video!

Thank you, that’s what I have heard, the more I research and ask around it seems Etsy isn’t worth it for multiple reasons. Do you have any experience selling crafts online? I’m thinking my own website through something like wix may be better. It won’t get as much potential reach but at least I’ll have more control.

Cheers, and the best bit is it was all out of coppiced wild willow, not farm grown basket stuff! Do you have any experience with basket materials other than hazel and willow?

@@agreatalternative that is the best bit when it’s forages. I’ve tried a bit with dogwood but I recon it needs work to stop it kinking. Thin is best. I’ve used pine needles but that’s a different basket and technique. I recon folk on Etsy will buy, our shop hasn’t sold anything in 18months but I’m hopeless at marketing and Etsy is difficult to get established on IMHO .

@@AbellTo Ahh yeah dogwood is good, I’ve used it a couple of times fresh/ semi green although supposedly it doesn’t resoak well so isn’t the best for tight basketry Thanks for the advice on selling, after researching into Etsy and how much they want you to list and sell before they start promoting you had put me off. I’m now thinking to just start my own website (using wix or similar) then sell only through RUclips. It’ll mean a lot less interest but will be used by people who know the channel and want to invest in us a little bit.

Thank you Thomas! I don’t think I’ve used any of those materials before, there’s so much to tryout! Coiled baskets are on my list to try as that’s a technique I’ve still not tried. I think there’s just a beauty in how simple they are, I remember when I was first shown how to make one it made me confident that I could make it again, which I can’t say for some of the other weaving techniques!

I've only ever done pine needle baskets. Small ones. I learned how in school. They also make great drink coasters, when properly sealed.

@@karynstouffer3562 I never made them in school!! Probably why I get so over excited making it all now because it's all new 😁 How do you seal the coasters?

@@agreatalternative I was able to take advanced art classes, by sheer luck. I took every single one that I could get into. Sealing the coasters: line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Set your oven to its lowest temperature. Melt paraffin wax in a saucepan that is just large enough to submerge the coasters, one at a time, in the wax. Don't use a favorite saucepan, as it will not be suitable for anything else once you use it for paraffin wax. Use a skewer or chopsticks to hold the coaster down, until it is thoroughly saturated with the wax. Lift the coaster (chopsticks or an old fork work well), allow it to drain a bit, then place it on the baking sheet. Once all of the coasters are saturated, place the baking sheet in the warm oven. Turn the oven off, and allow to cool with the door closed. If you end up with puddles of wax around the coasters, you can briefly reheat them, on fresh parchment paper, to get the excess wax to drain away.

@@karynstouffer3562 Thank you so much for taking the time to write this, I’ll have to try it sometime!

Just you wait, the next narration will be Anunna style…. 😁 I’ve been looking into Etsy and it seems they will only push your products if you’re almost constantly listing things, which was never my aim as it’ll only be one offs that I do for fun. So right now I’m thinking just setting up my own website and promoting it mainly to people who want to support the channel. Do you have any advice for this kinda stuff?

I’m not sure, as a rule of thumb any natural material would do well to be wet when weaving, but how ‘soaked’ mostly depends on thickness I think. Checkout the channel Textile Indie, I think she mostly uses brought round and flat feeds in her basket weaving, which I think is just briefly soaked then sprayed with water. Hope it all goes well!

@@agreatalternative Thanks! Will do!