April Holiday: Go Wild With Weaving

A year ago, I was browsing the web, as you do, and randomly bought 50 basket willow cutting from Go Willow!, as you do. Then of course, I said to Mac, I need to go to a willow weaving course so that if when they grow, I can make baskets. As you do. Well, I wasn't really serious, but then we thought about how we'd been talking about visiting Golden Bay for decades, so hey! why not? The two day Go Wild With Weaving workshop was in Collingwood, so it was up early to be there at nine.

So on Saturday morning I walked up the hill to the local school and discovered over the next two days that basket weaving is not my thing. I loved it but it didn't love me - my arthritic hands were feeling very sorry for themselves by the end of the weekend. In addition to being hard work, though, it was fun.

 Day one's basket.

For dinner on Saturday night everyone, plus partners and children, went to a cafe way out in the dark. We were given instructions several times, and everyone made it there fine - unlike the previous year when someone missed the 'turn right' bit but remembered the 'gravel road' bit and ended up driving along the Heaphy Track! Not the done thing at all. Anyway, I can heartily recommend The Naked Possum as a place to eat.

On day two we made a second basket, although a couple of people worked on the same one, adding height and handles. At the end of Sunday, we had a display, which made me want to go back again next year and try one of the other workshops. There are more photos here.

 Go Willow

Go For Flax

Go For Hats

 Go Twining

 Go Paper Weaving

 Go Stitching

 Meanwhile Mac was relaxing and having a look around while the tide was in.