Traditional Welsh Shopper Basket
This is a beautiful rounded shopping basket woven with my, home grown in Pembrokeshire, dark dicks or intensely coloured Flanders Red Willow or any other willow I grow.
These baskets are a variation on the Traditional Welsh Cyntell Basket which is made to an age old recipe which has been handed down through the generations. It is said that D J Davies made the first one as a wedding present for his wife. The central ribs, hoop and handle are made from locally sourced willow or hazel which I gather during the winter months, split and shave into slim and delicate rods and then dry thoroughly on formas before weaving during the summer.
I grow all my willow on my small field in Pembrokeshire, this gives me a personal connection to the material I am weaving with and a wonderful choice of colours!
