The following books have been very useful in starting up the Strobe Willows adventure in the last 5 years.
The willow books published in the 1900’s to 2000 were largely written to preserve the fast disappearing knowledge of weaving in the UK and Europe, as plastic and metal containers replaced baskets for storage, transport of goods and household use. Basket- making as a trade has completely disappeared in the northern hemisphere and with it the overwhelming majority of variety in woven product designs.
The books published after 2000 tend to be pattern books for baskets and craft items in willow or cane.
The list of books provides an English language base for most of the useful references in the ‘making’ of craft objects and small baskets. If you know of any books, web sites or YouTube channels you think would be good additions to my lists, please do not hesitate to comment in the Blog or send an email to contact@strobeonline.net.
The Newsholme book is the acknowledged master reference on Salix as a species of tree. There are no weaving or craft instructions in that book since it is written to educate on the different varieties, the majority of which have nothing to do with weaving or farm use.
The many different varieties of Purpurea, Alba and Triandra now available for use in basketry are largely ignored in Newsholme’s book, since the use of green and brown willow to create colour change and texture in woven baskets and art objects has largely been developed in the last 30 years.
The remainder of the list of books is in order of the most useful material for myself in learning how to grow and weave willow.
The instruction on growing is not exhaustive and the bulk of the knowledge in the agronomy of willow is probably to be found with the curators and managers of the various national willow collections or private Salicetums in USA, Canada and throughout Europe.
- Willow – the Genus Salix Christopher Newsholme 1992
- Willow Basketry Bernard and Regula Verdet-Fiereze 1993 0-934026-88-2
- Willow Jenny Crisp 2018 978-1-911127-71-0
- Basketwork Polly Pollock 2013
- Modern Basketry From The Start Barbara Maynard 1973 7135 1733 6
- Willow Work Mary Butcher 1985 0 9525 541 0
- The Complete Book of Baskets and Basketry Dorothy Wright 1977,1992 0 7153-9856-
- An Introduction to the Art of Basket-making Thomas Okey 1913 2013