Big alder basket and little alder basket are complete. Now I’m working with rowan twigs and they don’t smell so sweet!
alder
Alder-wrestling
The Falkland alder basket is nearly finished and I can’t say it’s been a pleasure. The twigs twist and turn, the little purple buds snag the thread and ping off without warning. But what beautiful colours in the bark and the scent is nearly as sweet as birch.
Alder and willow
Yesterday we visited an alder carr, a tiny stretch of nearly-natural river and woodland in lowland Perthshire. It was alive with small birds and there were signs that beavers had visited not long ago.
I like to imagine that the River Eden would have been like this once, winding its way through the Howe of Fife.
Tonight I finished an alder basket, lined with willow:
Jan Hendry 