ABSTRACT
Basketry is a venerable craft, both in terms of how long it has been practiced and in regard to its foundational relationship with other textile practices, such as weaving. Some of the earliest archaeological textile finds are basketwork. In all probability, the use of plant fibres for mats predates the use of spun thread for weaving, or the use of wool fleece in felt-making. Vernacular baskets provided an interface between people and so many aspects of domestic, social, and economic life in Scotland: from fishing to farming; from crofting to home-building. They were used to carry or contain peats, seaweed, bait, fishing lines, fish, tatties, animal fodder, fleece, and so much more. A further significant feature of the continuous nature of problem solving in basketwork is that, in weaving a basket, the maker is simultaneously building up the form, creating a three-dimensional structure, and using that basket structure as the frame or 'loom' on which he or she is weaving.
