The needle is pushed down beside a spoke of the basket and then drawn out again to make room for the end of the rattan to be pushed in, about three inches below the top of the basket. The other end is inserted in the same way on the opposite side. This makes the foundation handle. The end of the weaver is inserted under the third row of weaving to the left of the spoke and pushed up between the weaving. It is twisted around the foundation about an inch apart. When the opposite side is reached, the weaver is pushed in under the third row of weaving on one side of the handle spoke and brought out on the other side. The weaver is then laid across the first twist and each of the following ones, to the other side where it goes under the third row as on the opposite side. About five or six times across will cover the handle. The weaver is fastened off by bringing it inside the basket across a spoke, in again, and then cut off.
The braided handle is made by using six pieces of rattan braiding using two pieces in each strand.
While weaving the basket, three pieces are pushed in on each side of a spoke and the weaving is continued over the spokes.
The double ring handle is made by twisting rattan into rings and sewing the rings to the weaving of the basket on opposite sides.
In sewing baskets or other articles, different kinds of stitches are used. To put a hat together the braids are sewed together with a plain stitch, whereas in putting a basket together a fancy stitch is employed.
The Indians are famous for the various kinds of fancy stitches, which they have used in making basketry articles.
The skip stitch which is used in sewed baskets is made by enclosing two spokes at a time or enclosing one spoke between every two.
Another useful and decorative stitch which is often used is the split stitch. The spokes are twined with raffia for a certain distance and then are split in two and the right spoke of one is joined to the left spoke of the other and twined with raffia as one.
Sometimes in making a cover for a hanging jar the spokes radiating from the centre are brought diagonally across each other and joined together by the winding stitch.
Many of the simple lace stitches described in a preceding chapter prove very useful in basketry work.