About six lengths of No. 00 green rattan.
A little jar of quaint Flemish pottery, charming in form and colour, is the foundation of this piece. This ware, which is just becoming known to us, is interesting in many ways. First of all, for its own sake—the attractive shapes: candlesticks, bowls, jugs, jars, and tiles all have the stamp of individuality, rare in any ware that is within reach of the average purse. The colours are beautiful—deep greens and blues, soft browns and dull orange for the most part. Some of the pieces are made by Belgian school children, others in potteries started by a club of men in Belgium, followers of Ruskin, who have revived the craft, employing only Belgians to design and mould the ware. The old methods are carefully followed—the pieces are wheel-made, not formed in moulds. Much of the decoration is done by boys, who make a charming picture, clad in blouses and sabots, their young faces all interested and absorbed in the work.
The open-meshed weave of pale-green rattan with which this jar is inclosed only slightly veils the colour of the glaze—deep-green at the base, shading through blue to a soft mousy-brown at the top. The covering is made as follows:
One end of a piece of green No. 00 rattan twenty-seven inches long is tied into a ring two inches and a half in diameter. Around this foundation ring the long end of the rattan is twisted in and out, until it has made the circuit twice—three times, counting the foundation ring. Some very pliable lengths of No. 00 green rattan are cut into twenty pieces thirty-two inches long. They are wet until quite soft, and then two of them are doubled around the ring and tied with a Solomon’s knot (see [Fig. 47]). Another pair is doubled and knotted upon the ring, and another, until ten groups have been attached at intervals around the circumference. Starting with any one of the groups, the two strands on the right are brought beside the two on the left of the group to the right of it, and knotted together as described on page 132, at three-quarters of an inch from the first row of knots. The two remaining strands of the right-hand group are brought beside those on the left of the next group to the right, where another knot is made, and so on, until the circuit is complete. One more row of knots is made in the same way, three-quarters of an inch from those in the previous row. The whole network is then wet thoroughly and fitted over the lower part of the jar, tying it if necessary, to mould the rattan in to the form. At about an inch and a half from the last row of knots, a row of pairing is made with a very pliable piece of No. 00 green rattan. For the benefit of those who may not know this simple basket weave, the following directions are given:
Holding the jar with its partial covering of rattan right side up, draw the ends of the strands remaining after the last row of knots was tied, close up against the sides of the jar. Double the pliable piece of No. 00 rattan around a pair of ends which formed the middle strands of one of the knots. Taking the upper half of the piece, which seems to come from behind the two strands (to the left of them), bring it over them, under the next pair and out in front. Hold down, with the left hand, the end you have just used, while with the right bring the other end (which was on the right of the first pair of strands) over the next pair of strands on the right and under the next. It is now held down in front, while the process is repeated—always taking the end on the left to weave with.
The doubled strands, or spokes, on which these stitches are woven, should be drawn close together, till not more than a sixteenth of an inch apart, so that they will cling to the jar. When the circuit of the jar has been made, another row is woven. At the end of this second row both of the weaving strands are cut, so that their ends will come back of the last pair of strands in the circuit. For half an inch the strands are drawn up toward the top of the jar without weaving; then, one row more of the pairing is made, and after thoroughly wetting the ends of the vertical strands the following border is woven: Bring each pair of strands over the next three on the right under the succeeding two and outside of the jar. The entire circuit of the border is made in this way, only leaving the first part of it loose and open, so that the last strands can be woven in easily. When finished, the border is again wet, and its edge made even and true, on a line with the top of the jar or slightly above it. The ends of the strands are then cut close to the jar, so as to allow each to lie back of the last strand it went under. If the covering stands out from the jar—does not cling as it ought, it should be thoroughly wet and bound around with string or raffia, and firmly tied, until it is dry. Fig. 49 shows the completed covering.