Needle Baskets demo at Musée acadien Oct. 2

But no need to despair Goodwin assures – the needles you need to learn the craft she’ll be demonstrating on Friday, Oct. 2 at 3 p.m. at the Musée acadien, can be bought from craft supply businesses online. Sweet grass can also be substituted for pine needles.

Goodwin learned the craft because she likes having something to do while travelling between Nova Scotia to Florida or Texas for the winter.

She starts with a small plastic ring wrapped with crochet cotton. Sliding as many needles as will fit into a thin plastic tube, she then uses a needle and yarn to secure the roll of pine needles into a coil. “You have to make sure that the needles are tucked in so that they don’t show on either side,” she says as her fingers move nimbly to tidy each addition. She continues to add more bundles of needles as the first are used up. The basket for the lid she’s working on will be a few inches tall when complete. She’s spent close to 12 hours on the project so far. The basket can be used for gifts or trinkets once completed. “You can make them any size, any width,” said Goodwin. “They will last indefinitely depending on how you handle it. It’s like the willow or the reeds that you use for baskets,” she said.

For a complete schedule of the Craft Splash, visit: http://yarmouthcraftsplash.blogspot.com