Wild Basketry in the Hudson Valley: Katie Grove’s Foraged Craft and New Book “Weaving Wild Baskets”

The prolonged emergence of Hudson Valley springtime makes the days of lush greenery and full branched trees feel far away, but for Katie Grove , basketry teacher, artist, and author of the soon-to-be released Weaving Wild Baskets (Storey Publishing), the outdoors are already alive with materials and possibility. “There’s always something to harvest. Now is a great time to harvest vines,” she suggests, “it’s a seasonal practice. You watch them all year, and wait for the magic moment when the plant is reaching the end of its life or going dormant.” Wild basketry is year-round craftwork, from foraging to weaving. The traditional practice is built on a cultivated awareness of what’s happening in your own backyard. “To me, wild basketry is the process of developing a relationship with what’s growing around you,” Grove says, “it starts with awareness.” Weaving Wild Baskets elaborates on the basket creation process with a focus of mindfulness, relating the meditative act of processing fiber and twisting cordage to a “balm for a fast-paced world.” With step-by-step instructions for mastering a multitude of pieces from—the coiled bowl or a two-hoop harvest basket to a bark necklace pouch or tool sheath—Grove’s guide provides ample illustrations of proper hand placement and weaving patterns to ensure a stress-free introduction to the practice. “Coiling and twining can be great places for beginners to start.” Grove suggests, “Each technique has its strengths and I tend to focus on one or the other depending on the project or what kind of mood I’m in. I love working with folded bark because it invites my creative side out, but if I’m in the mood to do something meditative, I’ll turn to coiling.” Grove in her basketry studio in Stone Ridge. Photo: Costa Boutsikaris In addition to basketry, Grove specializes in sculpture, utilizing foraged raw materials from white oak splits and logs to more unconventional natural elements like feathers and seeds, which Grove refers to as “litt