Basket Weaving: Part Two

Previously on "Basket Weaving": I'm sure we can all agree that I sufficiently conquered the Beginning Basketry patterns in the kit found at basketweaving.com. It was time to branch out on my own!

I started by dyeing some of the reed with this:

I used half the package and I'm not sure how much reed I tossed in the bucket. But it came out looking kind of just weathered and faded instead of like a deep Country Gray or whatever. Which is totally fine, and I thought that the bleached gray kind of suited the pile of vertebrae I've had lying around. So I made this:

[Please ignore my hideous claw-hand. The lighting was awesome -- sacrifices had to be made.] Obviously I don't know what I'm doing with spacing yet. The bottom looks good though:

But up top, two sides are tightly woven, two sides are not. And I failed to toss the lashing into the dye bucket, so it is still natural colored.

Wow, my hand looks like it's wearing pantyhose. No wonder Madonna wears gloves all the time. D:

I lashed the vertebrae onto the sides after I worked the edges. And here you can get a better view of my shitty side spacing.

All in all I do like the basket, but clearly I need more practice. AND PLEASE BELIEVE I AM GETTING IT. Wet reed flying all over the house, coils of dry reed piled all over the floor, because I DEFINITELY NEEDED ANOTHER MESSY WET HOBBY.

Unfortunately I forgot to take photos of a couple of other baskets I finished, so I will be back later with Part Three: Rit Dye & More Bones.