Wool Gizzard Basket

Some of you call them worms, others call them noodles. I like the name gizzard. Let’s face it, no matter what we call them, as rug hookers, we all have quite a few hanging around. Sometimes I suspect they may be multiplying and growing in numbers while my back is turned or the lights are out. 

Boredom is the rich soil from which ideas can come. Sprinkle a little curiosity into the mix and who knows what can spring forth? Just such a moment happened to me. While standing around waiting for sister Nola Heidbreder to join me for lunch, I was bored. Noticing her cascading baskets of gizzards, it suddenly occurred to me that I might be able to make cordage from those gizzards. Grabbing a small pile, I started twisting gizzards together into rope and sure enough, it worked.  I was on a roll now—before Nola was ready to go I had about a yard and a half in my hands.

It was fine to make cordage from surplus gizzards, but I really didn’t need any rope made from wool. What could I do with these to make them useful somehow?

Grabbing perle cotton and a chenille needle, I thought for a moment. Then I started coiling the rope into a basket. I had been making and teaching pine needle basketry for about twenty years, so was very familiar with the technique of coiling. I kept it going until I had a beautiful basket that was lightweight and yet quite sturdy.