Over-under is deceptively straightforward. It’s easy enough for your brain to follow, but it often confuses your eyes, hands and willow rods in the process. One minute, you’re following a beautiful weaving path around your stakes. The next, the rod suddenly switches to the other side or jumps over a stake.
Neither of those scenarios imply carelessness. Rather, your rhythm has faltered and basketry gives you great visual cues when it does. Over-under pattern weaving depends on consistent alternation; the rod alternates in and out from the stakes (in-front, in-back, in-front, in-back). When you lose that alternation, you can get quite a few rows off in the weave before even realizing it. This will create a section that may look less even than the rest of your basket because you’ve either missed or double-hit a stake. But don’t worry; once you discover the issue you can unwind those mistakes and get back on track.
To practice this without risking a project, create a sample weave on a flat surface. Place a number of scrap stakes or strips out on a table and weave your rod in-and-out of them in the over-under pattern. Speak the movement sequence out loud or in your head, front-back-front-back. Once you have woven a row across, flip over the weave or weave over the top of the same stakes on the next row. There’s no rush here; you just want your mouth and hand and eyes to be working together in unison.
It can get tricky when you have a short length of weaver at the end; you’re focused on how to manipulate a short piece of willow and it’s easy to forget to alternate. So, stop and take a breath before moving on to the next stake. Look to see what the previous weave was, either in-front or in-back, to decide on whether you should weave in-front or in-back next. This is also a great time to switch to a fresh length of weaver rod, if needed.
You also have to consider moisture content. Dry rod can be hard to bend around stakes. The added resistance can make you push, pull or move faster and this can lead to losing the rhythm. Ensure your willow is adequately flexible with a mist of water or keeping the rods wrapped or sitting under damp towel or cheesecloth. When the rod is supple your hands are free to focus on the weavers. A consistent rhythm is the hallmark of fine handling, not cramping a rod around the stakes.
Finally, keep an eye on your weaving as you progress to see if the rod is moving freely in-and-out from stakes. You’ll notice if there’s an area that doesn’t seem to alternate. Look over the rod to identify where this happened, undo the weave and move on from there. This will help you train your eyes to notice errors before they spiral out of control as you work the walls up.
Your improvement will not mean you never lose your place; it will mean you catch it sooner and stop and fix it. Keep these practice drills simple to start and use willow pieces that are supple and easy to weave. Once the over-under pattern has become familiar to your hand, your weaving will be ready to take on the added challenge of building wall panels.