Your choice of rod thickness can make or break your first basket. If two rods are identical in length, but one is thick and rigid and the other is thin and bouncy, how they act in relation to spokes, bends, and tight spots will differ wildly. It isn’t always best to go for the most sturdy rod for your first basket. It’s about picking the thickness that is the right match for the task at hand.
It takes several sizes of rods to weave a small basket. Thicker, sturdier pieces can make better spokes and stakes for a base or a side wall. A thinner rod will often be easier to over/under weave because it won’t take as much energy to pass around each stake. A weaver rod that is too thick might push the stakes too far apart, create spaces between rows, and add too much heft to a basket before it even takes form.
Take your rods, put them on a table, and sort them by feel. Put the stiffest rods in one pile, the semi-flexible rods in another, and the thinnest rods in a third. Don’t decide based only on what you see. Gently run each rod through your hand to feel where it widens, narrows, or is uneven. A rod that is thicker on one end and thinner on the other may be OK, but it needs to be placed well so its difference doesn’t disrupt your row.
With regards to your base, thickness will affect how well your spokes are placed. A first base is small, so if the spokes are too thick, it might seem too crowded to work properly. A too-thin spoke might make the base feel loose or wobbly during weaving. One way to check your thickness is to spread the spokes out before you start, and test that the weaver rod fits around it. It should have some space to move, but not so much space it looks loose from row one.
Thinner rods might also be helpful to learn how to weave tension in the side wall. They can be bent around vertical stakes with less force and easier to tuck down into the row before it. But, the thinnest rod is not always a good rod. If a rod is too thin and weak, it might not keep a strong line, especially at the top of the basket. What we are looking for is something to bend easily, fill the row, and feel like you are directing it, not wrestling it.
Before you do a basket, weave a sample with just a few of the scrap stakes. Weave a couple of rows with a thin rod, then a couple of rows with a slightly thicker rod. Notice which spacing you think is cleaner, where you find yourself pulling harder, and which sits down closer to the previous row. This sample may teach you more than guessing about the correct thickness from your pile of rods, because this demonstrates how thickness performs in your hands in real-time.
As you gain experience and a better eye, you can become selective about choosing rods for specific tasks. Thicker rods to provide support in areas like the base, more flexible and malleable rods to aid weaving, and thinner rods for areas that require close weaving or delicate shaping. Before the next small basket, take a moment to look over your rod bundle and identify what each rod is being asked to contribute. One decision might make the first base easier, the side wall easier to control, and the final edge less bulky.