One of my other hobbies, especially during rainy and cold days, is pine needle basketry. It started a little over a year ago when finding a book on pine needle weaving while browsing the internet for willow baskets... While it is a time consuming hobby - it takes many and many hours from gathering the needles to the final baskets - it is also a very relaxing and rewarding hobby.
I use pine needles from the Ponderosa Pines around my house. I gather them during the Fall as the trees shed their needles (pine needles should not be harvested from a live branch). The needles are first washed and soaked in water, decapped, then weaved together into a coil using synthetic raffia or sinew for binding. Different stitch patterns can be used and pine cones, beads, or other natural materials can be weaved within the coils. The combinations are endless and the imagination can run wild. I never really know how the final basket will look like when I start.
Below are a few examples of the baskets I weaved. These baskets are available for sale. The price depends on the size and stitching intricacy of the basket (starting at about $10 and up).
Don't hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or comments!