There is something quite amazing about the qualities of the inner bark of the Western Red Cedar. These qualities have been understood by the Indigenous Peoples of the Pacific Northwest for thousands of years. It means a lot to know that some people in todays easy shopping world, where a container for yarn is but one-click away on a computer or phone, still value something bespoke. Like a Cedar Bark Basket requested by a friend, woven to fit on a particular shelf, to hold the yarn prepared for the next knitting project. And as I prepare the inner layers of the cedar which I’d gathered years before, I consider the forest that is no longer. I wonder how many of the countless cedar saplings I’ve planted have survived? For the many young people who have shared weaving time with me, the planting of cedar saplings is part of completing the circle. I wonder if the seed of knowledge has grown in any of those who I’ve had the opportunity to teach? Weaving provides time for contemplation as well as creation. I’m grateful to be able to build something useful and beautiful from the trees that no longer stand tall, but still have the ability to be useful and to teach.
