subject: What Exactly Is A Basket [print this page] A basket is any container that is made by weaving or coiling strips of flexible ("bendable") material together. Baskets can be made of twigs, straw, wicker, bamboo, grass, palm leaves, cornhusks, twisted paper, rope, thin wire, and many other materials. Some of these are not flexible when they are dry, but they are flexible when they are wet. A thin twig, for instance, will snap if you bend it when it is dry, but it may be curved and twisted when it is thoroughly wet. For this reason, some baskets are made while the material is wet. Then they dry and are baskets. Baskets are among the oldest things made by man. People who lived thousands of years ago were just as skilled in basket-making as we are today. Primitive people, who do not travel very much, make their baskets from the materials they find growing around them. That is why the primitive people of Africa make baskets of palm leaves, while the American Indians use cornhusks. Sometimes no tools at all are needed in basket making. When tools are needed, they are tools that man invented many, many thousands of years ago, such as the knife, the needle, and the awl (a tool used for punching holes).Basketry is made from a variety of fibrous or pliable materials-anything that will bend and form a shape. Examples include pine straw, animal hair, hide, grasses, thread, and wood.wire baskets don't usually have lids. This makes a wire storage basket ideal for items that are frequently used, such as sports equipment.Gift baskets are almost always themed. There is the traditional fruit basket.
