Wicker weaving rests on a small set of structural operations that have remained largely unchanged for centuries. Understanding them in sequence — from stake preparation to the final border — gives a clear view of why finished baskets behave the way they do under load and handling.
The Base: Slath and Pairing
Every round basket begins with the slath — a cross of thick stakes, usually four rods across four rods, bound together at the centre. The first weaving operation is called pairing: two weavers are inserted into the slath and twisted around each stake in opposite directions. This locks the stakes in place and begins the base structure.
After several rows of pairing, the stakes are separated and the weaving continues outward. The density of the base depends on how tightly the weaver controls tension; in traditional Polish practice, the base was often woven looser at the centre and compressed as stakes fanned outward, which distributes stress more evenly when the basket is loaded.
Randing
Randing is the most fundamental siding technique: a single weaver goes over one stake and under the next, advancing one stake per row. For randing to work evenly, the basket must have an odd number of stakes. With an even count, the weaver would always pass over the same stakes, producing a column rather than a spiral.
Polish craftspeople in the Kalisz region typically used randing for the lower two-thirds of a basket's height, where structural rigidity matters most. The weave is dense and resists lateral pressure well.
Slewing
Slewing uses multiple weavers — usually two to four thin rods — treated as a single unit. The grouped rods travel over and under stakes together, producing a slightly raised surface texture. Slewing is faster than randing and produces a basket with a distinctive ridged appearance.
It was commonly used in agricultural baskets intended to carry root vegetables, where the raised ridges helped drain moisture and reduced contact between produce and the weave surface. Documentary records from Wielkopolska cooperative basket-makers from the 1920s describe slewing as the standard technique for potato and beet carriers.
Waling
Waling is a structural band woven at key points — typically at the base of the side, mid-height, and just below the border. Three or more rods are worked in a sequence where each rod travels over two stakes and under one, with adjacent rods offset by one stake.
The result is a tight, stiff band that resists outward pressure and keeps the stakes upright. Without waling, the stakes in a siding weave tend to lean inward or outward as tension varies. The band also serves as a visible marker that gives baskets their characteristic horizontal banding.
Staking Up
Once the base is complete, the upright stakes that form the sides must be inserted. Each stake — a length of willow cut at an angle — is pushed down alongside a base stake. The stakes are then bent upward, a step called upsetting, which is usually secured with a temporary hoop or a single row of waling.
The angle and length of the stake determines the basket's taper. Stakes cut from the butt end of the rod, which is stiffer, tend to produce more upright sides; tip-end stakes produce a more flared form. Traditional Polish baskets intended for carrying on the back were typically constructed with stiffer butt-end stakes to maintain shape under load.
Borders
The border finishes the top edge and locks the stakes permanently. The most common form in Polish folk baskets is the four-rod border, where each stake is bent down beside the next and woven through subsequent stakes in a set sequence. The technique requires all stakes to be worked in order without skipping, as each stake depends on its neighbours for support.
A simpler alternative, the trac border, involves threading each stake individually behind one or two stakes and trimming flush. It is quicker but produces a thinner edge that wears faster. Trac borders appear on utility baskets; four-rod borders on pieces intended for markets or gifts.
Handles and Lids
Handles are fixed either by pushing a thick bow rod down alongside a stake on each side, or by weaving a wrapped handle — a thinner rod bent into a bow with the two ends inserted, then wrapped tightly with narrower rods to build thickness and grip.
Lids use the same structural logic as bases but are woven to a fixed diameter that fits inside the basket's upper edge. A separate lip stake or a folded weaver creates the depth that allows the lid to seat without rattling.
Further Reading
The Ethnographic Museum in Kraków holds one of the more complete Polish collections of documented basket forms, with annotated examples of each technique described above. The Regional Museum in Kalisz maintains records specific to the Greater Poland basket-making tradition.
See also: History of Basket-Making in Poland and Wicker Tools and Raw Materials.