Capping pine needles to use in coiling a pine needle basket

Two methods to remove the caps from southern long leaf pine needles so they can be used to coil a basket. Also shows how to prepare the needles for capping.

[@mhall331]

This is so helpful!!! I’ve wrecked my nails and they become sore after calling for a long time, so thank you SO much for sharing!

[@ellenblack5376]

What a great tip! Thank you! I just did glycerin treatment last night and this morning. They are drying now I had re watched your video. Hope I have rinsed enough. Will hopefully start my first basket this soon

[@SantaFeLady]

Linda...the clothespin trick is FANTASTIC! I do my needles using my right thumbnail.....The lady who does my manicures always frowns at me when she sees that nail and she says...you've been making pine needle baskets again!!! THANK YOU!

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

So happy I can help!

[@loiscass470]

Awesome tip! I’m taking a beginner class and this is invaluable!

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

Happy to help! You can share my channel with the others in your class.

[@eeay5218]

I love your special tool, thankyou!!!!

[@SophiaGrace.]

Thank you for sharing! You are very helpful. I was trying to take them off with my fingers and knew there had to be a more efficient way. For me, the clothes pin trick, is easier. 🙏💕

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

That is the one I usually use. Happy to help.

[@ganeshamouse]

Thank you! I am new to this and have made a couple little successful baskets, and this is very helpful! :)

[@karlahernandez5750]

WOW! So much faster and easier. My little fingers thank you!

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

It’s funny what simple tools can do for us! Glad that the tip helps!

[@chicksgrowtoo]

Another great video, thank you. ❤❤❤

[@clancarney2541]

I am so excited you are doing these videos. I have been wanting to try my hand at this craft. You are by far the best at theses videos I have found. I am feeling rather confident about trying. Now i just gotta find the right needles!

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

Thanks for watching. It is a fun craft. Relaxing. Look on Etsy for pine needles.

[@celinecan4122]

Bu kanalı yeni hordum ,çok faydalı olacak benim için

[@cindyvolpa2509]

Fantastic!!!

[@GrizzlyGroundswell]

What a great tip! Just found your channel and had to subscribe! I don't have many pine needles around here, but plenty of other fibers we grow here. Some of my favorite baskets are bailing twine coiled with yucca fibers! LOL! I look forward to many more tips and tricks! Really enjoyed your detail in the different stitches!

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

It sounds like you are very creative. I hope you can incorporate some of the ideas into your medium. Thanks for watching!

[@GrizzlyGroundswell]

@@lindascreativecoiling8041 Already learning a lot of great tips from your videos! What I really struggle with is uniformity of lines in my work. I prefer to work with natural materials because then my lack of precision skills can be hidden a bit. But would still love to learn how to get that repetitive precision dialed in. Still working on it.

[@beckyfairless3747]

i was actually thinking an electricians wire stripping tool might work for this but I think the clothes pin is safer for the needles!

[@harrisoncocker9514]

Just the type of information I was looking for. We were in Northern California at a rustic campground (best camp in our 6 week trip) and there were lots of green ponderosa pine needles laying all over the ground. I decided to collect some and try my hand at making a pine needle basket. Do I need to dry them out before I use them? Should I pull them off the stem and dry them with the caps on, or should I leave them attached to the stem and remove them after they are dry? Thanks in advance for your knowledge.

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

Lucky you! Pull them off the branches and spread them out to dry. If they dry in the dark they will stay greener and will be good for dying. If they dry in the sun they will be a beautiful brown color. You will (usually) want to remove the caps to coil with them. I have a video on capping pine needles.

[@maryrobers815]

How do you store the needles? After glycerine treatment the got brittle again after a couple weeks. Can you help?

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

I store my needles wrapped in a kitchen towel. They stay flexible. Maybe you need to use a little more glycerin or cook them a little longer. I usually let them cool in the glycerin water so absorb more as they cool.

[@lindamalcovsky]

Hi Linda..Linda here lol..I live in Massachusetts..no long pine needles up here..where can I get nice long needles ? I'm just learning how to make coiled baskets 🙂🙂🙂

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

The best place to look is on Etsy. If you search for long leaf pine needles for basket making several suppliers come up. You want to look for nice straight, bundled ones not for any that are just loose. You can also find sellers with dyed needles. They are fun to use. Good luck with your Coiling!

[@Miami7]

I just take a couple of dry needles at a time, line them up, and cut the ends off with scissors. I can do several bundles of needles in very little time that way. Then while coiling, I feed the pointed ends through the straw and somehow everything turns out just fine.

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

That is one way to do it. I like to work with the needles in the groups of three and if you cut them they are all singles. Plus, I find the cut ends bend more and can be harder to insert. So I cap mine.

[@ellesbelles9816]

I was wondering about cutting them. Might try both ways. Thank you both for your suggestions.

[@Miami7]

I do have one more question. Does anyone cap their needles before they wash them? Why, or why not?

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

I glycerin treat mine in big batches before I cap. Then I cap about 100 at a time and save the rest of the needles for later. You could cap before but I like working with cleaner needles.

[@Miami7]

@@lindascreativecoiling8041 thank you again!

[@edithcarnley1867]

Has anyone tried using a wire stripper?

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

You could try it. Just make sure the hole size matches the pine needle diameter.

[@janetkittinger7167]

Can you just go ahead and remove the caps after a glycerin bath instead of rehydrating?

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

Yes. I usually glycerin treat more than I want to cap in one session. So I let them dry. But it’s fine to cap some right away. Then let those dry thoroughly before you use them.

[@janetkittinger7167]

@@lindascreativecoiling8041 Is there any problem with just going ahead and capping all the needles for later use? (I've been using the slit PVC pipe method and it goes pretty fast). Again, thanks for all your GREAT information!

[@lp2811]

@@janetkittinger7167 It should be fine. If you are storing them for a long time they might separate into singles but it won't hurt them.

[@NN1811]

Do you sale pineneedles

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

No I don’t. Try searching for long leaf pine needles on Etsy. There are several sellers there.

[@pineapplejuice2838]

time consuming...I cut m8ne off but then lose length

[@lindascreativecoiling8041]

I like to use the needles in the bundles of three. If I cut them they are all singles. I just take the time to do the capping.