9. When your spiral gets to be about the size of a quarter you can begin spacing your coiled thread. Thread spacing should start around 1/8th of an inch (3mm) apart. With each revolution of string, stitch the cord to the existing center spiral. The needle should pierce through, near the center of the previous cord, when stitching two cords together.
10. Around this stage, you may need to attach more string. When adding new string, pass it through one of the pine needle cords and tie it to the existing string on the other side. The knot and thread tails can easily be hidden between the cords of the spiral.
11. As you stitch your cords together to form an ever-expanding spiral, your threading should continue from the same stitch spot as the previous row. This is called a “split-stitch”. In this way, the pattern of your thread will create gently curving lines that radiate out from the center.
12. As your stitches become farther apart (1.5cm), you may need to add an additional stitch between your normal stitches. This will ensure the structural integrity of your pine needle basket.
13. Continue spiraling your pine needle cords until your base reaches a diameter of 3.5 inches (9 cm) or the desired width for your basket. I chose to keep mine small for this project, since I was working with Eastern White Pine needles, which are shorter and finer in texture than other types of pine needles.
Please Note: If, at any time, you need to pause and resume constructing your basket at another time, your needles and basket can be wrapped in a damp cloth and stored in a plastic bag. You can keep your materials in the fridge for up to a week.