Black Ash Pack Baskets
Join artisan basket weaver and alumni parent Penny Hewitt of Lazy Mill Hill Farm for a weekend of traditional Black Ash Basketry. Penny's work uses basketry to foster connections between people, the earth, and our ancestors. Wherever ash trees grow in abundance, there has been a tradition of weaving it into baskets.
From the ecology of the Black Ash to pounding the strips that become the weave, participants will build a basket from start to finish and end the weekend with a beautiful pack-basket (approximately 18" tall) with cedar runners and base and adjustable webbing harness, made to last and to be used: ready to fill with wild herbs and fruits, school supplies, or the gear for your next canoe trip!
Come Saturday and Sunday only and use material that has been pounded for you, OR, learn more! For the same fee, come for a half day on Friday, as well, and learn how to pound a log to release the splints we will weave with. This is an essential and large part of the making of black ash baskets and everyone is encouraged to participate. Friday's pounding workshop will take place from 12:30 - 5:00pm.
This Pack Basket workshop takes place Saturday and Sunday from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM with an optional Friday session 12:30PM - 5PM. Registration includes materials, expert instruction, and lunch on Saturday and Sunday.
Rustic lodging and dinner/breakfast options are available at Kroka for an additional fee.
*****There is a maximum participation of 10 people******
| STATUS: | Open |
| DATES: | October 17 - October 19, 2025 |
| LEADERSHIP: |
I have recently returned from four months at Conserve School, an environmental steward based semester school in northern Wisconsin. There, we spent the majority of each day learning outdoors, studying the ways we interact with our environment. Since returning to public school, I have felt an immense gap in my education. The lack of hands on work and interactive activities leaves me unfulfilled. Kroka appeals to me for a plethora of reasons, but primarily because I am confident that it would be a place where I could rediscover that love for learning I expereinced so deeply at Conserve. Kroka and Conserve share a very similar outlook on the importance of loving and nurturing ourselves, our community and this earth, all things I feel extremely passionate about. It was at Conserve that I had the space and freedom to hone in on my passion for the outdoors. I found myself hiking, skiing, sledding, hammocking and frolicking through the woods regularly. I felt that Conserve encouraged my inner child to resurface and remind me of the glories of discovery. I am very interested in Kroka as it seems to reflect that same celebration of living a simple life close to the earth. I feel that the expeditions offered at Kroka would provide a place for me to challenge myself, using what I have learned and extending them to new limits. The foundation of my hands on learning began before I can remember through my Waldorf education. I attended Madison Waldorf School from kindergarten through elementary school, strengthening my awareness of the close relationships we share with the earth from a very young age. I do my best to seek out ways to be involved in clubs and sports at public school in attempt to develop the closest community I can, but even so, I recognize how the absence of intimate interaction with nature limits my creativity and enthusiasm. I am challenged at my current high school to find the gold in situations I don't feel most suit my interests, and feel that Kroka would be a very fitting stepping stone in my life. I feel most human when I am immersed in the abundance of nature. I feel most alive under the stars, on the water, and close to the trees, these are the places where l am closest to home. I am hoping for an experience which will challenge me to stretch my thinking, my creativity, my attitude and my comfort level. I feel that Kroka is a program which would do just that. |
Before coming to Kroka, Jae worked as a Waldorf farming teacher and farm camp manager in the Hudson Valley of New York. She enjoys volunteering as an adaptive ski instructor in the winter and bike touring in the warmer months. Jae is excited to combine her skills in spoon carving, motivating children to muck livestock stalls, and storytelling at Kroka this summer! |
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Mia has lived all around the Northeast working as an outdoor educator and ceramics artist. She arrived at Kroka this spring as a seasonal staff member and wilderness leader. Mia loves the ocean, running through the mountains, and reading literature about the natural world with her students. |
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Among other things, Penny is a homeschooling mom, craftsperson and homesteader, who is inspired by the traditions of other cultures to revitalize and share skills useful to everyday life. In an effort to deepen her connection to the land and limit her participation in consumer culture, she strives to grow, craft and participate in seasonal harvests for as many of her needs and wants as possible. She is also grateful to be part of a generous community of talented makers and growers with whom she trades skills, ideas and wares. She uses hand harvested resources from the forest, letting the qualities of varying materials dictate their use. You can find her teaching children and adults all over Vermont and beyond; in private homes, on farms, at her studio in the Northeast Kingdom, at art centers and traditional skills schools and gatherings. |
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| COSTS: |
$350.00
TUITIONCAP, PACKBASKETS, Per Person |
| SPECIAL INSTRUCTIONS: |
*****There is a maximum of 10 participants for this program****** This program is currently full. Please inquire to be placed on the waitlist.
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