The weaving of baskets is as old as the history of man. Traces of baskets have been found in the Egyptian pyramids.

As soon as man (and woman!) were able to plait fibers together, they began to experiment with structures for woven containers.

Baskets were needed as containers for everything imaginable- food, clothing, seeds, storage and transport.

Various techniques of baskets also traveled to other parts of the world through explorers

As the explorers arrived in new lands, they traded goods. The goods were contained in baskets- thus, as the recipient of the goods looked over the basket, he/she then applied that technique to the materials of their own land. This explains how so many Asian techniques- like hexagonal weaves- are found in European baskets, and how European techniques were then carried over to the Americas.

Thus, the basic types of basket weave patterns can be applied to grasses, trees and other natural fibers worldwide.