Thanks!

Anneliese - you have answered your own question - I do explain what a marker is and how I made mine and how make others theirs in the video - they are all home made.

I love your videos have watched them heaps and heaps. Nga mihi.

Katarina Tawiri has put one up on that one and Ali Brown has that one covered in one of her book as well I believe. At the moment I am a bit to busy with my actual mahi to create new videos and especially any that would take a while longer than just a few hours and Kupenga would def fit that bill I am sorry. Also, I have to admit - I am not really the expert on that one - yes I have made a few kete with it but there are others out there that are way, way better at it so I rather not put myself out there at this stage - I might have to practice a bit more myself before doing a video about it.. but for a start try Katarina's video and Ali's book and you may already be helped by both of them? There is also a bit on it in Mick Pendergrasts Book as well (that is where I taught myself from...) So sorry I cant be of immediate help!

@@Flaxworx Kia ora.

Kia Ora, you are welcome. If you are a total beginner I would really recommend you find a tutor or class to give you a bit of a start into your weaving journey. There are so many tiny things and tricks that we learn just from others and are too many to mention on videos - some things every weaver does differently and unconsciously. There is a great facebook group Raranga Toi Whenua that has loads of weavers on it that may also be able to point you in the direction of classes or wananaga. Harvesting and prep is really the beginning of any weavers journey and the most important part in my eyes and in my full time class back in the day we spent 4 weeks just on that... so you can see why my videos are really only the tip of the iceberg... However in terms of your actual question - if you did not boil it before its dry it will water stain but can still be used. It may still water stain if you boiled it and dried it though so not guarantee that it wont happen. but yes wetting it when its too dry is very common especially in summer.

@@Flaxworx Kia ora! Thanks so much for your reply. I'm amazed to hear how much attention your course gave to harvesting and prep. Its making me think about it differently… I’m in London where there aren’t any classes, but have managed to pick stuff up from watching your video’s over and over again with lots of use of pause and rewind! You've got a great way that's really encouraging. Many thanks for the fb group recommendation, I'll check it out. I've emailed my local park asking permission to harvest from some overgrown flax plants they have, fingers crossed! Ngā mihi.

@@susansheddan5342 Kia Ora Susan, ah that makes it harder for you. There are some people in the UK who weave - I am over there every year but mostly in the North and have taught classes there too - the last one up in Northumberland where we started by harvesting on the lovely estate of Cragside (National Trust) - the gardeners there where more than happy too to learn a bit about that part of the plant care.. Ali Brown has some lovely books they are aimed at beginners (she has a website and a facebook page) and then there is the worldwide (and very successful) Hetet Weaving school who does online classes. I have heard good things about those from many people (though me being pakeha I could not go down that road myself which is why I opted for the free refresher videos here...). I may also again give a 2 day class next year in Bavaria Germany and one at the International Weavers Festival in Poland in August - so if you are able to travel... We are still in discussions about classes in the UK with the Scottish Basketmakers and a Cornish group - it all comes down to people or rather groups organising it - and then me turning up with either the material already prepped and dried or finding a bush and harvest. Good luck with seeking permission to harvest - I have heard its not that hard to get in London... If you need more help - e-mail me flaxworx@gmail.com

@@Flaxworx Thanks! I'd absolutely love to come to a class with you if you do another in the UK or Europe, that'd be excellent. Especially as right now I don't know if i'm actually figuring out techniques or just making up new ones ;) I'll email you my contact details. Cheers! Susan

Yes and no - every region, iwi, hapu or indeed group, public place and person has their own tikanga and rules regarding this practise and I actually mention that one has to check with whoever owns the plants how it should be done there. In some parts where the plants are in a drier area and no seasonal floods take care of harmful insects and diseases it is advised to not leave any loose leafmatter under or around the plants as this will create a perfect nest for those. In fact most councils and even Landcare Research advise to take everything away. However - by composting the remains and then return them as compost in a few years time they stillget returned - just not straight away. In essence it is up to each person and paa to create rules that work for each specific area. So by all means at your plants return everything you dont need - at our paa please don't - we compost elsewhere.

Nah g that's your Tikanga from your iwi

I just throw mine on the side of the road

for a wider brim you can always add another row or two or more of add ins to make it wider but you will need very long whenu (strips) to start with or you might run out of length. A good friend of mine made a large somrero type hat once with a very, very wide brim....

That really depends on your prep and storage and also on the type of flax and how long it has been harvested before prepping. There are quite a few variables. If you want to store it, it is best to boil it and then dry it thoroughly and store in a dry place and when you ready to use it just moisten it again (there are again several different ways to do this - all depending on how good your prep is beforehand). If you do not want to boil than a good hapine will have to do, but it will take a bit longer to get pliable again after moistening (best, in that case, to run under hot water and give it another hapine). Some people also hapine and then freeze their whenu, and when they drag them out of the freezer, they are ready to use (I don't do that). If you do not want to store it at all then I would say 2-3 days max or it might end up getting mouldy - store in a tarpaulin in that case so it does not dry out...

I made it myself, there are a number of ways to make these. The easiest way is with a flea comb and take some teeth out of it but I also make these for sale (on my website Flaxworx.co.nz - haehae)

Thank you. sadly these are very old by now and back then we did not have the equipment to record the sound separately so they are sadly what they are. I may in the future re-make them but wont have time right now. Some people say it works better with headphones though...

Volume is fine ❤

indeed, as with anything else regarding Mahi Raranga...

Hey I've been watching your videos, you seem to be really knowledgable and respectful so I just want to say thank you 💕🍃