Fibonacci Sequence Used in Basketry

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accents, algorithms, Basketry, Cane, computer, Fibonacci, Fibonacci Numbers, Fibonacci Sequence, floweres, Golden Mean, Golden Proportion, Golden Ratio, Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci, mathematics, medicine, Nautilus Shell, pleasing, Zigzag Twill

The use of Fibonacci Sequence Numbers in Basketry

All the years that I have been weaving baskets I have always used what is called the Fibonacci Sequence, a group of numbers found in nature, in almost every aspect of life as we know it.

The Fibonacci sequence was brought to light in the middle ages by a mathematician, Leonardo Pisano Fibonacci.

This group of numbers is used today in everything from Analysis of Financial Markets, to Bio Medicines, Computer Algorithms, almost every aspect of life as we know it.

This group of numbers is found in the spiraling of petals of flowers, arrangement of the segments of a pine cone, pineapples, artichokes, unfurling of a fern, the arrangement of leaves on a stem. The sequence of numbers can be found in the design of a Nautilus Shell, literally everywhere.

You can read more of the complexity and how the Fibonacci Sequence lives and works in everything we do and is around us in daily life by clicking on this link to Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fibonacci_number

You may ask yourself what is the common thread with the series of numbers which is found here.

1,1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, 21, 34 etc. and goes out forever. the sum of any two number is found by adding the sum and the preceding number to it. hence 1+1=2, 2+1=3, 3+2=5 etc.

It has been found over the centuries that these numbers when applied to basketry, or any other art for that matter, is pleasing and appealing to the eye, so just like with the many changes in a twill basket, as in the example above the Cane Zigzag Twill Work Vase Basket, all of the pattern changes are made only on one of the Fibonacci numbers, also in regular basketry, in the color and pattern changes within a market basket and the number of rows contained within any given basket I weave always end or begin on one of the Fibonacci numbers. These baskets always seem to pleasing to the eye.

Years ago I did a test, I wove three nearly identical market baskets, one plain, the weaving stopped on the Fibonacci number, the second had dyed accents, so say the basket had 3 rows of initial weaving, then a color change of 2 bands of color, then 8  rows of plain weaving, 2rows dyed accents, 6 rows plain weaving, and the total number of rows came to 21 rows, not counting the rim/false rim, as these count as 1 in the sequence.

The third basket I just put the color accents in wherever I wanted to making sure they were not in the sequence, in short the two baskets, woven on the Fibonacci Sequence sold immediately, the third I had for several years, customers would pick it up and say nice things about it (to be polite) one repeat customer of mine, came to me one day and said she did not know what was different about the basket but she just did not like this one. I have used the Fibonacci Sequence ever since.

The following is an excellent video that explains the Fibonacci Sequence and the Golden Mean or Proportion is simple to understand language.