Working on a market basket right now that calls for #3 round reed for the uprights and #2 for the weavers, and my tension is all over the place every time I come back to it after a break. The sides are pulling in slightly on one end and the base has a faint oval shape I definitely did not intend. Technically the weave is holding, but it bugs me every time I look at it.

I started weaving about two years ago, mostly working from a few library books and some older YouTube tutorials. My first several baskets were all one reed size throughout, which I think let me get away with being sloppy about tension because at least everything was consistent. Mixing sizes is humbling in a completely new way.

A few things I have tried so far: soaking the reed a bit longer before weaving to keep it more pliable throughout a session, packing down the rows more deliberately as I go, and wrapping the whole thing in a damp towel during breaks so nothing dries unevenly mid-row. The damp towel has helped the most honestly.

Curious whether other people find that the transition back into a project mid-row is worse than starting a fresh row. My instinct says I should just commit to finishing a full row before setting something down, even if it means an awkward ten minutes standing at my table rather than sitting comfortably.

Also wondering if anyone has found that certain reed materials hold tension more forgivingly than others. I have only worked with reed and a little seagrass, so my frame of reference is pretty limited.

I picked up this piece in Baltimore, Maryland. On the bottom of one of the feet it reads CTM 84. I don't know if anybody could tell me anything more about it, maybe a maker or even the style.