Born in 1982, Ganessa has been weaving since the early 2000s. She learned how to weave from her mother, Kim Bryant, who had recently learned how to weave from her sister, Pam Cunningham. Ganessa’s husband Jeremy Frey became her next instructor and later her husband. Ganessa and Jeremy sometimes weave side by side, each learning, in their own way, from each other. The couple’s three children keep Ganessa very busy, so we are grateful for every basket we are able to get from this very talented weaver.

“Ganessa talks about all the things a weaver needs to know to produce an excellent product. “It’s muscle memory, feeling a piece of wood and knowing exactly where you’re going to use it and what it’s for, and we can just run it through our fingers and we know if it’s too thick, it’s not going to work, if it’s too thin. And then a few rows out, it might be perfect, but you have to know that; you have to feel it.” In other words, she carefully chooses, by sight and by feel, which strips of ash go on which portion of the basket.” *

In recent years, Ganessa has focused on miniature baskets. Her use of thin ash splints and the precision of her work lend themselves well to creating small treasures.

• Baskets of Time, by David Shultz. Available by clicking here.