i made a rough basket out of reed canary grass for gathering eggs. it comfortably holds about two dozen, though it still needs a handle.
this is the first coiled basket i've made and Finished. i just used some carpet thread (polyester - sucky, i know) and some reed canary grass from my creek bottom. i took dead stuff from last year's growth, soaked it in the creek for a few minutes (longer probably would have been better) and started coiling it up. i also shook out each little bundle to get rid of smaller leaves and detritus before coiling it in.
cordage/rope/thread/wire is one of the bigger lifestyle adjustments in terms of living simply for me. i need to adjust to using spare moments (watching movies or sunsets, going on walks, chatting with friends) to process sinew and yucca and grasses and wool so that when i need yards and yards of thread, i've got it on hand.
for those of you thinking about cutting some grass in your yard and making a basket: you totally should. just consider that fresh green grass will Shrink as it dries - which is fine, so long as you don't mind your basket being a bit more loose. if you want a tighter weave, let it dry out and then soak it for maybe an hour before using it so it's pliable, but stays at its more permanent volume.
this basket took me... maybe two hours? tops? i forget. it was super easy, except for when the goats and sheep walked by and tried to eat it.
see a helpful primer on coiling baskets here.
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