Wicker baskets are very popular especially the hand-woven kind. They are made of wicker, bamboo, wheat and other grass rashes. Others are made of twigs and osiers. They mostly originated from Africa and the Middle East where they were used for a variety of factors ranging from carrying food, clothes and even babies. The Biblical story of Moses is also an epic tale of how a baby was placed on a basket raft and left to float downstream. The fibers used to weave the baskets depended on where the weavers were located. In areas where reeds were the predominant grass, the baskets tended to be made of reed grass.
Today, baskets are no longer predominantly hand-woven but are manufactured in plants. The material that makes them has also changed radically. It is not uncommon nowadays to see baskets made of plastic which is a real deviation from the original African model. African baskets are still highly in demand because they are hand-woven and feature have very precise weaving techniques. Baskets were used for trade to carry fruits, grain, nuts and other material. They also featured baskets that carried fish and were mostly used for fish especially on long-distant caravan trade routes. Today, baskets have different uses.
Decorative
There are people who buy antique African baskets not to use but simply for decorative use. They hang them in their living room or art rooms. For tourists especially those that have visited Africa, hand-woven baskets are especially popular. They simply serve as souvenirs.
Laundry
In the US, many people use wicker baskets as laundry baskets. It is common to see many homes having two or three baskets; one for dirty clothes and another for clean clothes. They are popular as laundry baskets because they allow air to circulate throughout the clothes thus giving them a fresh smell after they have been laundered. They are also light to carry meaning they can carry a huge load of clothes and still offer convenience.
Wicker baskets are easy to find. All you have to do is pay a visit to the local department store and there they are, in all shapes colors and sizes. They are also quite affordable now because they are mass-produced as opposed to before when they were predominantly hand-woven. Although it is also good to mention that although they are mass-produced, there are many people who prefer the original hand-woven baskets. This is because they are considered somewhat of an art when they are hand-woven. When tourists visit Africa, they always look for the hand-woven baskets to carry back home as sourvenirs. These types of baskets are not used for any other use other than for decoration.
Picnic
Wicker baskets are also great for picnics and most families prefer them because they are light to carry and attractive to look at.