A Guide to the Best of Southern California : HANDMADE : Small Crafts

Basket weaving, long considered a hobby for the simple-minded, isn’t as facile as it looks, insists Los Angeles fiber artist Leah Danberg, who learned the craft eight years ago in one of the oft-ridiculed basket-weaving classes. “It’s fairly easy if you’re patient, but it is very repetitive and time consuming,” she says.

Danberg, whose skilled fingers can twist together a basket in about three hours, lists tiny morning glory vines, seaweed and waxed linen among her favorite materials. Her diminutive designs--the largest piece is only about the size of a woman’s fist--lean toward the decorative, not the functional. Pouches adorned with feathers or beads hang on the wall and hold dried flowers; walnut-sized, nest-style baskets dangle from the neck. Prices range from $30 to $40.

Leah Danberg ‘s baskets are available at the Folk Tree Collection, 199 S. Fair Oaks Ave., Pasadena; (818) 793-4828.