Bodkin

The bodkin is a pointed hand tool used in willow basket weaving to open up spaces in tightly packed work so new material can be threaded through. It typically consists of a tapering metal spike, commonly around five inches long, fitted into a wooden handle, and is made in a range of diameters, commonly around eight millimeters for smaller baskets and twelve millimeters for larger ones such as shopping baskets, chosen to match the thickness of the willow being worked. Basket makers use the bodkin to part rods when inserting side stakes into a base, fitting a bow for a handle, or piercing through a base while weaving, and its tip is often lubricated from a greasehorn so it slides through the willow without tearing or splitting it.