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Twisting a withe consisted of two phases: in the first phase, the rod cracked through twisting and became fibrous, while in the second phase it was spirally twisted along its length into a withe. When twisting a withe used, for example, to fasten and bind a handle to a basket, the thicker end of the willow rod was inserted into the weave at its upper edge. The rod was held with the left hand above the insertion point, while the right hand rotated it clockwise. As the rod rotated, it cracked, began to split into fibres, and twisted from the insertion point onward. To ensure even twisting, the left hand was gradually moved along the rod. At the same time, the fingers pressed the area between the twisted and untwisted sections of the withe to prevent the twisted part from becoming too tightly wound. Greater force was required to twist a thicker rod into a withe than when twisting thinner rods. Therefore, thicker withes were usually twisted by two people. One person held the rod while the other twisted it. Before twisting, the thicker end of the rod was split, and a loop tied from string was inserted into the split. A small stick was then inserted crosswise through the loop and used as a lever for twisting the rod into a withe.