Vessel #6.

My recycling obsession has reared its head again  - two containers made from those net bags that oranges come in. I wove through cream cotton thread, and stiffened them with wood glue. They can hold candles or (in this case) battery-operated tea lights.

Vessel #5.

Bowl made from used teabags, stiffened with acrylic matt medium.

Vessel #4.

I quite like this bowl I made last week - crocheted from blue wool, stretched over a mould and stiffened with fabric stiffener to give it a little more strength. I then took thin jute string and wove it through the holes and finally stiffened it again with wood glue. It is quite sturdy and can keep objects such as fruit, small stones, etc.

Vessel #3.

Crocheted with thin jute string using a large crochet hook. Stiffened with a combination of fabric stiffener & wood glue.
(I am having a bit of trouble removing the shiny bits of residue left over from using the stiffener. Have tried using a needle to scrape it away in the "holes" but haven't been entirely successful. The construction, although holding its shape nicely, is quite delicate. Any advice?)
I may weave through rope or string at some stage - although I quite like that it is so lacy and see-through at the moment.

Vessel #2.

Grey felt decorated with needle-felted shapes, then stretched over a mould and stiffened with acrylic gel medium. This one still has to be neatened and embroidered.

Vessel #1.

This term my art course focuses on vessels. In the first few sessions we have been making clay vessels - which I will show as soon as they have been fired and glazed. In the meantime I am experimenting with "fabric" vessels in preparation for the last part of the course.

Here is a small vase I crocheted (around a glass jar) from a lovely soft cotton string. I formed the neck of the vase by decreasing and increasing again.

Three steps.

Step 1: Leftover hand-dyed merino wool became a rectangle:

Step 2: A fringe was added:

Step 3: A crocheted chain was couched on to the rectangle with cream yarn to give some texture.

With time, patience and a few more steps it will become the front of a small stuffed pillow.
I hope.

Hope #5.

Page 5: At the bottom of the box one small thing remained  -  hope. The thing with feathers, that perches in the soul ...
(In his book, Menschliches, Allzumenschliches, Nietzsche has a particularly bleak interpretation of the Pandora myth, and the 'gift' of hope.)

Hope (cotton, embroidery thread, fabric offcuts, photocopy, vilene)

Hope #4.

Page 4: ... and for the first time mankind encountered pain and suffering.

Sorrow (cotton, mesh, embroidery thread, photocopy, vilene, found object)