Vessel and Pod

Vessel and Pod

I don’t think I’ve ever used a flat resist for a vessel like this before. The idea was to make it as an example of using resists to take to the felting class at the well-being centre, but before I’d even finished the layout, I knew it’d be too much for us to do in a couple of hours. I used lots of the Gotland locks from Zara, and decided to work inside out, so I laid these on the resist first. I used a couple of layers of Gotland fleece, then some cheaper ‘Scottish Grey’ I’d bought from wollknoll.  Between the Gotland and Scottish fleece I added some more Gotland locks around the top. There is a bit of a ridge inside, but I thought it turned out really well:
OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAThe other side:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAHere’s a couple of close ups of the locks around the top:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAI used lots of different ones:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAA closer look at the bottom, the locks felted in really nicely but still kept lots of character:

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERAWhen we did use resists at the well being centre, they didn’t quite turn out as planned. Because I had ‘vessels’ in mind and got out all the natural wools, I wasn’t thinking properly, so I cut a resist for a glasses case based on using Merino like I usually do, so when thick layers of English 56s, Finnish and Corriedale were used, it barely shrunk and turned into a small sturdy bag! I was running out of time, so only did 3 layers on my bird pod, so it ended up shrinking a lot more widthways and became very tall and narrow! One of the members in the group liked it though so hopefully the blue tits in her garden do, too 🙂

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA

22 thoughts on “Vessel and Pod

  1. Neutrals are always winners in my book, and the combo of grey, white and black–along with locks–are so appealing. Felt projects don’t always turn out as we anticipate, but felt is so versatile. That’s a good lesson for students to learn.

    1. Yeah, naturals never look ‘wrong’ together do they? 🙂
      When we do more structured classes they’ll be geared towards experimenting and learning how things work and turn out, but it’s usually a good idea if the ‘teacher’ has a clue what they’re doing 🙂 I think the planning will help me more!

  2. I love the naturals too – and the locks that tumble away from the top are a fabulous design feature on your vessel.
    The bird pod is a very pretty sculptural piece – doesn’t matter if it’s not appreciated by the birds as it will still look good in the garden!

    1. Thanks, Lyn 🙂
      It looks like a tiny chimenea! I like the way they look too more than whether they’ll be used. Maybe I’ll do some pod-bombing in our local park!

  3. I’m learning to love the naturals. The vessel and pod turned out great. Mistakes are opportunities to learn. Or at least I like to think so. 🙂

    1. Thanks, Marilyn 🙂
      It’s alright having brain fog in the privacy of your own home, but not so good doing a class! At least I found my way home alright 😉

  4. Love your vessels and the beautiful locs. You have inspired me to think about making something similar as I love locs. I will try the Gotland as you suggested and test for shrinkage before i work on project. I also have a bag of Finnish Wool in natural shades. Would this work?

    1. Thanks Josie 🙂
      Yeah, Finnish will work well. If you use a flat resist, especially if you’re working inside out like I did, I’d suggest on the last couple of layers to be careful around the sides, just use thinner amounts. The ridge I had isn’t too thick, but is noticeable. Oh, and my resist was curved at the bottom to help when it was shaped.

  5. The vessel is gorgeous Zed. I really like the locks. Did you roll the project with the resist inside? I have found that when I roll resists especially ones with lots of wool, that I get the ridge much more often than when I just rub and take the resist out pretty early on just as it is holding together.

    I love the skinny bird pod and pod bombing sounds like lots of fun 🙂

    1. Thanks, Ruth 🙂
      I didn’t do any rolling at all. I used carded fleece/batts though, which I always find a harder to control than tops, with obvious thick and thin ends, so even though I tried not to put too much around the edges, I did do. Luckily the ridge is hidden inside though.

  6. Love your projects…how do you stop the locks from felting together? Do you have a tutorial for this anywhere?

    1. Thanks, Sue 🙂
      I don’t think I’ve done a post about it, sorry. I use raw locks so that helps them not felting together, and also, I just don’t rub that part, just rub where the base of the locks are sandwiched between the wool layers. Some people wrap the locks in cling-film/plastic wrap, or just cover them. I wasn’t very careful with these because of the general texturey look I was going for, but just being careful and making sure they’re not attaching together works: https://www.flickr.com/photos/zedster01/6864861666/

  7. Count me in for the pod-bombing – that sounds like a lot of fun! Great textures on the pod and I really like the the elongated bird pod, very elegant 🙂

    1. Thanks, Teri 🙂
      I’ll probably get arrested for littering or something if I get caught pod bombing 🙂

    1. Thanks, Ann 🙂
      They’re time consuming and fiddly but they always look good don’t they?

    1. Thanks, Zara 🙂
      I would be using them more, but I don’t have a proper felting space right now. Hopefully soon, and I can use them for more bird pods.

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