Studio Saturday

Having discussed the matter of getting a small kiln with the others, who decided that yes there's room and yes it would be a good idea, I followed on from the quick discussion at the Hatfield show with some further questions. So that's underway, and the sooner we have a small kiln that I can fire small batches of small pots in, the better! 

The big kiln - with space at the side for a little one

Meanwhile the production of "series" of similar pots - or, at this stage, tubes - continues. They are in the same fabric or technique but have distinguishing marks so that a record of their treatment can be kept, with a view to discovering what actually works. And then, "if it works, do it some more".

Springy, thick linen thread

Slippery, thin cotton thread

The worktable (aka coffee table) holds a series crocheted in dishcloth cotton and the start of a series crocheted in old wool yarn, tapestry wool - the label says Scheepjes Gobelin - ombrand niet verwijderen streng apwikkelen door los eind uit omband te trekken. A 10-metre packet is perfect for a pot, and I have quite a few packets. The metallic thread is either crocheted in or stitched on later.

Quite possibly this table will never become a "centre of simplicity".

 At the actual studio, I have dipped a few pots - three -

The slip was getting very thick, so I diluted it a bit, keeping a record of the weight of the slip before and after water was added, and trying to carefully note the consistency, though how that can be objectively measured and/or described is beyond me! "Consistency of double (or single) cream" - that's not truly objective, but might be a good comparison.

This pot had huge holes around the stitches; I used the hair dryer in hopes of solidifying it a bit, especially around those holes, and then dipped it again. Fingers crossed the holes won't reappear as it dries out -

The cut-down 2-litre water bottle is my standard measure for the slip - I hope that by filling it to the same point, and noting the weight of the (diluted) slip, it will give an objective measurement of consistency. And when small kiln firings are possible, it might be possible to see how dilute the slip can be.

And perhaps different consistencies make for more or less cracking during drying. Or perhaps the tiny cracks are due to fast or slow drying, who knows? Or to the material, eg sinamay vs silk vs linen?