Crocheted Vases

This semester I am taking a seminar class that focuses on globalism and we are having Guerra De La Paz as visiting artists for ten days in February.  We are going to be working on a collaborative installation centering on the idea of home while they are here.  Also, we will be using solely re-purposed materials to create this installation.

For our first project we were told to take an abject object, and give it meaning.  These crocheted vases were the result of that project.  I used old jars and bottles, and yarn from recycled sweaters to make these.  The process is pretty intuitive - All you need to do is follow the shape of the glass you are using.  To get it to fit perfectly, I tightly chained enough stitches to go around the body of the glass I was using like so:

The purpose of the tight foundation row is to keep the cover from sliding up the glass you are using.  Once you join the yarn, you can then crochet at normal tension.  Every few rows I would slip the cover over the glass and make sure I didn't need to decrease.  I just decreased as needed, and when I was finished with the cover, I added an extra row and cast off very tightly so the top of the glass was hidden.

They look nice, and even if you don't use recycled yarn, they are a great way to use up scrap yarn. 

Our next project is to begin to brainstorm ideas for furniture for the installation project.  I got assigned to do lighting.  I am currently trying to figure out a way that I can knit or crochet light covers. :)