So I wouldn't call myself a SPINNER...sure I have a small stash of fiber, a baby drop spindle, and little skeins of unevenly spun yarn...but my spinning-skillz are definitely less than stellar (let's not even go into my wheel-spinning abilities). So what would posses me to incorporate spun silk into a sculpture project? who knows! I had enough trouble with 'grabby' wool, so why would I think I could spin slinky, slippery, temperamental silk?

              

Before too much prior thought, I found myself ordering an 8 oz.bag of Tussah Silk. It was a gorgeous, lustrous, light blond bag of pure yumminess. Spinning it was another story.... It was a royal pain in the ass!! The billions of little fibers each had a mind of its own. I held up a chunk of fiber and bits started 'levitating' and trying to escape. And many of them succeeded! While spinning, little silk fibers would float around and conveniently land on my nose, in my nose, on my eyelashes, in my mouth, causing general aggravation and bouts of mild cursing. After spinning, the surrounding furniture (and me!) would have a fine covering of silk that acted alot like thick cobwebs (eww) But in the end I showed the silk who's boss and spun the little suckers into around 300-400 yards (I think). They were then wrapped around a cocoon form.

   

The prompt for the project was our interpretation, literally/metaphorically, of the phrase "rock and/or roll". I took 'rock' to mean refuge and shelter and roll as 'to enfold/ envelop'. A cocoon came to mind, which is of course a structure that provides a caterpillar a safe haven while it develops and pupates. This fits right in with my current work that explores themes of transformation and rebirth...plus I got to SPIN and play with fiber! I created an opening in the form which was lined with fabric and lit with a warm, low wattage light bulb. (2nd pic) I love the way the silk hugs the surface and accentuates the form. The cocoon is about 2 feet high, and mounts right onto the wall via the branches. The critique went really well!

Congrats to all you knitting-olympians!! Have you seen cosmicpluto's olympic sweater?  AMAZING!! Next time...more progress on the snowflake sweater! I'm DETERMINED to finish it before the cold weather completely fades away. :D It's been an irritatingly mild winter :(