New Pots..

The kiln was opened yesterday, and with a few exceptions, I was happy with the results. There was several new glazes in the kiln this time - like this clear glaze on the bewelah mugs and yarn bowls. This glaze did well as long as it wasn't applied too thick (then it got cloudy)

Above is the clear glaze over the white stoneware, and below is the same glaze over brown stoneware, which came out a nice tan color.

This is a glaze that I used a few times quite a while back called "ketchup red" I liked the way it turned out as well.
And this is an experiment of Ketchup red with a blue glaze sprayed over it. Some of this turned out ok, but some of the pots will be put in the "yard sale" box. lol. I've found that even the worst of glazes/pots are big hits at a yard sale! ? I liked how this one turned out though.

This mug was a little cloudy..
yard sale box!

I'll be adding the pots to my website within the next couple of days.

Thanks for stopping by!

The month of June

Where has the month gone? I haven't posted to the blog since..goodness, early June, so I will try to get caught up here.



It seems like it's been a wet month with a lot of storms!



This storm came thru a week or so ago and brought the darkest clouds that I could remember. Fortunately there were not any funnel clouds.



Earlier that day...Fortunately, we didn't need all those wagons. Jack cut quite a bit of hay, but decided with storm clouds coming to roll bale quite a bit of it. So even with all the rain, we have been able to get some hay cut and put up.

No pictures yet, but I have been glazing pots. It's always been the most time consuming aspect of making pottery, but it has taken on a whole new meaning with a baby now. Even though the glazes are safe once they are fired, it's an entirely different story when they are being mixed, and when I am spraying the pots. I wear a respirator during the whole process, so it sure isn't something the baby can be around. Getting the pots glazed has been a struggle - but it's all downhill from here.

Speaking of struggle... the rams are all sheared (and it's almost July, why wouldn't they be??) Actually, they were sheared the last week of May and first week of June. That was a process as well.. one here, one there. For some reason I thought they would be easier to shear because they were so much bigger - seemed like they'd be easier to hold than some of the smaller sheep. And.. well, if it weren't for those horns, they might have been. I think I have figured out the shearing part now, but still need to work on how to get a good hold on them and keep it! (and need to work on those second cuts -arh) Oddly enough, despite the struggle with the rams, I enjoyed shearing the sheep this year.

This is Cody - he was a good sport and very cooperative with the shearing (and shearer). I've been taking pictures of the boys this month for the website. I finally put a website together. It has several "check back for updates" pages, but it has been published. Stop by and visit if you have a chance http://www.flatcreekwoolandpottery.com/

Andy..
and LeRoy.. I can't believe how much the sheep have grown the past couple of months! It's like there's a miracle gro out there in the pasture. And when I say "grown" - it's not just 'up'! Sometimes it's 'out'. So many of our ewes look like they're expecting again ...But maybe it's just the angle. They do say that the camera adds pounds.

Speaking of growing...

Wyatt just loves checking on the sheep. He loves to be outside and around all the animals.. and looks like they love it too. They keep coming back anyways, and we seldom have treats.
I love Rosco's eyes in the picture above.. he's saying "what about petting me Wyatt?"

ok.

Poor little guy has been sick this whole last week. Come to think of it, we've all been sick here within the last month. Isn't it June?

A brief "mutton bustin" lesson.

Well.. i think this brings us up to date!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer!

Myrtle

Just wanted to share a few pictures of Myrtle. She is so full of personality. She's a year old now, but still jumps around and hops like a little lamb. She might not ever grow up and we're ok with that.

.

She had her first shearing recently, and what she was hoping for was "a little off the top and sides""this is not what I asked for!"
"does this new cut make my ears look big?" "um, well Myrtle...it makes your neck look small"

"Wyatt, it's me... Myrtle"

A Hero

His letters made it home

But he didn't

He never married

Never knew the joy of having children of his own

He left home a young man to serve his country

He lost his life fighting a war

Freedom is not free

In Memory of a Hero

Opal C Atha