We’re closing in on Christmas and the days are flying by. Just this morning, I opened the kiln after a glaze firing. Everything worked well. (I think that means I’m not trying enough new stuff!) Several of the new pieces were already spoken for. The rest will be available at the Farmer’s Market on Dec. 17th, if all goes well. Check back here as we get closer to the 17th to be sure.

This load included several pieces dipped in Lustrous Vert, a rich, glossy deep green. I’ve had several pieces with this before, but this is the first big batch, and it worked pretty well. The kiln fired just short of cone 5. The last firing with Lustrous Vert was slightly over cone 5 and the Lustrous Vert dripped from several pieces. This time, the application of the glaze was lighter, which probably made the difference.

There was one larger jar which was dipped in Indigo Float. It finished great. And as usual, the Indigo Float dusted the shelf about an inch around the pot. It would be interesting to know why this happens.

All things considered, it was a good firing. I’ll take photos and post them this weekend. And speaking of photos, I’m starting to use ZangZing more for photos. I’m planning to put all the Barley Hollow pottery pictures there from now on. I’ll post a link here when it’s set up. If you haven’t tried ZangZing, you should. It’s a nice photo sharing site, and at the moment, it’s free.

My plan for the rest of the year is to try to get one more throwing and firing cycle in before Christmas. Free time is nearly non-existent, though, so, effectively, I may not have anything more before 2012. If so, we’ll have it at the Farmer’s Market, or possibly an informal open studio. Check back here to see if there’s any news.