Kiln Misfire

Yesterday during a glaze fire, my kiln decided it couldn't make it to the programmed temperature in a suitable amount of time. I've had this problem before when the kiln has been overloaded, but that wasn't the case with this load. At least I don't think so. According to the troubleshooting guide, one of the potential causes is worn or broken elements.

So this afternoon when everything was cooled enough to handle I unloaded the pots which all look good and don't appear to be under fired (the kiln controller says it shut down about 20 degrees shy of the programmed temp). I fired the kiln up empty and took it to 700 degrees to see if the elements were all working. And they appear to be all glowing. The middle section looks to be a little brighter than the upper section but it's still intact anyway.

Guess I'll have go do more trouble shooting. Have a great evening.

Half done "to do list"

I had a pretty long "to do" list this weekend and made good progress, but it's still only half done. When I'm writing it, I know I've got a longer list than can be accomplished on a weekend, but if I put everything down, sometimes I can find things that fit together better than if I have to rely on my memory (never a good thing).


Yesterday, Kevin and I took a trip down to Harmony Minnesota to drop off a custom order and stop at our farm near Lanesboro. It was a great day for a drive and the snow at the farm was very pretty. It was a good thing we stopped to check everything out, because the door of the studio was open a couple inches for who knows how long. The heat is set at about 40 degrees, but I'm sure it was running 24/7 for quite some time.


Since a friend is opening a new fiber studio, I've got yarn bowls running in a glaze fire today. This is my first run at that very popular item so I hope they turn out well. After getting all my glazing done, I threw some new mug shapes (I'll show those later after they've gotten handles) and then put some time in at the slab roller making a couple platters.


Have a great week everybody!!

And the winner is...

Today is my 3rd Blog Anniversary. And to celebrate, I'm giving this wonderful black and green mug to... Sharon Overland. Congratulations Sharon.



Thanks so much to everyone who follows my blog, Facebook, visited my Etsy shop and left comments on my giveaway blog post. It was so much fun to see who was visiting and the comments they left.

Be well.

Bisque ware

Bisque ware has been accumulating. Numerous tubs are full and have been stored away and the newest kiln loads are somewhat precariously stacked on this shelf before they find there way to a storage tub. Much of what has been produced so far this winter is for a couple wood firings I hope to do in the kiln built last summer. Click here to see the kiln.

The rest will be glazed and fired with cone 6 glazes and used to restock my inventory for upcoming shows and replenish shop inventories.

Today I've got another bisque load running tonight and will need to get this shelf organized before I can unload this new kiln load or the entire shelf might topple.

Have a great weekend.

p.s. Don't forget to to enter my blog anniversary giveaway. Click here for details.

Snow Stats

The first day of snow for the season

Last night on the local news they said we've had snow 33 of the last 40 days. Wow!! More snow fell again today and there is snow in the forecast again for tomorrow. Now it is Minnesota and we're pretty familiar with snow days. But this is getting a little old.

Earlier in the week fellow potter bloggers at Whynot Pottery in North Carolina were commenting on the snow they've been receiving in the south.

"but what is it about snow that is so distracting? Do people who live with this all the time just move along and don't stop in wonder and amazement. Here in the south we want to get out the board games, put on the kettle, get out the needle point and sit by the fire. We can wait for it all to be gone."

I hadn't really thought about how ambivalent we are to the beautiful white stuff. We get up in the morning and brush snow off our car so we can drive to work. Clean it off again to go out to lunch and again to drive home from work. Ultimately, it becomes something we hardly think about.

Snow days in Whynot, North Carolina sound like a lot more fun than snow days here. Maybe I'll have to work on that.

Don't forget to enter my blog anniversary giveaway. Click here to find out how you can enter. The drawing will take place January 27th.

Enjoy your snow everybody!!

Blog Anniversary Giveaway

January, 2011 marks my third anniversary blogging. It sure doesn't seem that long, but it's been a very enjoyable activity. In honor of that anniversary, I'm hosting a giveaway event where the winner will receive this glossy black and green mug (highly recommended for hot chocolate on a cold winter night).

Here's how it works - you basically have four opportunities to enter.

1. Visit my Etsy shop and leave a comment here on this blog post about your favorite item in the shop.

2. Become a follower of my blog (existing followers are automatically entered). In the right sidebar or at the very top of this page, you'll find a button that says "Follow". Leave a comment on this post indicated you've become a follower.

3. "Like" my Sue Pariseau Pottery Facebook page (again existing Facebook followers are automatically entered). Leave a comment on this post indicating you've "liked" my page.

4. Post on your blog or Facebook about the giveaway and put the link in the comments of this post to receive an additional entry.

On January 27th, the winner will be drawn and posted in my blog. That's it - simple huh?

Good luck.