Threw some teapots yesterday as sort of an experiment. As a rule, I don’t like to make tea pots, what with the spouts, handles, lids, etc… They are a whole lot of parts to put together, and you can’t charge very much for them, and there are a lot of folks out there making them very well and/or exclusively. So, they’re not a smart thing to try to compete with around here.

But, every once in a while someone comes in and comments on the pot that I use for tea and asks if I will make them one. It is called a ‘shiboridashi’ or sometimes ‘karasukuchi’, I don’t know the origin of the names. It’s a very simple little pot with no spout or handle, and a very rudimentary strainer. The one I use happens to have a handle, but I see many without. Around Karatsu, one sees the handle-less ones with an attached mouth/lip, rather than the bent over lip. They are called ‘Houbin’

This is a small group of experimental tea pots to figure out what I like to make and use. Will make more groups with/without handles, with/without the attached lip, etc…. Hopefully will be able to settle on something that is attractive, practical, easy to make, and unique. I’m not picky.

 Close-up

 Strainer (not yet cleaned up, sorry). This will NOT be glazed, just the inside of the pot below the gallery will have glaze, and the strainer will be masked off.

 This is how the tea leaves the pot. Seems like not much, but it is enough, and very few stems and leaves make it into the cup. Then, VERY easy to clean up after the guests are gone. No hard to reach strainers, or spout-side strainer grime.

 Got busy with the new Spalthammer yesterday and finished splitting all of my beam cut offs.  I have about 5 cords of split and stacked wood now. What fun! (Except for the piece that fell down off the pile and nailed my little toe, right through my boots. Nice little purple toe now, though I thought I’d spare you the picture)

A picture of Nakazato Muan working in the studio.

Test from new phone

I finally got some of the work from the first firing posted to the online store.

Link to store is here:
http://www.karatsupots.com/store/index.php?main_page=

My apologies to those of you who have been waiting. Below are some preview pics of some things posted.

There are larger pictures and multiple views of each piece at the online store… hint, hint…

Well, the holiday season has passed and it is back to the usual routine. Or rather, the routine on steroids. There are so many things to do that yesterday I spent 15 minutes just writing them all out on a desktop to do list.

Every time I go outside, I have to make a mental note to add another item to the list. There are so many, in fact, that I find myself in danger of being frozen with inaction. Just no place for my brain to stop and focus. So, the list. Tried just walking around and doing what needed to be done as I saw it, but ended up running in circles, as I became sidetracked again and again. This way seems to work too, but is definitely more frustrating, because the feeling of having accomplished something is delayed until the end. Sort of like a crystallization happening after a long, slow cool in which nothing appears to be occurring.

The list allows for small increments of accomplishment that I find far more satisfying. Guess it just depends on personality type. I’m definitely not a multi tasker.

 The lake at Vallecito dam.

 XCountry skiing around Vallecito Lake.

 Views from Purgatory ski area.

Had a VERY nice stay with my Mom and Stepfather with the kids over the new year. Got some snow skiing in, and a new experience, gutting and skinning an Elk. Stepfather had been wanting one for this year’s meat, and they kept walking right by the back door, so we sighted in a friend’s rifle and he shot one a few days later. Big fat female Elk, probably about 400lbs. I’d never dressed game before so it was a new experience, but one I was glad to have participated in. Gives a new appreciation for where meat comes from.  After the skinning and all was finished, I saved the tongue and heart, the best two parts, and we took the rest to a processor that makes sausages and other cuts of meat, and packs them up neatly for you.

That evening, with some resistance from my stepfather, we made Fajitas from the heart, and they were excellent. Even the kids loved them (I lied to them and told them it was regular tenderloin). Told them the truth a couple of days later and they looked rather peaked. My mom told me that in her childhood, her mother had a book of game recipes which included one for Moose nose. I would imagine Elk nose to be equally delicious, and we’ll have to try that next time. Here is a picture of the Elk, after we used the Bobcat to pull it down into the driveway from the hill in the background.

I’ll spare you the rest of the pictures as they get a bit gruesome. It really was a great anatomy lesson for the kids.

Here is the view we are treated to this morning as we wake up. Quite white. I’d be thrilled except that I’m supposed to get to the airport this morning to fly to the US. Not too deep yet, but by 10am it may be pretty rough.