jenniethepotter

Now What?

2009-10-24T19:42:00.004-05:00

(This picture has nothing to do with the post that follows. It is quite simply a beautiful picture of the wee potter)

Most people mark time by the months of the year or holidays. I mark the changing of seasons by the events I attend. The trip East for Rhinebeck is always a monumental event. By far the largest event I attend, I'm always nervous I don't have enough pots - or the "wrong" ones. Add to that a newborn and this year Rhinebeck was a big question mark. Somehow I managed to get four kiln loads out after Lil was born. My mother and friend drove the truck loaded with Rhinebeck booty to NY. (Thanks Mom!) It's a LONG, but beautiful, two day trip. While baby potter and I flew from Minneapolis to Albany and drove two hours to Kingston.
The weather forecast was grim. Rain was expected on both Saturday and Sunday. Luckily we escaped rain on Saturday. It was overcast all day and we were too busy to worry about the weather. On Sunday it rained, but magically our little grove of trees kept us from getting wet. Lil was tucked away in her stroller under many blankets. When we got cold we just put our hands in her seat. Really, do you need an excuse to hold a baby?
Now that Rhinebeck is done I start to think about the holiday season. The next event for me is Empty Bowls. I have 200 bowls to finish for the event. (just thirteen days away . . . ) Last year we had 1200 bowls and we ran out around 7:00pm. We hope to have enough bowls this year - maybe 1300 or so, and plan to end the event two hours earlier than last year. If you plan on attending - I advise you come early to get the best selection.
After Empty Bowls is one of my favorite events of the year, No Coast. Not only is it ten minutes from the house, it happens to be attended by the best vendors in the cities. I can polish off most of my holiday shopping in one place. We've decided to take a year off from our home sale - so plan to come to the Global Market for No Coast instead. Now we transition from fall to winter and the year will be over before we know it.

Living Large

2009-10-15T14:05:00.000-05:00

Big day today. First plane ride for baby potter. She's loving her spacious hotel room. A little beauty sleep is in order before her Rhinebeck debut!

-- Post From Lil

Studio Baby

2009-09-29T14:40:00.001-05:00

Busy, busy! I'm having fun being a new mom. I feel very fortunate to have a mellow, happy baby. She's been happy to spend time with me in the studio. I strap her into her bouncy chair, turn on my audio book, and we get to work. With Rhinebeck a few weeks away - so all the studio time I can get is helpful!

Light Brite

2009-09-12T22:42:00.001-05:00

Here at Casa de Lanners we've been busy. After a long three days at the hospital we were released at 9 pm last night. Mild chaos was our first night but our first full day was great. Our wee one has an elevated billirubin so she's on a billibed ( a light box ) to help her body process it. Every available oppertunity she's strapped into a blanket on top of the lights. I can't help but sing the jingle to Light Brite everytime I peek at her.

The wait is finally over!

2009-09-09T09:43:00.001-05:00

It's a girl! 7pounds 7 oz. Delivered at 6:12 this morning. 9/9/09! Happy Birthday baby Lanners!

Return from the Summit

2009-08-16T06:10:00.009-05:00

It's been a crazy ride 'round here the last few weeks. I stopped teaching my ceramic classes the first week of August and left two days later for Portland. This show was nerve wracking. I worried I wouldn't get enough finished in time, I wouldn't sell enough to make trip worthwhile, and frankly we worried about having a baby in Portland. Unknown quantities are always scary, but especially one three days journey away and while I'm 35 weeks pregnant. All of our worries were unfounded. The husband and I worked very hard to get kilns loaded on schedule and we actually left EARLY. We arrived on Sunday and spent the beginning of the week with old friends and family. On Thursday I transferred to a hotel and the event began. It was a whirlwind of activity. The market place had rather long hours so most of the time I was at the booth meeting many wonderful people. After hours I was able to spend time with old friends and see a little bit of Portland. There were many outings to Voodoo doughnuts. I think I might have consumed my doughnut quota for the year in a matter of days. The event ended on Sunday and my dear husband and wonderful friend packed up the booth while I went off to the luminary panel. It was the perfect end to the event. On Monday we began the long plod home. It took three long days and I'm quite sure I won't be doing that again soon. Now that we've returned I'm trying to get all the special orders finished from the event and get ready for the baby.

Special Note:
If you were at the event and were unable to get one of the limited edition Sock Summit mugs I am taking orders for the second run. The mugs will be slightly different and will be marked as second editions. If you are interested in getting on the list please email me at jennie(at)jenniethepotter(dot)com

Darn! I left my canteen in the truck.

2009-08-01T08:00:00.001-05:00

Mr Lanners and I left Minneapolis yesterday afternoon for our great roadtrip to Portland. We made it to Jamestown, ND. Mmmm. Nothing says breakfast like a crockpot of gravy.

Buttons, and stitchmarkers

2009-07-24T11:03:00.001-05:00

These little bowls contain hundreds of buttons and stitchmarkers. Today they will be organized and glazed. I've arranged for studio help this week so I can throw some last minute pots while these are being finished! Hurrah!

Head down

2009-07-23T07:42:00.001-05:00

Why hello there blog. How ya been? Me, well I've been busy. Head down making pots for a big event in Portland. Lots of the standard designs, some fresh new ones, and even a limited edition for the event. Gotta go. Today's goal 100# of clay transformed into mugs.

Edible Mitten

2009-07-02T08:51:00.000-05:00

I took a break from the studio and visited a farm near Stillwater for some berry picking with friends. Turns out I'm a mutant magnet, finding triplets and bivalves that look more like an Everlasting Gobstopper than a strawberry. I was trumped by my friend Gretchen who found a mitten.

Six Foot Tall Ears of Corn

2009-06-16T20:36:00.001-05:00

I'm in Ohio for Knitter's Connection. My mom travels to the area often for work. She brought me to an outdoor sculpture in Dublin, OH. Built to honor the area's agricultural background, these concrete ears are over six feet tall. Cool.

Glazin'

2009-06-13T17:08:00.001-05:00

Last kiln before Monday's departure. After they finish the first, bisque, firing I inspect and clean up each pot. I then wash the pots and give them one coat of clear glaze. Now they are ready to go into a kiln that slowly ramps up to approx. 2200 degrees F. Then I sit on my hands and wait for it to cool down to a reasonable temperature to open it and unload. Every kiln is like Christmas morning. I'm hoping to finish glazing and loading quickly so I can go play with the hub!

I'm in Knitty!

2009-06-10T15:04:00.003-05:00

The new Summer issue of Knitty is out. In addition to all the great patterns and articles you'll find me! There's a wonderful little write up about my work with lots of great photos. Check it out! I'm blushing right now . . .
Thanks Knitty!

Little Things

2009-06-09T17:27:00.002-05:00

I've been deep in the studio getting ready for Knitter's Connection. (next week in Columbus, OH) In addition to pots, LOTS of pots, I've been making lots of stitch markers (above) and buttons (below). It's the little things that are the vacuum of my time lately.

Bear Bag 101

2009-06-03T11:11:00.005-05:00

After I posted yesterday Mr. Lanners' Pottery spotted our bear on an outfitters website. I know your thinking, how could that be the same bear? Well the photo was taken at another entry point just a stones throw from where we were. When the bear entered our camp area we scared it off only to hear it visit the only other camp area on that lake. The bear then returned, we scared it off again, it revisited our neighbors and then we heard it throughout the evening making the rounds of the other camps. The BWCAW is SO quiet you can hear people hooting, hollering, and banging pans from many miles away. The sounds continued into the evening and each time were farther and farther away.
I thought you might like to see what a bear bag looks like. Hanging the bear bag is one of the highlights of BWCAW camping. Finding the perfect tree set up is more difficult than you'd think. You need two trees with low branches close enough to make the rope configuration work. The US forest service recommends the bag is hung over 6 feet off the ground and at least 4 feet away from the nearest branch. We use our Duluth Pack for our bear bag placing all our food, trash and anything remotely smelly inside. (Think toothpaste, sunscreen, deodorant) As the bear bag has your food in it - the hanging is generally done after dinner which means night time. Many a good laugh has resulted from the hanging of a bear bag, and to date no serious injuries. The hoisting of the bag generally includes the use of a paddle to gain an extra few feet of loft, while the other person is pulling the rope at the base of one of the trees. Once the desired height is achieved the other rope is pulled taught to get the bear bag away from the other tree. The goal is to have the bag suspended in the air out of reach from critters. The sound of the rope being uncoiled and the adjoining thump of the bag hitting the ground generally wakes whomever is still asleep in the tent and signals that coffee or tea is going to be ready soon.

Extended Vacation

2009-06-02T07:59:00.001-05:00

It's been busy round here! We're juggling all the usual stuff along with baby stuff. We did manage to escape for one last trip to the BWCAW. One of the highlights of this trip was a visit from a lone black bear not once but twice. It was difficult to sleep - a side effect of supporting another human life. It made coming home that much sweeter!
Beside my own pregnancy I have a few other friends who are expecting. While I haven't started knitting for our babe- I've gotten to try my chops at some patterns that I'm sure I'll knit for ours!

Shepherd's Harvest!

2009-05-07T14:12:00.002-05:00

I'm SO pleased to be home. My first trip to MDSW was a success, albeit and exhausting one! I met so many wonderful people and saw many new vendors and products. The weekend was soggy but folks still managed to come out despite the rivers of mud on the fairgrounds. Our drive back was through multiple weather systems with small windows of sun. I was assured the weather at home was supposed to be rainy too - but we have lucked out with the most beautiful spring weather ever! Luckily I'm able to enjoy it as there's no time to make anything in the studio before the show.
This great Spring weather comes just in time for Shepherd's Harvest this weekend. While our little festival is no where near as large as some of the other festivals across the nation it is OUR festival. This is the best opportunity to meet the lamb and wool producers along with local artists and craftspeople. Please take some time out of your busy Mother's Day schedule to come and check it out. It's sure to please!
I just learned of a last minute vendor addition that should be added to your must see list at Shepherd's Harvest! My dear friend Chris of Briar Rose Fibers is making the trip from Michigan. You probably won't see her on the website or listed in the brochure as she just agreed to come on Monday of this week. Please stop by her booth and give her a hearty Minnesota welcome. I'm very fortunate to travel to festivals all over the country and I can honestly say there is NO one who produces fiber the way she does. Nor will you find a more caring and thoughtful business woman. I'm fortunate to have a large part of my stash devoted to her fiber and now you can too! Lately I've been groovin' on her BFL for spinning, but I must be honest and say I have two sweaters in progress with her fabulous fiber. It's late notice but she has a special discount in honor of their 5th anniversary. Check it out here.
See you this weekend!

On the road

2009-05-04T14:22:00.000-05:00

Homeward bound from an amazing, and wet, first time at MDSW. My roadie is driving now so I have time to play with one of my new toys!

-- Post From My iPhone

1604

2009-04-28T07:16:00.001-05:00

In the hopes of increasing my updates I downloaded a new application. This is a test. This is also what the kiln looks like the day before each and every show I do. It's at 1600 degrees on it's way down to room temp. I should be able to load these pots into bins sometime this evening!

Newest Project

2009-04-23T16:06:00.005-05:00

As pointed out recently at a show I'm a sporadic blogger. I've been hard at work trying to prepare for my early season onslaught of shows, and blogging has been thrown to the wayside. Not having any experience at Maryland Sheep and Wool I've been nervous at the quantity of work necessary to make my first showing a reputable one. So I've been living in the studio and going to teach, not much else. Well, there is one thing I've been doing too - although biology is taking over for that one. My summer schedule is topped with our first child due in September. Mr. Lanners' Pottery and I are thrilled - and a wee nervous at my busy summer schedule. Fortunately I have the greatest support system around. My family and friends are jumping at all the opportunities to help me in the studio, drive to, and work with me at shows. If all goes well, the little guy or girl will be making it's fiber fest debut at New York Sheep and Wool!

Six to Eight Weeks

2009-04-05T18:44:00.003-05:00

I know it's been ages since I've written. I have been subterranean in the studio, nose to the grindstone, trying to get as many pots done as possible. I have three short working weeks left before I embark on my maiden voyage to the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. By most accounts the largest event of it's kind in the US. The week before I leave I have the Minnesota Knitter's Guild Yarnover event and the weekend I return from Maryland our local sheep and wool festival is held, Shepherd's Harvest. Production has been steady - but you never know what will be the most popular piece from one show to the next. I'm hoping to have enough of everything - hence the six, sometimes, seven day work week. I'm still nervous about having enough, I guess that will never go away when you make you product from scratch.
All this underground work has me dreaming of spring. It's always a funny thing here in Minnesota. Folks get all excited and start to pull out the shorts when the temps rise into the mid 40s. Then when the weather turns and gives us a dusting of snow people complain about the never ending winter. It's only the beginning of April - our last "average" official frost date is MAY 21st. Solid Zone 4. For the non - gardeners out there that means six to eight weeks before plants can be safely planted without fear of killing them. So, time to break out the seeds and start thinking about spring, and, GASP, even Summer.

One last thing before I mosey on back to the studio for an enchanting evening of painting. My good pal Dawn posted about how we can pay it forward as makers. A challenge, if you will. She waves the carrot and I totally ate it. If you're interested in doing the same follow the directions below! Thanks to Heather for starting this part of the chain, and writing the original manifesto with minor addendum courtesy of yours truly.

On to the fun and games!

The first five (cinq) (cinco) (5) people to respond to this post will get something made by me.
This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

1. I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. (No refunds... no exchanges!!!!)
2. What I create will be just for you, with love from me.
3. It'll be done this calendar year (2009).
4. I will not give you any clue what it's going to be. It will be something made in the real world and not something cyber. It may be weird or beautiful. I may even create something totally unbelievable and surprise you!! It will be handmade and may be any medium I choose. Who knows? Not you, that's for sure!
5. I reserve the right to do something extremely strange...or awesome...or lovely!
6. In return, all you need to do is post this text into a note/post of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to it.
7. Send your mailing address if you don't live close to me! Feel free to email your mailing addy to jenniethepotter at gmail dot com.

Sheep Herding circa 2009

2009-03-18T14:22:00.002-05:00

This You Tube video was SO great I just had to share it . . .

This is almost . . .

2009-03-09T21:24:00.002-05:00

an entire day's worth of buttons. Making these little buggers is a time warp on par with falling down a Ravelry rabbit hole. Except you have all these little pretty, colorful shiny things to play with when you're done! Now, to sew these on to cards!

The Neverending Shetland

2009-02-19T16:50:00.005-06:00

A few years ago Mr. Lanners' Pottery confessed he would like a sweater, especially if I hand-spun and knit it. While at our local sheep and wool festival we looked at the fleeces submitted for judging. He chose a dingy gray Shetland fleece that won best in breed and we were off.

I dutifully checked out Aldon Amos from the Textile Center library and set off to scour this fleece. Having a basement devoted to dirty stuff I thought no problem. Two hours later I had enough. I commend those who scour and prepare their fleeces. I personally could not merit the time spent on that part of the process when I have steadfastly proclaimed knitting and spinning a hobby. All this lanolin and poo was seriously cutting into my knitting and spinning time. So the fleece was bagged up and it sat undisturbed in our camping closet for a year.

In the mean time I began to attend many festivals and saw people purchasing fleece and dropping it off at a wool processors booth. I asked around getting the opinions of friends and festival goers. I finally remembered to bring it along on a trip and at the Wisconsin Sheep and Wool Festival, in September 2007, I gave the Shetland, an alpaca, and a Lincoln/ Corriedale blend too, to Zeiligner's Woolen Mill. Dropping it off at a festival saved me shipping one way and I also received a discount. As I was busy making pots for my holiday season I totally forgot about the fleeces I had sent for processing.

Early in November a large box arrived and inside were the fleeces wonderfully transformed into clouds of roving. This dingy gray Shetland, can you tell I was originally a fan?, Mr. Lanners' had chosen had been transformed into a beautiful silver roving with traces of black scattered throughout. The box went into a closet as there were pots to make and shows to do. Another shameful year passed where I did not spin this fleece. Rest assured the husband was supplied with a different sweater and a few pairs of socks in the interim. That all brings us to 2009.

Traveling to festivals and shows one accumulates a fair amount of stuff. Especially fleece and pretty roving. I've decided this is the year I will spin some of that buried treasure. I have dutifully started with the Shetland. Almost four pounds of the stuff. It is never ending. I am easily tempted by other shiny objects, five projects on the needles currently, and have committed to spinning at least once a week with a friend. Kind of like the gym - but no particular attire required. So far I have managed to spin and ply six skeins and I'm guessing I'm 2/3 finished with the bag. Oy! This fleece is an absolute joy to spin and the processing was well worth it! Here's a link to the Shetland Sheep Society. Smirslet, Gulmoget, Bersugget, Gesundheit! (seriously THE best names for markings and colors!) Ours is a Musket.

Fresh Pots

2009-02-06T08:23:00.002-06:00

As usual I'm unloading a kiln the day I travel to an event! These brand new pots were just born this morning. In honor of Nancy Bush being the keynote at the Janesville Knitter's Guild I made some special sheepy sock cups! If the stars align and I get accepted as vendor at the Sock Summit there will be gads more of these! Now off to pack the truck!