Well, It's Official

...I'm a teacher. After over a week of training and working on my room, I had students Thursday and Friday. I was a little nervous, but I had a great time both days. And I'll be more comfortable once I learn all the students' names.

I'm going to like this so much better than my year at the laboratory school, where I was thrown in to teaching K-6 with no curriculum, no mentor, no training, no anything.

Everyone at the school where I work is really nice. We had Monday to work on our rooms, and I had everyone from janitors to assistant principals coming by to introduce themselves and welcome me.

I am only part time, which is good because I'm working on my Masters. I have two classes of Art Awareness (that's art appreciation) and one Art I.

And all the new teachers got $100 at the local teacher supply store to get stuff for their rooms. I'm going today to get a stapler, tape, dry erase markers... all kinds of stuff.

Not much knitting done lately, but I am working on a pair of Magic Stripes Socks. The mystery shawl has fallen by the wayside. Maybe once I get my lesson plans ready I can work on it for a little while every day before I have kids.

Alabama Mothers Deserve Midwives

Alabama Mothers Deserve Midwives

My latest project (non-knitting).

Playing with Windows Movie Maker

Lorelei's Babies

Something we did just fooling around over the break - warning: it's long and repetitive! I need to edit some.

I'M DONE!!!

I am FINISHED for the semester! I am going to SIT ON MY BUTT and KNIT ALL DAY! ...as soon as I clean up the kitchen and living room and do some laundry.

The firing of the wood kiln went very well, the salt worked and glazed the pieces. All in all, I was very happy. I also made pictures.

My honey (the one in charge of the wood):



Our friend Mike (the one in charge of the fire) raking out the embers:



We covered the chimney when we salted:



The fire is really looking for oxygen in this one:



Opening up (for anyone into ceramics, that's cones 8, 9, and 10 FLAT on the top shelf!):



What I turned in:



Now this blog can resume knitting content!

Salt Kiln

We are now in the process of rebuilding the kiln at a different location so we can salt fire!

First Wood Firing in MY Wood Kiln!

Nov. 5th is the next wood firing. Here are pictures from the one this spring:

Loaded and ready to go:


Some of the wood:


The firing begins:


Here we were losing too much heat out of the chimney, but it looked really cool:


The lintel above the stoke hole stuck out a bit, making it impossible to completely cover the stoke hole:


The view from above (note the glowing through the lid (it is TWO high temperature silicone carbide kiln shelves thick!):


We only had about five pieces blow up, but they were big ones (all greenware):


The best looking of the survivors (some were greenware):

My first wood firing

I got to see (part of) my first wood firing at Gulf Wars. Anyeta built a Roman bottle-type kiln. I helped a little with the construction and took lots of pictures. Here we go:



The kiln was in the Early Period Life area of the site. I hate I got the car in the background.

A view of the shelves and support:


Fully loaded (this was all there was to fire):


View of the cones and draw rings through the peephole:


The taller it got, the scarier it got:


View from a distance. You can see the Viking longhall in the background:


The firing begins. The chimney says "Cone 06 or Bust Gulf Wars XIV." I think it eventually hit 2000 degrees Fahrenheit - around cone 04!


With a flash:


No flash, you can see the firebox area and the flames coming out of the chimney (that's Mistress Anyeta standing and watching):


My favorite picture:


I didn't make it back for the unloading, but it looked like only a couple of pieces broke. That's good, considering most of them were made during the week and some were only a little past leather hard. I don't know how the cones melted (07. 05, and 03), but I hope to talk to Anyeta soon and find out.