New Year's Pots

We spent a couple very pleasant hours this afternoon at our friend K's studio, helping to make pots for her annual holiday raku firing party. Her goal was to turn out 100 pots, so that everyone coming to the potluck on New Year's Eve will have something to glaze, fire and take home. With the various people helping, she definitely made her quota! She will bisque fire all of them before the big day and they will be lined up and ready to go before the party.
This year we got to use the extruder, a machine that answers the question How do they make macaroni? It pushes out tubular shapes, guided by whatever die is inserted in the wall-mounted chamber. We had a hexagon and made several short pots that leaned in charming directions. K always has a supply of tools to texture the clay: stamps and patterns and molds, lacy fabric to press into the wet surface, leaves to embed. Oh it's so much fun to play with all of this stuff! We all went home with cold but happy hands and the satisfaction of having made useful things. Not to mention the anticipation of the firing in two weeks!