My alter-ego

'Jude' my daughters rag doll has suffered over the years; dragged through all manner of grime and stuck unceremoniously behind piles of rubble but the most heinous crime of all took place more recently, when I noticed that she had started to lose her auburn hair. It took me a while to realise that my daughter was 'harvesting' it, to use in other creative arts. So Jude has sat forlorn and somewhat patchy-looking for a while.


So as part of the sewing whirlwind that I am right now (I have patched many jeans, darned tights, and nearly hemmed the curtain) finally Jude has a new rainbow head of hair to be proud of-the many colours forced, as we did not have enough wool of one colour. But I like the look, and as my hair remains stubbornly resolute when faced with dye, I have to live my multi-hued hair dreams via this ragdoll.

If you go down to the woods today...

More snow. To keep desperation at bay, I am taking solace from the idea that cold is cleansing, when I go outside and it is snowing, again, I no longer greet it with joyful abandon, the glamour has definitely gone. Even the kids enthusiasms are dwindling, aside from the sheer pleasure of cracking ice on puddles, the number of layers we have to put on is a challenge.

Yet collecting wood so that I can keep the house above freezing is becoming more pleasurable; buds unfurl, the snowdrops-delayed this year-are mounting a determined charge, and aconites and crocuses wink gems of colour at me from underneath hedges. And this morning I walked the dogs and it was not dark and birds sang. And hope for warmth is condensed in the pendants of hazel catkins that soften the edges of the skeletal trees.

More on potting soon, and hopefully on a craft collective, to the bring the local photographer, blacksmith, knitting and needlecraft creatives together, and for an etsy shop; wonderful etsy for all things handmade (http://www.etsy.com/).

Wheel Maintenance III

Wheel up and running. I have kept the old leather friction wheel, in case the smart new material proves to be not up to the job. I am now attempting, (on the advice of my lovely Uncle) to stop the wheel from making so much noise. This requires that I rest its four iron limbs on cardboard, so the rattling does not reverberate through the ancient cobble floor; plug the gaps between the sheet sides and frame with bolts separated by rubber washers (and bunged in places with old rubber inner tubes) to prevent the metal shell acting as a drum for the slightly less than soundless running of the engine. This should mean that I may stand some chance of listening to music whilst potting, instead of being lost in an all-encompassing world of rattles.
However, the (usually strong) lure of making things of clay is not high right now, as all the water in my potting area is frozen, and everything is taking forever to dry out.

Finally, always remove the friction wheel from under the fly wheel when finished potting, to prevent the weight of the wheel from bowing the edges of the new friction wheel.

Wheel maintenance II

This is a series of photographs






















of the internal gubbins of my Potters Equipment wheel, pre- and post-dismantled. I am indebted to my Uncle, who is always willing to advise and turn up in chic (and oh so clean) overalls to help with the latest plan and also 'Geoff-down-the-lane', who with his extensive experience servicing a range of ancient motorbikes (BMWs and Royal Enfields) provided sage advice and the new friction wheel, made from some super modern material used in car brakes.
I basically unbolted the shaft (attaching the friction wheel to the motor) and the whole mechanism could be pulled out of the arm which swings the friction wheel under the flywheel (and therefore alters the speed of the wheel head) and the shaft could be slid out from the base of the flywheel. More in post III.

Wheel Maintenance I

My wheel is a fairly simple mechanism; the main wheel (wheel head) is joined to a heavy fly wheel turned by a friction wheel (these terms may be incorrect, I am a novice when it comes to mechanical jargonese) joined to a motor. See the below diagram.


My wheel was slipping and slowing under pressure, part of the problem was due to the lack of contact between the friction wheel and base wheel. The leather friction wheel was too smooth and slightly bowed resulting in a lack of contact. The springs on the main shaft (see photograph) can be adjusted to increase the tension between the fly wheel and friction wheel. This did not seem to work for me, so I returned to first principles. Dismantling as much of the mechanism as I could, cleaning, greasing where needed.

My wheel

A thing of solid beauty, and now it works again. I am much indebted to Chip (John Chipperfield of Brockdish Norfolk http://www.suffolkcraftsociety.org/default.asp?p=4&type=3&user=323) for opening my eyes to the delightful practicality of Potters Equipment wheels, and giving me the courage to fix it. He has many of these wheels and uses them for much of his amazing work. He also runs splendid raku firings and is quite inspirational. Okay, enough gushing, and down to the mechanics of the wheel.

pine cone pendants

My beautiful daughter made me this pendant from the base of a pine cone found at Castle Rising. I love it, it is my second favourite necklace. The boys make endless cutlasses and swords with hazel twigs and masking tape (children and masking tape...sigh), but my six year old girl adorns things. Like a magpie she espies the brightest, the most vibrant and distinctive of natures largesse and accessorises her and my world with it, I am much improved by this.
With the window finished (and still awaiting glass), I am busy trying insulate my stable against the vagaries of winter and next I shall get on with the servicing of my potters wheel.