Mugs and Jugs,Thumstops and Bumstops

Our first attempt at a Summer pottery workshop at Tel Hai seems to have been well received by the seven folk who took part. There was a gas [reduction] firing and,thanks to Liora and Dror,a salt-firing - both giving good results.
Back in the studio,having finished the last round of firings, I am happily back on the wheel,hoping to get a couple of glaze kilns together in honour of the forthcoming Holiday season,which stretches from Rosh HaShana [18th Sept] to Simchat Torah [11th Oct]. The shelves are quite full at the moment,so there's no pressure - I think it's time to make another round of chanukiot: apart from a good supply of the French stoneware,there's a sizeable lump of the coarse red stoneware from the lanterns [maybe make another lantern?] which looked good with the Nuka glaze [maybe make some slab serving dishes?]
Meanwhile,I started with some larger mugs [much in demand among yeshiva bocherim].and some liter jugs [a kilo of clay,conveniently,makes a generous liter jug] - both of which seemed to call for a thumbstop,which I enjoy making anyway. i think they add visual interest as well as being welcomingly comfortable and supportive when picking up a heavy-ish container. Some of the planes and angles of their attachment are interestingly tricky to work out,and they always remind me [wistfully,from my motorbiking youth] of the bump at the back of a bike seat [the bumstop] that stops you flying off when you open the throttle and roar off down the road.[Sigh].