oldlady

one thing that helps is to keep your hands on the pot throughout the entire process. do not remove your hands until you have reached the top and allowed a complete revolution once there. jerking your hands away part way up is a sure way to make a wobbly pot.

that is a sign that you really are normal. most people make hummingbird nests inside bowling balls with flat bottoms for a very long time. if it would not break your bank, you might want to look for an old book by charles counts. he wrote Pottery Workshop in the 1970s and it takes a person from total novice to pretty good thrower in very simple, logical steps. you might adapt the size of the clay ball you start with to fit your own hand if you find it too small. do not skip a step, work from the front to the back and do not look ahead. remember, you are not making a product, you are learning a skill. do not expect perfection. and, get that excess clay out before you raise a wall, then you can lift instead of smooshing, counts shows you how. oh yes, do not even read the glaze recipes. some people say the errors were deliberate to keep the recipe private.