Having friends is an area I would like to change in my life too. I'm going slowly and not pressuring myself. I look at my interactions and when opportunities arise, I try to relate to people as myself so they are not misled about who I am. I "listen" to whether there is something in common with a person that I might want to nurture. And if there is, I may try to give the relationship a very very small nudge in the direction of "getting to know you better." I find it best for myself to go very slowly, plus if I came on too strongly it could be offputting. What I find hard is making time to do the nurturing. Following up with people who have potential as a friend, due to my own busy schedule, and theirs too. Without nurturing, potential friendships will not develop. This is probably one of the hardest parts for me. Sometimes just connecting once in a while with an email can help the friendship along. Then maybe something more major in the future, such as getting together for coffee.

The pottery class sounds fine. Talk to people about pottery and what they are making and techniques they are using (Hey, how did you get the clay to do that?). That way the conversation is natural. If they are making a sculpture of an animal, then you could introduce the pet topic.