Always,Kathie

January 2012--A New Year comes to the beach....

2012-01-23T21:01:00.000-08:00

Another New Year.....Where did that come from?
What have I been up to? Well ATC's--Artist Trading Cards and various other swaps on Swap-Bot.com..... I have really gotten addicted to these little 2.5 x 3.5 works of Art..
They have helped me stretch myself,test myself and grow toward some of the areas of
art I have been afraid to try. Mixed media mostly! I have a love affair with mixed media these days...I started my cards with straight up painting..and color pencil.

And I have progressed to adding bits and bobs...

I have met so many great new friends all over the world!

Sometimes I trade postcards and thats just down right, friendly ,fun!!!

A few of the ATC's

I have made well over 100 ATC swaps and have

filled a 3 ring binder for 2011 and started a new one for 2012.

I still have my yarn and crochet hooks handy...Just

finishing up and baby blanket, hat,bootie set...That was fun..

I have croched several scarfs and some granny blocks for trades.

From my Studio * Toes in the Sand* June 2011

2011-06-26T06:14:00.000-07:00

I have been finding time to paint and certainly enjoying it. This is from my lighthouses of

Florida series and it is the Dry Tortugas lighthouse down in the Florida Keys..It is oil paint and I found the weather here a bit of a challenge for oils, I actually find it a bit of a challenge for most paint, because of the heat. My studio is a florida room porch and I love it because I get the ocean breezes but I also get the heat and the cold and the moisture and the sand..I can move it all inside to a climate controled area but I think I will stay where I am ,enjoying the challenges....And I have been working with color pencils, pencils and pastels with no problem.

The Free Form International Crochet 2011 project....

2011-06-26T06:03:00.001-07:00

This is my entry into this years book challenge. It is a tribute to Johnny Appleseed...
The theme was Myths, FairyTales and Ledgends..I chose the AppleSeed story because
I wanted to use the red/green colorway for my 2011 project...
You can see the entire online show here ..the Book can be
seen HERE Many talented fiber artists joined in the project and what they each
created blew me away..I feel fortunate to be includes with this wonderful group of people from all over the world!

May 2011

2011-05-02T13:08:00.000-07:00

Way to much to catch up on so I will just continue on my way...

I will say I have been in Florida for a year now and I love it!! I

have been doing all things creative..I have just wondered if I want to chunk this blog and start over or contine..the decision is to continue on...and maybe do a little catch up

with photos and a word here and there....

The reason I moved to Florida.....I met Kerry last February ....and since he lived in PCB

I wanted to live here too....

2009--and January has gone....

2009-01-31T14:30:00.000-08:00

Some friends of mine have a yahoo group

called Threads of Love and they are knitting

and crocheting and various other handiwork

for favorite charities. They have me hooked and

I have been making *Happy Hats* for preemie

babies... it brings me such pleasure and I hope

along the way they can help keep wee head's warm..

2009 International Freeform Fiberart Challenge

It has been announced.......

The challenge is to interpret the four seasons representing them as you see or experience them where you live. I'm jazzed about that..Anyone who belongs to the

Yahoo International Freeform list can enter (Anyone can join!!)

...I really enjoy these challenges.

I have a couple ideas rolling around for what or how I want to interpret the

lower Alabama seasons....

Click below if you want to go look at whats been done other years!

Previous Challenges

I missed September!!

2008-10-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

Becky and I were pretty busy...We were getting some things ready for the Elf Made site and the craft shows she is doing the next couple of months. It has been a blast!! She was working on her displays last week and sent me a couple photos.. I made *happy hats*--as I said in my last post and then decided to paint christmas ornaments ..Since the Elf tree theme this year is "wood 'n shoes" I gut busy and sewed a few different elf shoes,You can see them on the elf made page. Elf Made
Ya'll have got to go look at the wooden crochet
hooks Becky makes..Thats all I ever use now!!!

I finished up my Round Robin *Scrumble exchange" and have them all on the way.

What fun it has been...I have recieved 7 so far and it is VERY exciting!!! They are allso different and so wonderful..I will wait until they are all here and put them togather with a common thread. I'll upload a few of the ones I sent out.

There were 22 of us.

Wow--where did the time go?

2008-08-31T11:55:00.000-07:00

Here I am in Alabama....all those visits called my name and we ended up moving here...Nice place to retire to...Love that the Gulf is so close!!! now if the hurricaines will go away so we can cruise down there!!!

I'm still free forming.....

Have been making hats--Happy Hats--specifically..I have about 45 made for

the *elf made* christmas shows....They are fun..Each one is free formed and different...

I joined a scrumble exchange and thats a blast...There are 22 of us..exchanging aprox. 10x10 scrumbles...from all over the world...I have recieved 3 of mine..each so different and so COOOL.... I will join them all togather when I get them with a common yarn..Can't wait ..

I have 16 of mine made mailed or read to go to the po... I will start posting photos of them soon...

Termite made the trip to Alabama with us..

Here he is checking out a WIP lapgan..HE assures me this is already big enough for him..HE is almost a year old and because he is a pill the stash has had to be put incognito...in plastic bags in the crates with holes..I miss seeing it but he just was loving it way to much...

Yea..I'm one of those cat lovin' yarn folks!!!

So---this time from Alabama..where I can feel the gulf breeze gently blow by, Always.Kathie

Summer heat is behind us...bring on the yarn...

2007-11-01T23:08:00.000-07:00

Thanks to the folks at Grafton Fibers for

this wonderful free sock pattern....

Easy to make and comfy to wear!!!!

http://www.graftonfibers.com/socks.htm

This is called

*Rest, In Pieces*

and it was prompted from a challenge in the

FF Challenge group to make a granny square

poncho..I had several skiens of this fancy fur

yarn and figured it was a great project for it...

18 skiens later......here is the poncho..

modeled by my daughter Dolly..

It reminds me of the rag crochet rugs ladies used to make...

The Princess has her wings

2007-11-01T22:57:00.000-07:00

...and here she is........

Gypsy Wings...

2007-11-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

I went a little crazy with buying grey/black/ white

yarns on my visit to Alabama and this is what has

evolved. I named it *gypsy wings* and it is with out

a doubt the softest piece I have ever made. It is living

in a basket--because our kitty, Missy, adopted it..

Moving into August. or...In The Pink

2007-08-21T21:30:00.000-07:00

Becky & Dolly

Dothan ,Alabama----IT was Hot..

We visited and crocheted and visited some more..

Made a couple runs to Michaels to buy SALE

yarn...whoooooo we got some bargains!!!

I actually got to work on... and finish the

pink, free form ,baby blanket while we were visiting Becky.

It was for Sierra Anita.I delivered it to

her today.. she slept through it---Her Mom

loved it!!!!

The Pinks were a fun colorway to work with..

I have a gray project in the works...that wasn't

planned..stay tuned for what it turns into at

a later date....

The official Hot August Nights is over....It was a huge

success and we had a wonderful evening of food,music,

friends and frolic......and the anticipation of the Silent

Auction........The beach chair was a crowd pleaser and

sold for a hefty sum....The catfish, Penny found a new

home with a local Lawyer.....A good time was had by all.....

Parts of my July gig

2007-08-02T17:38:00.000-07:00

I thought I would filll you in what has been taking up my time the last few weeks..or part of what has..... Every year our Parish has a Charity Auction called Hot August Nights and one of the major attractions are the chairs local artists have been asked to paint. I have never managed to do one before and this year I had the chance. I was excited..

I had intended to complete the entire chair in patchwork but the idea came to me to paint a beach scene on the back that has a chair in it...sort of a mirroring thing...They ask about a dozen local artists to paint the chairs for them in any way you want to. So off I went to pick up my chair ( and my catfish--more about that later) about 5 weeks ago. I had to paint in the middle of my living room because I don't have my studio set up here yet and it was wayyy to hot to paint outside. I have painted alot of hours on this chair. The last count I had over 200 little faux fabric pieces..after that they all got hand stitching... so wow--is a pretty approptiate word here..I painted a crochet doily on one arm and a couple of faux buttons and even a threaded needle...There was a point I had to say STOP!!lol

THere was a point I had to say STOP!!lol Some of you may know what this style chair is but for those who don't here is a wee bit of the history.. An Adirondack chair (or in some parts of Canada, a Muskoka chair) is a type of chair used primarily in an outdoors setting. The precursor to today's Adirondack chair was designed by Thomas Lee in 1903. He was on vacation in the New York State mountains and he needed outdoor chairs for his summer home. He tested the first designs on his family.The original Adirondack chair was made with eleven pieces of wood, cut from a single board. It had a straight back and seat, which were set at a slant to sit better on the steep mountain inclines of the area. It also featured wide armrests which became a hallmark of the Adirondack Chair. Today's Adirondack chairs usually feature a rounded back and contoured seat. The style has also been translated to other pieces of furniture, from gliders to love seats Some modern Adirondack chairs are made out of engineered wood instead of wood. Adirondack chairs are becoming popular as outdoor seating at cafes, because the flat armrests are suitable for setting food and drinks on, making it possible to provide individual seating without using tables.Here is a little closer detail of one arm with a button and the needle. These chairs sell for around $200 here and the auction prices usually fo between $500 and a $1000--Awesome eh? So I'm just gonna hope all the hours I put in this will bring a good price for the Parish. I saw 3 others as I returned mine..it was exciting. One had a flag and gazebo and one was retro 60 in lime green with pink/yellow/ blue flower power and one was a burgandy and black throne with a large painting of lips on the seat.....

THe other part of the project was painting an 18 inch catfish-molded of resin. Since we are named as a Catfish Parish and have the official catfish festival ever April the town decided to adopt the catfish as it's mascot..as well as these table top catfish they will have several 4 foot ones gracing the parish is outdoor spots courtesy of commercial sponsors...Since we Have two catfish processing plants at this end of the Parish I am hopeful they will sponsor one for Wisner and I can get to paint it!!! This is a *she* fish and her name is Penny! I had some pricy copper paint I'd inherited from my daughter Kris that I had been reluctant to use because of the price--but this seemed like the perfect occasion /project to use some of it. I made the parasol from a doily and bamboo skewers and a chopstick and some wore and beads...I wanted it open and her holding it but the dynamics and engineering of that escaped me...so the rain passed and she was able to hold it in her lovely tail... Now we got to see several of her brother/sister fish and they are charmers....there was a *cashfish* with $ bills glued on bits of him...a widow fish dressed in black, a referee fish, a baseball fish and some other cuties... I'm hopeful they will take pictures and have an online version of these. they got the idea fom an online site . You might like to check them out too...... http://www.fremontneb.com/bigfish/bigfish.html I have quite a few other things going on for me but I will save that for another time........Dolly and I will be going Sunday to spend a couple weeks with Becky and Rick in Alabama-- Will try to get some photos of our adventures and share with you.

Always,Kathie

How in the world did JUNE slip by so fast?

2007-06-13T08:45:00.000-07:00

I was wishing I could get over here and speak about the super-spectacular busy few weeks I have had. Possibly I could create one for you but the simple truth is--I ain't! LOL

I have done a little bit of alot of things and that sucks the hours of the day right down the tube...but makes for no major accomplishments.--maybe our screen porch which is progressing by leaps and bounds..good share for the next post!

My project for quite a while has been the Blues& All that Jazz coat..

the challenge group

FFCChallengers@yahoogroups.

(where your encouraged to join -some great things are happening over there!)

has a BLUE challenge going..that prompted me to work on my project a bit and I have got the fronts shaped up rather well. I am using my favorite long sweater for a guide.

I have alot of bits and pieces(scrumbles-if you will) to put togather for the back and I have both sleeves about three-quarters long enough. What amazes me is the amouth of room it takes to keep a project like this contained. I have a wooden box full of blue yarns and a wicker oval clothes basket with the pieces in progress in. A small plastic trash basket but the wips--to contain them from roving kitty paws...she indeed has 10 needles and she loves to work them in yarn...

the other fiber project...is a purse--the challenge this time was music..that took some *thought* now I love music and listen when I knit/crocht but how to fit it to challenge? I found some Lion Brand Yarn called KISS in the local BUCK store and one was pinks and greys and fuzzy....I was really wanting to make something with it. In the background Dolly(my daughter) was playing her Beyonce CD--over and over...and this line was "to the left--to the left" so I said "indeed Beyonce, I shall crochet to the left--as always" and the Beyonce To The Left Bag was born.

A photo in progress..I was using an awesome wooden hook Becky made of red ceder and recently sent me...I lined the bag with single Crochet pink yarn.

Here is a finished photo...

Now to start another day and go work for a little while.What a job an hour and a half a day....lol

Always,Kathie

Yarn Challenged

2007-05-21T08:05:00.000-07:00

I don't consider myself a competitive person. I didn't know I was a

challenge junkie until Jane started her FF challenge Yahoo group,

know I know I can't walk past a challenge. Maybe it is just excuse or

incentive I need to put a reason behind having the hook or the needles in

my hands.Do I need an excuse?..probably not....

Lights and Shadows--using one color yarn. That was way to good to pass by...

being a paint artist by nature I have many times just used pencil to get the depth

of light and shadow. I knew yarn would be a little different..I also knew I wanted to

incorporate the element of 3-d with a sculptural look and feel... With several hundred

yarn colors at my very arms length---- how was I supposed to choose just one? The concept

of freeform is building a colorway stash, I have worked long and hard to do this. Now I am

challenged to use just one!! that in itself was the challenge for me!! This is how it happened....

Scientifically--I reached up in the top box of yarn,wiggled my hand down in the middle,where I couldn't see--and fished one out! There that wasn't so hard to choose!!!

It was Lion Brand Jamie baby yarn in a fisherman color..Very good Choice!!! I spent

the afternoon knitting,turning it this way and that,adding a line,making a part and

assembling it. Cool..I liked this alot!!! I grabbed the camera--and here you are.....

As if that wasn't good enough......There was a Bullion challenge..Now Bullion's are little fat crochet stitches made by wrapping the yarn around your hook-10 0r 15 times(or more or less)and drawing your yarn through all these wraps..Was I intimidated? Oh my yes, when I first started I could manage the wrap part...for a year I wrapped and cursed...It was not working for me. I was suspecting either 1. there was magic command involved or 2. someone(like everyone) was in a conspiracy and leaving a step hidden. but I kept trying, I'm up for a challenge--did I mention that? I finally figured out the secret a couple months ago. For me it was the hook...how simple is that? My daughter Becky carves the best crochet hooks and she has sent me quite a few of them. I picked up my favorite square end on, one day, and a bullion fell off it as if it was magic! wrapped, pulled through--like slicing butter...how cool was this? WAY...and about 2 million bullion's later...I was indeed up for a bullion challenge..using any of the wooden hooks in my collection.

THe challenge part of it was to made something you see in nature-not a leaf or flower-using some bullion's....I choose the sun--and used a colorway I had never used--yellows.( I found them when putting the Jamie baby yarn away) So here is my version of sunshine.....via yarn, a fantastic wooden hook and some very bright yarns.....

Always,Kathie

Our HOME Project

2007-05-18T08:13:00.000-07:00

A few years ago we owned a booming Ceramic Business.

GoodTimes Ceramics

We had a shop in town and also sold greenware to several

suppliers. It was alot of work but definently alot of fun. We

had thousands of molds and the majority were Christmas.

Then the craft dynamics changed..scrapbooking seemed to be the new thing!!(which I understand because

I'm ALWAYS changing. )

The last molds we bought, and they cost the price of a compact

car, Were the entire Currier&Ives Village collection by Byron.

This was my DH's LOVE......When we sold our shopand moved to

Galveston ,we sold all our molds.....but we kept bisque(that's the white cooked version)

of each house. When we moved back here and bought this place Roy

decided to display the houses..... And we had this huge blank wall......His project was born..

HE put up his shelfs and put the houses up and he was pretty happy...He had painted alot of these houses himself,I have painted some, our daughters painted some...and as you will see on the top shelf some are yet to be painted.......

I wasn't so happy with this wall...and was trying to remember why they looked more special in the shop...then it dawned on me--because I had painted a background to give them depth..OffI went finding paint and brushes...I must confess..I had alot of yarn piled on top of them...LOLand I changed the background to this....and I couldn't leave it alone....I painted the rest of theroom the cereluan haze color--so far I have refrained from adding clouds to the other walls.!

I must be thinking these are my toys..cause I was dusting them yesterday and caugh tmyself rearranging them..especially all the little trees and people.....Interactive wall ART..gotta love it!!!I have a close up of the middle of the village I will add here..there is even a statue in the middle of the town....

So thats the latest project on the home front-- inside....Outside we are adding a patio/screened porch..more on that later......

Always,Kathie

The Meeting

2007-05-17T20:42:00.001-07:00

I went to the library today. Not very interesting you say?
The Wisner library? It has been cleaned up dramatically, the
lady, who was in practice to be a ceo for computer company,
has moved on---yeah, she was the one who thought
Dewey Decimal was a mystery writer from the 4O's.
The last I heard she was working at the Dollar General.
It was quiet in there-the windows were open and a slight breeze was blowing
magazine covers, the smell of wisteria was in the air.Afternoon light filtered through the trees and flooded in the windows onto the polished hardwood floors.
I turned the corner,and oh my, there was a man in black hunched
over a small table,caressing a book. I cleared my throat and he turned to look at me, the light from the
transom stain glass bounced off the thickness of his glasses.
A lock of dark hair drooped down on his forehead. Who was this familiar looking guy?

"I have been waiting here in the afternoon, for you, for weeks, Kate." He brushed that
hair back and stood up and offered me his hand."No need for introductions Kate, we have met before and spent so many hour togather ."
I'm standing there like a dumbass ,grinning from ear to ear. " Yeah, how cool is this SK?"
HE picked the book up off the table. I have been waiting to give you this. I was begining to
think you didn't want to read it.
"Yeah,right like I don't want to read your books. Well I have to admit Stephen, I am having a little
trouble reading DreamCatcher." I can't believe I told him that!!

I"t's okay Kate, I think I had a bit of a problem getting that one on the paper."

I accepted the bright red book.. " Nice Jacket design." I said.

I am such a bumbler, here stands Stephen King....
the Mr King and I'm babbling on about Jacket design.

"John FullbrookIII--Best cover I have had yet, most people don't even notice it,well maybe a couple
crazy ladies--oh Kate don't take exception to that, I didn't mean you were a crazy lady..."

Now he was making me laugh

"Well Kate, hate to run but have a book in process and I have been taking off every
Tuesday and Thursday to wait for you. I knew you would show up. Enjoy Lisey's Story."
She would want it that way.

He gave my shoulder a hug on the way past. Was that a hint of sulfur or possibly brimstone
I detected ? He was gone so fast...
I hugged the book up to me and headed home 'cause I knew I had to tell you this story...

Always,Kathie

( Well the book was sitting there on the new book rack.....but I thought you would like my version better)

Outside the Box....

2007-05-17T17:55:00.000-07:00

On one of the free form groups we have challenges,

and one of the Challenges was to think outside the box..and

knit/crochet a box....I loved the idea....after some thought

and wandering around outside the box that wasn't made yet..

I decided what would I put in my box? Well my $$ would be great...

and after calculating the money I had left after the last yarn stash

trip for *blues & all that jazz* I had this thin dime left....Since it

is better than being broke--I got out my double points and made

a tiny box....it was fun..I knitted it all in once piece..added a crochet

trim--and a bead for the closer.....Here are pictures of it....

open and closed

Freeforming

2007-05-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Ok....always checking......now it is up and working close

to the way I want it to..more time to customise later..

I was excited today because I got news that the book is

published and ready to ship..with pictures of the Coat of Many

Scrumbles I participated in making...I have several scrumbles

in the coat, that was put togather by Prudence Mapstone in

Australia..It was her website that inspired me to free forming full time.

I'd love you to take a look....

http://www.knotjustknitting.com/

Here is a picture of the coat....we also sent enough scrumbles to

put togather a underseas shawl. The book comes out in July...
I'll keep you posted..

Welcome......

2007-05-16T15:11:00.000-07:00

A few blogs later........

perhaps this one will work as my

daily post....It will, hopefully, let

the world know who I am and what I'm doing....

I'm enjoying knitting and crocheting freeform these days..

I have a coat in process now

called "Blues,& All That Jazz" .This is my first coat,

but my 3rd full freeform garment.

This is the coat in progress...

Always,Kathie

January 2012--A New Year comes to the beach....

From my Studio * Toes in the Sand* June 2011

The Free Form International Crochet 2011 project....

May 2011

2009--and January has gone....

I missed September!!

Wow--where did the time go?

Summer heat is behind us...bring on the yarn...

The Princess has her *wings*

Gypsy Wings...

Moving into August. or...In The Pink

Parts of my July *gig*

How in the world did JUNE slip by so fast?

Yarn Challenged

Our HOME Project

The Meeting

Outside the Box....

Freeforming

Welcome......

The Princess has her wings

Parts of my July gig