Yarn Challenged

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

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

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....

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

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......

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...