Thursday, May 24, 2012

home industry




I passed this house in my old neighbourhood the other day, it's the highest high set I have ever seen. 
I wonder where the owners are while the re-building (after the flood) goes on? 
I hope they get home soon.

I am grateful, blessed and thankful to have a little cozy place to rest and work in, I thought I'd share a couple shots from my domestic and work space...

...bubbling cauldrons of goop!





....photo studio (a white sheet on the floor!)


and finally alpaca merino yarn after the shoot and editing!


                                                            
as always, happy crafting
xoKate


Thursday, May 17, 2012

comings and goings


The pop up shop outside Nook last Saturday was brilliant fun and very successful-left to right, me, Michelle and Chrissy. I love creating a display of any kind so organising all this on the day was just my cup of tea! 


A BIG change is afoot for me, having co-ordinated the Village life market for around a year and half I am moving on. My last stall and work day there will be this Sunday which will be a happy-sad day I'm sure.
The time has come to spread my wings and open some more doors, I am sooooo excited about having time on weekends to join other groups and activities-my first Sunday off is coincidentally the Qld spinners, weavers and fibre crafts guild open day!! 


It will be great to meet some more like minded locals-I love dyeing and crochet and have been busy as always with the usual hand dyed yarns and accessories. The above is my latest dyed batch of alpaca and merino blend...yummy!
I'm also working on some quite different and interesting custom orders and will have some exciting news to share about up coming projects soon.


The reverse garbage 'Salvage garden' exhibition opening on Saturday night was also pretty wonderful-so full of happy people and such beautiful art, over 60 different artists are represented!



Anyway, happy creating, xo Kate

Thursday, May 10, 2012

April goings on... :o)



I would like to live a gypsy lifestyle...this past month has been the kind I love...
I visited lovely people in Tasmania and enjoyed such varied fun as staying in a beach hut, attempting to not freeze stiff on Mt Wellington, going to see a roller derby and taking in the gorgeous sights of Russell falls and Peddar lake.



Earlier on in the month I got down to Victoria and took in the sights of rural Victoria, Daylesford, Ballarat, Greens lake, etc and had my first lesson in hand spinning woollen yarn on an Ashford wheel with my amazing aunty Isabel. 


While travelling and home I have been making up new stock for Village life market, Cultiver and Reverse Garbage and a pop up shop stall this weekend outside of Nook. For the latest R.G exhibition I used some recycled leather to create pendants and dyed some blankets to fashion into felt flowers...very stimulating to work within their guidelines of recycled content and the theme of "salvage garden.' 



 And the dyeing continues and evolves... I learn each time I dye that I need to learn more! I have borrowed my friends book eco dyeing by India Flint-it is beautiful and would be wonderful for textile artists who want to dye their own fabrics. This is some cotton yarn I dyed with eucalyptus and mordanted with iron to bring out a blue-grey colour.

Eco experiments aside my more modern dyeing projects are ongoing and I am loving the landscapes rainforest collection of fibre reactive dyes gifted to me by my aunty...hand dyed yarns whether they are chemicals from plants and metals or manufactured are soooo different to the colours you find in shop bought ones. There is just not the same bland conformity or sameness about hand dyes...they burst with life and bring my attention and focus to a steady place as the colours shift and deepen and lighten (as I work them up into crocheted items.) I love the variety and the uniqueness of each batch.






cheerio :o) Kate