pictures...

To enter my giveaway go here...

The big launch and market way over the other side of Brissy, in Ipswich was wonderful.

As the sun set the grounds of Precious packages just looked magical with Vanessas crochet bunting lit by the fairy lights.

Thanks to all who came and all who visited my stall and had a chat.

Thanks also to all of the lovely supporters who bought my brooches, scarves and hats...I was absolutely chuffed with how many people stopped by! I think Cas was too!

And big thanks to lil' sweetie Sky, you posed so shyly for this piccy in your new dash robin beanie-and you look adorable!
xKate

mumatopia launch today! Enter my giveaway! Yay!

Go here to find out all you need to attend the mumatopia launch

and here to enter the dash robin giveaway,

cheers Kate

my creative space

My creative space....

my place this week...

Green ants

Tiny funky orange fungus.

Weeds.

Flooded lawns.

Fruit eaten by bats.
(don't you dare suggest rats!)

Weeds.

and lastly weeds.

'been busy, thanks for asking, crochet workshops and yes, okay, I will get on with it'

dash robin giveaway
One of you will receive mailed to your door;
2 dash robin brooches(a felt bird and crochet granny square)
an oven mitt made out of repurposed denim, linen and Japanese fabrics,
a clutch made from repurposed fabrics with crochet strap and vintage buttons...
and a couple extra bits n bobs...
PLUS
A copy of my favourite book, My Place, by the wonderful Sally Morgan.
'tis a 2nd hand copy but in perfect nick
if you are the kind to turn your nose up at a second hand book what are you doing here ;o)

Oh, it's much more fun giving things away than weeding!!

To enter -leave a comment and share your favourite book and something about your place.
Follow and get an extra entry.
People already following get an extra too!
xKate
P.S- Winner will be randomly selected on the 25th August
p.s-more creative spaces here

mumatopia launch

Isn't this just the most lovely photo?
(by Louisa Jenke, of Vintage by Lou- not mine)
It's Bec and Cas and Bella.
You can meet all three of these ladies plus see wonderful mother and child items and information at the Mumatopia launch at precious packages in Ipswich, 4-8.30p.m this Saturday...Loads of wonderful stalls and free goodie bags(!!) and you could win a one hour massage!!
Oh and yep, me too, there with my toys and baby sized crochet beanies plus maybe some nice things for mums...cos we like nice things don't we?
Now for a tea...xkate

meet me monday

Welcome to a meet me Monday mini interview.

Meet Jack, a young artist fascinated by science fiction, mythological creatures and crytpozoology.
'I do lots of drawings, I have a box full of more drawings than you would see in any gallery, so I only have time to share a few.I made a colouring book once and this one didn't fit in.

Its a cryptozoologic creature called Kongamato, which in African language is the overwhelmer of boats. I love reading about creatures like big foot and Kongamato and the search to find them. This one is flying over a waterfall.

I drew this one last Christmas and it is a hunting scene.

It is a fight between a carnivorous alien deer and vicious raptor like creatures. The blue areas are the gaps of sky between clouds. I felt really happy how this turned out!
Most of my pictures now are of aliens or monsters but I started drawing years ago, when I was very young. I drew lots of animals, especially Bilbies.

This picture is a cyborg dragon with metal horns and a gun on his paw. He comes from the future and his time machine is too small to have built in controls so it has a remote control. It was a lot fun drawing.

I once saw an exhibition of Ron Mueck. He makes sculptures of the human body out of silicone. Some of his artworks were so real looking you'd expect them to come to life and start walking around, you could see wrinkles on the fingers they were that detailed!

The only one that didn't look realistic was an enormous face which didn't have a back, like a mask.

Another artist I really like is Patricia Piccini. I have seen her works on the Internet. She does work sort of like Ron Muecks' but she makes sculptures that are half animal-half human. The pair I like most are of 2 half human-half meerkats.

I would love her to make one of half-animal-half human creatures protesting against animal scientific experimentation, maybe protesting against growing ears on mice.


I love to read and love my imagination. I enjoy thinking about creatures and I would like to make sculptures of aliens and write stories.
xKate

my creative space

I checked my google stats last week for old bloggy and gosh,
there's quite a few peeps checking in...so...'hello all' and thanks for visiting.
Do leave a comment won't you, and I will happilly check out your blogs too and get back to you.
Now for my usual ramble...I am doing a toy making workshop soonish with teenagers.
I needed to provide some images of toys, however mine were thought to be too sweet for promotional poster....
The words emo and such were suggested so I came out with this safety pinned creature...

but was advised I had gone a bit too far into the emo style and needed to soften him up...

and give him a cheerful background...

The guidance given to me about styling was patient and kind but by the end of the process (changing button colours, positioning of things, etc, etc) I feel as if I have no clue what teenagers want and my confidence is shaken.
Hopefully between then and now I will lose the nerves and get some excitement back for it.

I have been working hard this week, picking up some extra stuff, paid and unpaid which has been creatively challenging, fun but in a word; tiring.

So I have also been enjoying my down time at home, making small intricate things which can absorb me and help me shake off any stresses.

I have been doing some furniture re arranging, I suppose nesting, and although these photos are terrible I thought I would share some very 'un-home-beautiful'
snaps of my real space and what works for me. Books and favourite pieces.

T.V not given centre stage placement.

Little collections grouped by colours.

that's all for now,
happy crafting,
xkate
here for more

Yarn bombing fun!

I really enjoy listening to local abc radio so it was especially fun to be invited into the abc radio studio to yarn bomb it to promote close knit!
The lovely Anne O'Keefe, is the reporter for abc local radio 612, featured on Spencer Howsons' breakfast show...

She pre recorded an interview with me for the early morning show.

These snaps were taken as Sam, Getano and I decorated.

It was really easy to wrap my scarves and brooches all over the equipment and not so easy to hold back...so we didn't!

While Sam was in getting interviewed I kept adding more and more; placing things all over the walls, mike stands, monitor stands, chairs, etc, etc.

This lovely monitor stand flower was my favourite detail.

Happiness is a crochet covered studio!

yarnapoolooza!

Wow! I am so excited right now because in about 2 hours time I will be creating loopy playful fun in the abc Brisbane radio studio. As part of the Brisbane Festival close knit project the abc studio is being 'yarn bombed', which means it is being covered in woolly goodness, wrapped, decorated and hopefully beautified by the presence of some lovely crochet creations.

I have been busy making up some new pieces for market and this event as well as teaching crochet to people participating in the close knit workshops...it is wonderful to realise I can teach even without a common language.
Yesterday I worked with people of french and south American heritage and I have been working with women from Burma and all over Africa; Burundi, Liberia, Ethiopia, Sudan, etc...crochet has opened my life up to so many rich experiences, I could never have dreamed of!
My market stall was fun to set up this Friday once I had conquered my anxiety...it is always tricky when I haven't had time to plan it out.
I had been making lot of new hand crafts, little tree, nest and bird brooches and was intent on finding a way to show them well.

The market was wonderfully atmospheric and I will share some more pictures and words about it tomorrow!
xKate

my creative space

My crafty Wednesday friends spotted this gorgeous fella...cute recycling isn't it!

I want to find time to make things to just place about the streets, don't you?
I am working from one extreme to the other in crochet...
small brooches at home ready for tommorow night(Avid Market)...

And huge crochet with a size 10 hook and tripled 8 ply yarn. This is a motif for the yarn bombing project the close knit group and I are working on...such fun.

By the way that milk bottle behind the crochet is not off milk, but ginger beer.
Utterly disappointing sickly sweet and only slightly fizzy ginger beer at that.
I will ring my mum tonight and get her recipe and tips
(which I should have done in the first place!)

XKate

http://www.kootoyoo.com/

P.S- When my son saw the pale yellow bottles of ginger beer stored for brewing,
he rushed to me and proudly declared,
'I know what you have got in them!'
'Really? Tell me...'
'Cats wee for your garden!'
...if I ever thought I might sometimes come across as a eco loon to my kids
there's my proof...I haven't laughed so hard in a while!

Tricycle pop up shop

On Saturday Chrissy, Bec and I set up our first Tricycle pop up shop!
Michelle who runs the lovely shop 'nook' supported us and graciously let us use her sweet courtyard and garden out front of her store.


We placed our eco friendly crafted goodies amongst the plants, on our vintage beloved suitcases,
tiny antique cupboards and anywhere else we thought looked 'right.'
It was a lot of fun, thanks to all who visited!


my new nest brooches...


Chrissy's jewellery


Bec's Beautiful clothing


Hmm...if you are wishing you had come along, don't worry!
There's even more crafting goodness to be found...
Come along to Avid Reader bookstore, Boundary Street, West end, this Friday night.
Yep, it's the 'lovely thing makers' monthly craft market,
hope to see you there!
xKate
p.s- this month will be extra special as the band 'muddy tutu!' are playing!