Kayla Kat - Missing, presumed deliberately killed

Kayla Kat is my little furry girl. My raison d'etre. She'd have been 11 years old in November.

The guy down the road, a self-professed cat-killer, told me he killed cats that came onto his property. He told me back in the autumn of 2010 that if I had a cat, never to let it go on his property because he would "dispatch it". Since then my family have called him "Deadly Dave".

Kayla gets locked in at night, but she got out at 7:30pm when I let the dogs out the back briefly. She didn't come back in. She was wearing a collar that wouldn't slip over her head, and ID tag with my number on it. It never occured to me she'd go as far as Deadly Dave's.

I waited up for her all night, knowing something awful had happened because she hadn't come home. I walked and searched for my girl all the next day, and found a big clump of her fur, pulled out by the roots, on Deadly Dave's verge and her belly fur on his fence and a few centimetres away on shrubs in his garden.

He claimed that when he came home from work at 8:00pm that night when Kayla went missing, that he let out his (elderly) dog who had a fight with a cat, and the cat must have run away.

But the evidence doesn’t tally with a dog/cat fight and three neighbours say they heard nothing, and would have, had there been a fracas.

There were no signs of any scrabbling or disturbance in the wet soil. No blood. Just a big clump of her fur, ripped out by the roots, on the ground, as if she was stomped on.

So Deadly Dave may have fulfilled his promise. And his neighbours all seem to think that he’s dispatched yet another cat.

And I’m saying it out loud, because I believe he may have done wrong, and I can’t prove it sufficiently for a prosecution. And I want to be very wrong and hope she's just been severely scared off.

Kayla has a routine, she's locked in at night, and she sleeps in the crook of my arm every night, purring away.

So what's happened to her? She's very approachable, very friendly. But no-one's phoned so far. So where is her body?

Kayla was a major reason for me being here, given I battle to keep the Black Dog at bay. Kayla’s incredibly affectionate nature and my drive to protect her has kept me going each day.

IF Deadly Dave’s has done the dastardly deed, then he's done more than just killed my Kayla, he's killed my joy. I don’t do grieving very well, very badly in fact, so writing about it here might be a different strategy to see if I can get through this next day, and maybe the day after, because I have a hope of justice, that Deadly Dave’s “dispatching” of cats, if he's true to his word, will one day be widely known and he’ll be punished - socially, legally, whatever.

Oh, sadness!

Update: after installing four bollard socks on the main foreshore car park areas and paths in Rockingham this morning, I've gone back a few hours later, just 'cause I had a funny feeling ...

... and yes, sure enough, each one has gone. That was a short life span :(

Logical analysis:

1. if members of the public have removed them opportunistically, GREAT!! So pleased that they've caught their eye. I hope these pieces of yarn graffiti turn up elsewhere sometime.

2. if local authorities have removed them, then how interesting! And fast work too!

My next bollard sock installation project might have to take a different tack. I may need to dust off my surveillance op's training to see who is following so quickly behind me to remove this offensive public knitting!

OR ... if Rockingham doesn't like escaped knitting, other places might.

International Yarn Bombing Day - 11 June 2011

Yarn bombing, aka yarn graffiti, has been around for a few years now. It seems to be better known in Europe and the USA than here in Australia, but I notice a few more fibre graffiti persons are leaving their knit tags around the place. And today has been adopted by yarnbombers as International Yarn Bombing Day.

 

I wanted to do my little bit to contribute to the event, so today I've nonchalantly wandered around my local area hanging crocheted spirals and fluffy pompoms in trees and popping on a knitted bollard sock here and there. I mean, why not?

What I love is when there's an engagement with a member of the public who bravely comes and asks "what are you doing, what's it for" and chuckles gleefully at the irony of knit graffiti.

I think it's these little bits of happiness that make it so much fun.
 

            

Spirals!

Developing this idea has been on my list of things to do for well over a year, and after a bit of experimenting, I've now got these colourful things hanging on my verandah. Will make many more 'cause I think these are going to be exactly what I want for International Yarnbombing Day on 11th June, 2011.

 I'm imagining public spaces festooned with bright coloured spirals.

The pattern for creating these corkscrew spirals can be found here. You're welcome to use them for fundraising purposes (they've sold quite well at fundraising stalls because they're so bright, and very different!).

Escaped Knitting

Well, goodness me but the knitting escaped - again! Today's yarnstrike was on one of dozens of nice green bollards on the north side of the Rockingham Civic Centre. I don't give it much of a chance of survival in that location, but what the heck, I know it prompted a smile in one or two passers by - so I achieved my goal.

The best part of my day was spent while in the waiting room of the adjacent medical centre, creating crochet spirals for the next yarnstrike, and engaging with some younger folk (okay, so these days everyone's younger than me) on the topic of yarn graffiti. I just love seeing their imaginations take off and potentially spark a creative bug which will awaken if not now, then at some later point in their lives.

Update 5 Apr, 2011: It was still there on Saturday, but it's gone now, hopefully to a better place :)

Brick Pattern Baby Blanket

The pattern for this blanket comes from the Barbara Walker Treasury. It's also found as a very popular dishcloth pattern in the USA, known as the "ballband" dishcloth. A search of Ravelry will show an awesome range of colour combinations and examples which are inspirational.

I've made a couple of dishcloths and use them in my kitchen as oven mitt/pot holder type things. And I've made a couple of blankets before. But this blanket was special and I took months to decide on the size (small to fit a baby capsule), the yarn (Bendigo Woollen Mills 8ply cotton) and the colours.

I've got a million ideas for colours and can't wait to make more.

Yarnstrike!

A Google search will demonstrate that the terms "yarnbomb" and "yarnstorm" are well in use now. They have their definitions, references and examples of use.

I like the word "yarnbomb", but some have noted the sensitivities of a subsection of the word and the correlation with terrorism, probably more so in countries other than Australia. The word "yarnstorm" is being touted as a replacement here and there, but I don't think it's appropriate to describe the actual graffiti piece.

So, after tickling my two and a half brain cells, I think I've found an alternative which will describe both an act of yarn graffiti (so, it's a verb), and, at a push, the thing that is the piece of graffiti (a noun): 

Yarnstrike ! ^©



And it'll fit nicely on any tags I put on my yarnbombs. Would be good as the title of a yarnbombing book too! (Adds concept to list of projects to do later this year)

Here's the next bit of colour for a Yarnstrike on an unsuspecting bollard for this week. It would be fun to see if it gets moved around from suburb to suburb and where it ends up. Might have to set up a Yarnstrike Facething page so its peripatetic wanderings can be documented by enabling travellers. Now, that'd be something new!
 

Edit, 29 March: 2011
1. Installed it in the middle of the day yesterday, cnr Rockingham Beach Road/Patterson Road.

2. I stuffed up when I was trying to create the facething fan page - have given up for the moment - will re-address the concept when my energy returns.

3. Went to remove the dangly tag (which gave a suggestion of a Facebook page) on the yarnbomb at 9:00pm last night, but it was gone  - the whole yarnbomb, not just the dangly tag.  :(

Random Acts of Colour

 

This is an experiment for a forthcoming yarnbombing project. Don't know where for yet, or if I'll make modifications to the next ribbon of colour.

Note to self: each strip is 30 stitches wide, on 4.00mm needles and boringly dull garter stitch throughout. Not that the knitting garter stitch is boring, just the end result is very plain. There are no real challenges involved in the making of these. Year 3s could do this.

They're random acts of colour in yarn. I've knitted each end to be a casing, ie, they're threaded onto an old broom handle at the moment. The bottom casings haven't been put to use yet. I may well hang something soft and safe or small on each end. - maybe pompoms would be suitably silly!! Anything heavy and hard (was originally thinking of little brass bells) runs the risk of being blown around and may whack someone. So, in keeping with my Yarnbombing 101 guidelines, risk management is a consideration in even fun and farcical things like knit graffiti, aka, yarnbombs.

Pimple on a Post

There are a few terribly bland streetscapes around Rockingham. No-one's to blame, really - I'm not into that sort of game. It's just that they're drab, have no shade, no colour. They're only thoroughfares, so nothing's to be expected, really.

But I see them as potential targets for a bit of brightening up, a bit of sneakery with the yarn graffiti.

So out came the circular needles and the op shop yarn scraps, and hey presto, a bit of silliness ensued.

This yarnbomb is a bit lost in the expanse of the drab streetscape, so it's not much more than a pimple on a post, but what the heck! Why not?!!

So many bollards in Rockingham, so much yarnbombing to do!

Car antenna sock - yarnbomb

This is the second car antenna sock I've done - a simple French spool knit, you know, the hollow cotton reel with the four nails in the top type thing and you wrap the yarn around and loop it over the nails and it forms a cord? Google it, you'll find something out there. You can get the little spool doll things in department stores such as Big W and K-Mart here in Australia and they're only about $5 or so.

This fun little project is a mix of yarnbombing (on my own old bomb of a car), and an aide-mémoire , ie, an Alzheimer's car antenna sock sort of thing. It means it's very, very easy to spot my car in a shopping centre car park! No stresses when I come out that supermarket door and try to remember where the heck the car is parked, let alone what my car looks like.

Memory is one of the things that gets pretty badly stuffed when you suffer from a depressive illness, so this is my fight back. And it works on all fronts.

On the more creative yarnbombing side, though, I'd just love to install a heap of bright coloured car antenna socks on a row of cars one day, maybe at a festival or some other excuse. I also think these would be fun for footy fanatics - can't you just see team colours flaunted on cars in the form of a knitted antenna sock!

Warnbro Beach Track Yarnbomb

Just a little rainbow coloured yarnbomb to brighten up a fugly sign pole, circ. 19cms. Note to self: all these type of metal poles are 19cms, which makes it easy to make a bunch of yarnbombs ready for installation all around the place as the whim takes me.

Cabled Loop Neck Scarf

Having seen Miss Marple sporting a bow tie neck scarf, and recalling my mother's 1940s pattern, I've created my own version using squared off ends and incorporating cabling for effect.

I'm finding it utterly addictive because it's a one evening, one ball sort of project. And I'm going to be doing some major stash busting this year using this design (and variations).

The pattern has been drafted and just needs a test knit. Dragging my feet on this bit, unfortunately. Just need to focus and get the pattern finalised.

Update Oct, 2011: uploaded the PDF of the pattern to my Ravelry store, so it's available for free here.

Yarnbombing Christmas Day

I measured, I created, I installed.

And on the seventh day it was gone. :(

Yarnbombing 101

Been thinking about doing some more yarnbombing and getting some projects going in the near future, maybe for the upcoming Beaufort Street Festival on 27th Nov, 2010. And I've been thinking (probably too much) 'cause I jotted down some notes, which are the start of Yarnbombing 101.

Yarnbombing planning and guidelines:


1. Should not be a health or safety risk

2. Plan yarnbombing item to suit location and target; reference to a locality or event

3. Reccy the location for appropriate targets; measure and photograph for later reference

4. Consider the yarnbomb's colours: is there a corporate sponsorship element to be considered; is there a colour theme of an event/locality that could be referenced?

5. If yarnbomb is to be located at low height, keep in mind the dog pee factor

6. Is there tourism potential, ie The Tag’s Travels – pics of it at different sites

7. Tagging the yarnbomb is optional: laminate tag for durability, if desired; a message or quote could be added for whimsy or could be the sole purpose of the yarnbomb, ie, to deliver a message/theme

8. Sustainability:

• can the yarnbomb item have a second life? ie. can it be a useful item: mobile phone holder, scarf, hat, beanie, headband, cowl, pair of wrist warmers, cuffs, blanket, toy, flower? (Perhaps no balaclavas!) Can homeless folk get some use out of it?
• consider using upcycled yarn from repurposed knitted items, or get into decluttering and trash that yarn stash!

9. Aim to draw smiles, whether joyful, humorous or wry, and remember that art is not what it looks like but what it does for you.

Toodyay's Pitwillow Alpaca

Heavenly yarn, beautifully spun, interesting way it's been dyed - sort of mottley and it works well.

I have a sister up in Toodyay who's just too good to write about. She's just an incredibly lovely person and I wouldn't know where to begin, so I won't ... except that for my last birthday she lavished me with Pitwillow alpaca from the shop in Toodyay. I swear she must have cleaned them out, 'cause it's all down here with me now.

I wanted to get a bit of practice in before I put the Pitwillow onto my pointy sticks 'cause I didn't want to stuff it up. So I've made many fingerless gloves (FGs) in the last few weeks, given a bundle to the Guardian Angel/Salvo's program, sent some off as gifts to special people, and have stashed some in my new shop.

This pair: long tail cast on, used my favourite Addi bamboo 4.00mm circulars which are essential for slippery yarns, and a near jogless cast off at the end. Result: yep, okay, I'm happy.

Finished them last night, washed and dried them today, and they've gone in the post, on their way back to Toodyay.

Done :)

Upcycled bed sheets to cotton rag rugs

I enjoyed making these, probably 'cause I do "tedious" really well nowadays. The tedious bit, depending on your point of view, is ripping the bed sheet into one long 1.5cm wide strip.

This means you rip (or cut) down to almost the end, control yourself so as to leave the last 1.0cm intact on the edge, turn the sheet around, and start a new rip 1.5cm next to it, stop 1.0cm before the end again.

It's like creating a zig-zag up and down the fabric and keeping the edges intact. Then you wind the ripped length into one big, big ball of yarn. I wish I'd taken photos as I made these.

Then you get down to the crochet part. I use a 10mm hook and do a tight, dense stitch. This makes a firm mat which keeps its shape pretty well. It also means that the mat will be more durable.

I've only just sent my first cotton rag rug to the compost (it's now a weed mat) after it gave me seven years of service at the kitchen sink.

The other good thing about these rag rugs is they're machine washable. And being cotton, they're absorbant.

The yellow one with the green edging has gone off to the Naragebup Environment Centre. The metal ruler is my big 60cm one, so that might help with the scale.

Made It - Online Handcraft Market

Today I created my own Store in http://www.madeit.com.au/. This is an online handcraft market for Australians to showcase their handcrafted treasures.

http://www.etsy.com/ is a fine place to sell and to shop too, but it has a significant overseas market. Postage costs to overseas are fairly high, so that market isn't really a sensible one to aim for.

I'm so glad I found this Made It site. It's been going since about 2006 and has the potential to grow even more, especially in this current economic climate where people are appreciating handcrafted goods in preference to commercial products.

Guardian Angel 2010 Program - Knit for someone in need

Today we started a new group on Ravelry.com for the Guardian Angel 2010 Program - Knit for someone in need. The group is like a forum where knitters/crocheters interested in making items for this program can show off their projects.

It will hopefully provide a forum for inspiration for suitable projects and not be limited to those printed in the Guardian Pharmacies booklet.

So, as I'm pretty obsessed with fingerless gloves at the moment and thinking of cold weather+someone in need = cold hands, I thought these would work as my first offerings to the program for 2010. And this year I'm tagging mine. I'd be curious to see where they end up.

Recycled Ralph Lauren Knitwear

It was the pink mohair that drew my attention in the op shop the other day. It was the colour I was looking for, not the fact it was a Ralph Lauren polo neck. I can't bear clothing that touches my neck.

I had other intentions for this piece of designer wear. It was destined to be upcycled into fingerless gloves.

The piece was $6, and while that wouldn't normally sound expensive, I'm on an abnormally tight budget which means I'm mindful of every mouthful of food I get and every time I use electricity.

Nevertheless the jumper came home with me. I unpicked the seams that night - that's the first time I've unravelled something that someone else had knit - and I now have a small basket of 53% mohair/47% acrylic yarn. It's currently being converted into fingerless gloves, destined to be gifts for my nieces.

The FGs look sort of bumpy and un-neat, but that's mohair for you. I've washed them in hot water so they're not going to change their look or shrink, but it's the light fluffiness that makes them almost weightless and comfortably warm.

I'm happy with my op shop find!

Upcycled milk cartons

I love my milk.

Unfortunately nowadays it comes in plastic containers, not the reusable glass milk bottles that used to be home delivered by the milko.

I keep finding things to do with the bottom half of the container including storage, sorting, shed and garden use.

As an example, I've used the bottom of a 3ltr milk container to store my envelopes of home grown seeds. It just keeps things nice and tidy and it works.

The plant tags, by the way, are an ice cream container lid, cut roughly into elongated triangles. They're durable.