I am a firm believer that Stanley (our cat), is in essence a cowboy. He barges into rooms as if he is opening swing salon doors and announces his presence. It’s as if he is saying, ‘Right I am here… what’s going on? Everything can stop now… oh and get me a drink (dreamies) pronto!’
It frequently crosses my mind that I could really be more ‘Stanley’. I think at least once a week. He has happy high status…he knows who he is and is confident that we will be more than delighted to see him. He then sleeps wherever he likes in utter peace. When not comparing him to a gun-slinging cowboy of an early Western, I think of him being George Clooney. And oh…. Stanley is photogenic – very, very handsome.
He appears on my Instagram feed on a regular basis, mostly because we have a little weekend ritual of a morning cuddle, cat, crochet and coffee. A perfect combination.
I do realise that cats are not everyone’s cup of tea and I am biased but Stanley is very charming.
Stanley has been the inspiration of many projects – not least a front-cover star of my most enduring and loved toy book – Cute Crocheted Animals.
However, as a Mews (forgive me) he does rather like to get involved. I think cats are never very co-operative, they march to the beat of their own drum. But they know how to get our attention. This weekend I have been really enjoying a bit of collage.
When I did GCSE art, I made a couple of tissue paper collages which I really enjoyed. Their existence is long gone, and I had almost completely forgotten them. However, 2 weeks ago I popped to Harrogate with my two dear yarn friend Lucy and Christine (if you know, you know they are FAMOUS yarn people). We had a lovely time and on the Saturday, we swung by the aching gorgeous Toast. I love that shop…. Fullstop. Anyway, in the window was a collage by the artist Andrew Pierce Scott. He has done a number of collages for the shop – some in paper and others in fabric. Their simple yet energetic quality spoke to me. My mind was taken back to evenings and weekends spent at the kitchen table cutting, ripping, gluing scrap paper.
This weekend I had a few unplanned days and so set about collecting my old magazines. I knew what I wanted to make, a scene from our kitchen table. It would have my treasured delf jug, a cup and saucer, a pleasingly round Zauberball sock yarn and…. Look who strode into view. The main man.
I’ll be honest I made quite a few mistakes on my first go. Rather unfortunately I used a blue glue stick. I thought it was one of the glue sticks that dries clear. I was wrong and for a number of hours I despaired at the mistake I had made. Determined not throw the whole project into the bin I decided to have a go at dissolving the worst of the blue residue with a little water and miraculously I worked.
Luckily with a free weekend I was able to keep my project out on the kitchen table for two days. With music playing in the background the hours rushed past in a haze of cutting, drawing and sticking.
Hilariously Stanley sat on the image I drew of him, in exactly the same profile pose I had mapped out. Everything was exactly how it should be.
I loved every minute of this little project. The mistakes, the working out the problems. The whispered memories of projects of my youth. It is fun to dip into some thing a little different. I’m so grateful to have spotted the image in Toast and the artist Andrew Pierce Scott. I wonder how many more window shoppers have been inspired to get out their scissor and glue sticks
