Die Ghul Show with CATSWIRE!

: Welcome to my humble show, !
Do you enjoy being here?
: Hello,
I absolutely do, thank you, also for having me over.

: Tell us something about KITTIES! NOW!!
: It's simple. I couldn't live without them. As one of seven children I couldn't have one.
My first cat came from the US. He had been abandoned by his owners when they moved out of the house a friend of mine moved into. Her own two cats were extremely territorial and wouldn't let him in most of the time. All the neighbors had pets of their own, too. My friend even took him to the shelter once, but picked him up again a few hours later because she couldn't bear the thought. His name was White Dude. He looked like a Turkish Angora cat, all white, long hair, a blue and a yellow eye.
He lived in a wrecked car and in the little house my friend built for him. Then I came for a visit and was in love from the first moment I laid eyes on him. He went home with us and even years later my friend's neighbors and the mail lady asked about the "foreign exchange kitty". I miss him terribly.
At the moment I am owned by four crazy cats, a tiger lady, a cow cat and two black devils.
I think cats exist to keep mankind humble. They are so much superior!

: Would you mind introducing these fluffy darlings to us, by means of some pictures?
: This is Mephista, 13, or how I usually call her, Meffi. She's tiny, but definitely the Queen around here if she's in the mood for it. She makes the rules. If she doesn't want to be picked up, don't dare to try. She gets three pills a day and I just know one of these days I'll lose a finger.

Believe it or not, but Greebo, 12, is from the same parents, only a year younger. Meffi was in fact the only tiger in an otherwise black and black/white litter.
Greebo loves to cuddle and at night he loves to sleep on my head, sometimes even on my face. Breathing is overrated.

Esme, 8, is a princess. When she was younger, she could get pretty wild, but now she's just adorable. She gets two kinds of medication every other day and never complains or tries to get away. My bunny Buster is madly in love with her.

Ponder, 8, is Esme's brother. He's beautiful, he's big, proud, cuddly to the brink of being clingy, playful, an attention seeker and crazy like a bat which is why there are more stories about him than the others.

Except the first two all of my cats had and have "magic" names. Pratchett fans will notice the influence of the master's work from three of the four recent names.

: Well I guess there would be quite many stories to share, about all of them…
But right now, my noble audience and my humble self happen to be especially interested in the LOVE STORIES!
Just what draws a bunny to a kitteh, and just what draws YOU to both of them?
: That's a good question. Let me explain about Buster first. I don't think he knows he's a bunny. He either thinks he's a cat with long ears and a short tail or the others are mutated bunnies with long tails and short ears.
He is pals with Ponder and gets along fine with the other two, but he has been following Esme from the beginning. I can't be sure how much is genuine love and how much is lust, though ....
When you ask what draws me to the two of them, do you mean cat and bunny or Esme and Buster in particular?
The answer to the first would be that ever since my now-ex and I moved in together, we've had animals around. Gerbils, bunnies, cats, quails, we raised a duckling (I slept seven nights with my arm on an aquarium holding a little duck in my hand to make her sleep), a prairie dog, sand rats ... some of them just guests from our tiny local zoo in which we both volunteered (now it's just me), some of them guests turned regulars and the regulars.
Esme and Buster in particular ... well, Esme is sweet with that touch of "I'm an independent cat and your computer chair is mine, don't let me show you why, I've got claws" while Buster is possibly the craziest bunny in my career and I've seen a lot over the last more than 25 years.

: I see…
So since you're obviously a great animal lover, does this love (in general, but also, particularly, the love for that crazy pack of fluffies you got there) also influence your art in a way or two?
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: Does it show?
I have indeed crocheted a few different critters from wire. Several pigs live in Germany, the USA and Canada now for example, but there are also snails, an owl, hedgehogs, a giraffe and probably my favorite of the lot, an octopus.
Animals also show in my bead loomed work, their patterns or even as a memory, like Fips, my prairie dog, one of whose baby pictures ended up as a cuff, or Felix, a friend's dog, whose picture I used for a tiny tapestry.
Yesterday Buster died after surgery. Once the pain has gone for a bit, I'll make a tapestry of him to put on my wall, too.
Making these animals, no matter if it's in wire or in beads, is a special part of what I do and gives me a special feeling, too. Even if you can't see it from the outside, my brain is constantly sending me images or memories, stories from the zoo, of my own pets or other animals I knew, from books I have read or movies and documentaries I have seen.
I always have patterns of animals in my bead program to fiddle on, but the wire crochet critters usually start out as spontaneous experiments.

: Sorry to hear about Buster…

How do the cats react to this?
: They are confused and it's going to take them time to get used to it, too.
The boys, Ponder and Greebo, said goodbye to him, the girls didn't come too near.
Buster had his own room in which he stayed overnight or when I was out, but I only cleaned part of his things out until now and then opened the door. Although Ponder constantly demanded to be let into the room until he saw Buster for the goodbye, he wasn't much interested in the room anymore afterwards. Of course you can say I'm reading something into it, but it seemed as if he wanted to make sure Buster was gone.
They had been best buddies, from the beginning Ponder visited Buster when he was not yet allowed to roam freely during some construction.
They also used to play together, and although Pon likes to play the tough and big cat, he can be very sensitive (which showed when my last cat died). Since Thursday he has been clinging to me even more.

: That's so sad…
Do you also have the tendency to feel more for animals, than for humans?
: It is sad. None of them goes into Buster's room now. I have seen something like that before when Dude, my first cat, died. All of the others walked around his favorite spot as if they still felt his presence.
Actually yes, I do. I do love my family and my friends and I try to be a "good person", but the feelings towards animals are very different, maybe because they need a voice to be understood or maybe because I'm often frustrated with humans, the more the older I grow. The reasons don't really matter, though, do they?

: No, they most certainly do not…
However what matters is, luckily you have not only lost one, but also found some new animal friends!
Actually, you recently began collaborating with the mighty - as seen before on the noble GHUL SHOW Die Ghul Show with ESSENCESTUDIOS!:icondasghul:: So, welcome to my humble show, :iconessencestudios:!
Do you enjoy being here?
:iconessencestudios:: Why yes,thank you, I am enjoying being here very much! The decor is certainly very 'interesting'
:icondasghul:: What do you think is the most "interesting" part about it?
:iconessencestudios:: well the plants are nice :iconshrubberyplz: and the view is lovely: :iconoooohplz: but the hooks in the ceiling and drain in the floor ...well they clash with the curtains :iconaahplz:
:icondasghul:: I agree! Do you see that dead piece of meat still hanging up there? That has been my personal room decorator!
But anyway, please, do not feel disturbed by that anyhow, nono!
Instead, why not talk about something more delightful and fluffy here!
Like… KITTIES!!! :iconsexyseriouscatplz::iconkissykissycatplz::iconcatclapplz::iconkittykeyboardplz:
What is your opinion on KITTIES?
:iconessencestudios:: :iconmmmplz: my opinion on kitties - and her feline companions/creations…
     
So, tell our humble audience a bit more now about how it came to this, and what this is all about, please!
: I'm so glad you ask!
I don't remember how I stumbled upon the first of Heather's creations, but I fell in love with her cat paintings right away. Not that I don't like her other work, mind you, but what do you expect from a cat lady?
I harbored the idea for a while to ask Heather if she would mind if I transferred one of her wonderful paintings into beadwork, but - believe it or not - sometimes I'm a bit shy. When we talked about a painting of hers that I absolutely wanted to have, though, she suggested a trade. I agreed of course and asked her what she'd like to trade for. She said cat jewelry and I said how about one of your paintings as jewelry and she said ... erm, long story cut short, that's when I told her about my idea of a collaboration.
Not all paintings can be turned into wearable jewelry as beads obviously have their limits, and some pieces would have to be too big to really bring out a picture. It can be frustrating to try and make a pattern from something that refuses to cooperate.
If I have major changes to make, like crop a design, change colors or leave something out, I tell Heather about it first. Both our names are connected with this project that is very dear to my heart, even if it's still in its beginnings, and I want her to be as happy with the results as I am.
Right from the start these were the HeatherCats to me. Obviously they are cats ... and both of our names, Heather and Cat (my nickname, the full name is Catrin), are included, too.

: Tell us more about what it's like being an ARTISAN CRAFTER, please!
: Well, thank you! You made me go look for a definition of what an artisan crafter is usually contemplated to be or do ... again!
These comments are quite interesting, by the way blog.lostartpress.com/2013/04/…
Let me leave it at that and instead describe how it feels to me.
My way of crafting is influenced by my mood a lot. Sometimes I craft to wind down or relax, that's when I stick with trusted designs, like knitting a bezel for a cabochon.  Sometimes I have the urge to experiment, then I can't be sure what my piece will turn into or if my looming pattern looks as if it's from a psychedelic dream. And sometimes the lines get blurry and a simple design ends up as something very different.
I have problems making the same design over and over again, so a lot of my work is one of a kind although technically it would be reproducable. I had to make two of my yarn basket pendants for a custom order once, and I really struggled with the second one.
I'm an addict. I have a hard time not working on something. Often I have my looms, pliers, wire, crochet hook and beads on one side of my bed, plus cats. My nightstand is full of colored wire although I also have a shelf for my stash. That's where I keep my beads, findings, cabs and silver.
If I loom something, the loom has to go into my wardrobe to be safe from the cats. If I go to family dinner, I bring something to work on afterwards.
Sometimes I'm fully absorbed in a project, so much that my brain seems to stop, sometimes my hands are in automatic mode with something easy (like re-weaving threads) while my brain covers everything from what I'll have to eat later to what my next project will be to the book I'm reading at the time.
The crafts pretty much took my life over, in a good way.

: Well as you suggested, I bet the CATS must love you for that, too…
Which of all them superb toys you surround yourself with, do they love most?
: Do the cats love their toys? Well, of course they love boxes like all real cats. The box in which one of my looms arrived was a big hit for weeks. Of course they all like beads to kick them around and Ponder, my master thief, even tries to steal pieces that I am working on at the moment.
Right now one of their favorites are the wire knit Christmas stars on my little Christmas tree. I only have this one picture of them fbcdn-sphotos-c-a.akamaihd.net…
I only have handmade ornaments, these stars and a few of my wire crochet baubles because I know that they are easy to save even after a cat has knocked them about. I'm very careful about no wire sticking out.
Did you know that wire spools make a great alarm clock? If I don't react to Greebo's early morning (should I say night?) calls, he'll just move to my nightstand and knock a few of them down, preferrably the 100 gram ones because they make more noise.
Ponder is usually hoping for some bead tubes because they rattle so nicely when you roll them across the floor!
I think I'm on the safe side to say that they are never bored here. Besides being a crafter I'm a collector, some of it smartly hidden away behind glass, but some of it as the perfect cat toy.
I also have something rare which they like a lot ... the stairs to nowhere ....

: Well in my book, this makes them kittehs and especially Greebo true HEROES!
So, what about them STAIRS TO NOWHERE?
Do they make some NOISE, too?
:
My ex and I had two flats combined into one. We had a staircase built in which the cats loved a lot. How much fun is it to run stairs up and down at 2 am? And it was fun to look down on others, too.

When my ex decided to start a new life, I said I'd like to stay in the downstairs flat due to several reasons. We got a carpenter in to hear if it was a problem to close the hole in the ceiling/floor again. I said that I wanted to keep the stairs, too. Wow, that got me some strange looks. At first he thought it would be a problem because it wouldn't be safe to walk on (not that I am able to walk on it very far) and he even got the ex in to help him. That didn't help at all I told him to try first and it turned out it was not a problem at all.
Not only is it different - like I am so often - but the cats love it as a hideout and sleeping spot. I can also use it to store one or the other thing, and I have my desk underneath which is really cosy. My vintage hats are hanging from nails on the bottom of the stairs, and Meffi still has her famous hideout which is underneath the nails behind a pull toy elephant.
Much better than boring wall space to put a cabinet or something ... and enough place to hang paintings, too. Guess what, most of them are cat paintings.
My cats make noise only when forced by circumstances. Ok, that was a lie. One of the most amazing things about a cat is how silent and stealthy they can be one minute and how just one of them can sound like a bunch of wild mustangs the next minute.
Ponder is also extremely chatty and likes to play the opera singer. Nothing like a big black cat yodelling his arias to the neighborhood sitting in an open window ... at 4.30 am! That's when I air the room on days I have to leave early for work. His song repertoire also grows constantly. There's this special annoying one he invented just for moments he wants to get me out of bed quickly. He also tells me stories, though. Once he got locked up by a family member and stayed in a room for hours. It was by accident, but you should have heard him when I came home! He was so excited!

: The cats – and again, especially GREEBO – have just proven to be even greater heroes than I thought!
So, blessed with them, what is your opinion about them other heroes you surely got to know while collaborating with ?
As seen before on the GHUL SHOW, too, Die Ghul Show with BISKIT and COOKIE!:icondasghul:: Welcome to my humble show, :iconbiskit-plz:!
Do you enjoy being here?
:iconbiskit-plz:: I don't know uncle Otto, I just got here....do you have noms
:icondasghul:: Well actually, I do have some BOILED BODY PARTS that have been left from the last participants… Do you want some of them, :iconbiskit-plz:, darling?
:iconbiskit-plz:: omg giblets!!!!! :iconcookiesmania::iconburpplz:
:icondasghul:: Wow, look at how FAST it's gone!
Doesn't your mum :iconessencestudios: feed you properly?
:iconbiskit-plz:: :iconhurrplz:well...actually I'm not allowed to eat hoomins..or anything other than my special diet you see I have a condition where I can get crystals forming  in my bladder :iconoohshinyplz: which can block my urethra and kill me:iconpoofsplz: if I eat the wrong things so i have a special prescription diet and mum doesnt let me have anything else because she doesn't want me to die from an exploding bladder:iconlaexplodeplz:
I , I'm of course talking about and !
: I think life would be poorer without cats, and they are all heroes in their own way, may it be for being perfectly annoying and adorable at the same time or for being wonderful at comforting, for being funny and make people laugh or for being small panthers, tigers, leopards who still carry the traits of their ancestors and relatives while being wonderful companions.
I know that Biskit and Cookie are such wonderful companions to Heather and I'm sure they help to keep her grounded in difficult situations.
We can't forget that Biskit has reached the great age of 21 in human years and is still doing mighty fine!! Cookie adds the younger and more agile touch to the picture.

: If YOU could be a cat, what type of cat would you choose to be?
: If I could choose, I would be a black cat. Sleek, mysterious, with green eyes. A witch cat roaming the streets at night.
If it were up to fate to choose for me, I would be a fat little cat who likes to sleep on the couch all day or even better in bed, tries to steal the human's food and is otherwise independent enough to make her own decisions.
One of my favorite stories is "The Cat That Walked By Himself" by Kipling. It explains the two sides of a cat rather nicely.
www.boop.org/jan/justso/cat.ht…

: I really liked it – I think it's quite a purrfect description of CATTITUDE!
So, since you proved to have some CATTITUDE… What would you choose to be your last words for our humble audience?
: Hmmm, let me think.
Cats will take over the world. Be prepared. I hope they'll let me stay to play.
Now the serious part:
Don't forget to live and laugh and create. I know it's hard sometimes, but don't give up on it. It helped me to get out of one or the other hole in my own life, some deep, some not so deep. It's always worth trying.
Thank you again I really enjoyed this interview, and I hope so will others.

: Oh for sure!
I wanted something truly heart-warming on my humble show for over the holidays, so I'm really glad you made it in time to be that special episode!
Ladies and gentlemen, here's for you – enjoy the fluffiness overload, and merry ghoul-mas to you all!



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