Kim Davis - Slaycation
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Katie Rempe: [00:00:00] Welcome back to Knit A Spell everyone. I'm your host, Katie Rempe, and today I have a guest and fellow podcaster, Kim Davis.
kim: Yay. Hello. Thank you so much for having me, Katie. It's a pleasure to be here.
Katie Rempe: Thank you so much for coming on. So for those who don't know, Kim is a lifelong New Yorker jealous, a social worker and a true crime enthusiast. Kim channels her passion for understanding humanity's darkest corners into co-hosting her own True Crime podcast Slaycation where she researches and shares cases alongside her husband
kim: I.
Katie Rempe: best friend. is also a crafter, and since so many folks here in the fiber world seem to also love the true crime genre, I thought this would be a perfect time for us to chat together, share the connections between storytelling, creativity, and of course staying adaptable. Adaptable crafting and research.
[00:01:00] So let's get into it.
Light from Lantern Presents Knit a spell. I'm your host, Katie Rempe, designer Knit Witch, and your companion in this magical making podcast Together, let's explore the enchanted world where knitting meets the magic of the craft.
True Crime Interests
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Katie Rempe: So what drew you to True Crime, and how did that lead to Slaycation coming about?
kim: Well, you know, I'll tell you, Katie, the interesting thing about True Crime for me is that I am the OG of True Crime. I was all about true crime before DNA was, you know, locating people. It was me reading all the crime books and just being fascinated by it. In [00:02:00] fact, my husband will say that on our first date, he had come to my house and he had noted the library of just true crime nonfiction.
And you gotta realize it was a time before the 24 hour true crime porn of discovery id, and before, DNA would identify Gary Ridgeway as the green River Killer. So it was way back. Way back. So it was always something, yes, I, I would say I paved the way. But it was something that I was always captivated by, you know, and I, I attribute some of that to my crazy upbringing.
My, parents. My father in particular was he was crazy. And so. Everybody was crazy. And so a lot, a big part of my childhood was being taught to be fearful of the world. Look at everybody as if they're a serial killer,
Katie Rempe: Oh,
kim: you know?
Katie Rempe: Cool.
kim: Yeah. [00:03:00] It was like, you know, not allowed to go out, not allowed to go out, out with friends.
So it, it just kind of, I guess in a sense, while it was damaging in a certain way, but it also raised this certain, it awoken in me this certain insightfulness. Like, okay, what is going on? What are people really like? Not everybody can be a serial killer, but let's take a look at those that are, what is going on there?
So that sort of was my, I guess you could say, my foray into that world. So it was kind of a lifetime of just consuming that content, reading books, watching documentaries, and, it just was a very big interest of mine.
Slaycation Podcast
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kim: And so the podcast came about really because, you know, my husband, he has a few podcasts and he and I were talking and there was a idea he had had for [00:04:00] a show, for a television show, and he was talking to me about it.
And the TV show was also called Slaycation. And he was saying, oh, and it's, it's a, you know, a take on on murders and mysterious deaths and disappearances while on vacation. And then I just happened to recount a couple that I happened to know off the top of my head, and he was like, oh, I. This could be a podcast and you should host it.
And I was like, no, no. But he somehow managed to convince me. And here we are about a year and a half later in
Katie Rempe: And do you do weekly episodes?
kim: Yes,
Katie Rempe: Ooh.
kim: yes. Yeah. So it's always juggling something. It's like jumping through hoops of fire while juggling hand [00:05:00] grenades. You can't stop. You can't stop.
Katie Rempe: Don't let the
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: miles per hour.
kim: Exactly. Exactly. So that's, yeah.
Katie Rempe: And so what is your process for selecting and researching these cases? upset to know
kim: I.
Katie Rempe: so many cases of people going
kim: It's,
Katie Rempe: get murdered.
kim: you know, I gotta say, it's kind of crazy to think that there are, because our podcast is very niche in that way. All the cases fit under this umbrella of something that happened while on vacation. Something tragic.
A lot of times I'll get suggestions, like, we have people that will request cases. And I always have friends that are like, did you see this case? Did you see this case? Did you see this case? And I, a spreadsheet of, just a list of cases. It's kind of crazy. [00:06:00] And, you know, I'll select a case and then I'll just do the deep dive and research the stories, through court documents and, reading news articles and if there's time looking at documentaries, sometimes there's even books. I Guess you could say a little compulsive in my research.
Like, I need to know everything and I need It is a good quality. It is, it is. It is. It's a very, it's a very good quality. It is very time consuming because I could always use more time. 'cause I like to get a piece of information and then I have to corroborate it several times to make sure that it is as factual as possible.
I probably make it so much harder than it needs to be, but I get out by myself and you know, so it's really there that I start, and then I just kind of, you know, get all the basic information [00:07:00] together and then get all the facts right to the best of my ability, ability, and then try to put it in the form of an interesting, engaging story.
You know, I'm not a journalist, but I feel like the facts have to be right. But then, you know, I try to make, I make it as palatable for my audience as possible so that it's something interesting to listen to, not just like hard, dreary facts.
Katie Rempe: Well, let me just say,
kim: I.
Katie Rempe: it sounds like you are more thorough than the quote actual journalists, news people that we have anymore.
kim: God.
Katie Rempe: thank you.
kim: Oh my gosh. Well you're welcome. I appreciate that.
And you know, a lot of times what'll come up is, I'll find that there's information that's conflicting. I'll [00:08:00] note that in the podcast if I can.
Katie Rempe: I for one day an episode that you break and go into to like open up a case wide and like really solve something. And I mean, you see that all the time with
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: documentaries
kim: Yes. Yes.
Katie Rempe: why not you? Right. Especially if
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: so,
kim: Exactly, You never know.
Katie Rempe: yeah.
kim: And it's, it's interesting too, 'cause sometimes, there are updates, you know, and it's like, oh. And so it's an opportunity to, revisit that case and, do an update, so it's been interesting. It's been a really interesting journey.
Background in Social Work
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Katie Rempe: Sounds like a good outlet for you, especially
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: I saw that your background is work,
kim: I.
Katie Rempe: especially in the area of domestic violence, ironically enough.
kim: yes, yes.
Katie Rempe: How does your background there shape the way that you approach true crime storytelling?
kim: Well, you know, that's [00:09:00] interesting. I, you know, I think you, you know, having worked in the field of social work, your day to day acquaintance with people is during their toughest times, their lowest points, Having worked with, the population I typically worked with were women women with addictions, women with homelessness issues, or the politically correct term these days, unhoused women.
Taking care of children while in recovery and women who were fleeing domestic violence situations. So I worked with women who were like in active crises who were actively fleeing. one of the things that you kind of learn is the unhealthy patterns that people kind of just take on for whatever reason.
The signs, the red flags that they [00:10:00] ignored. It's really an eye-opening experience and there's nothing like the experience itself that I found for me was the education.
There's nothing to really prepare you except to be in it.
The overlap for me is even like, while I'm researching a lot of these cases, I'll think, well, that was a red flag, for example, the first case that we did was the case of Tony and Harold Hawthorne.
They went for a little getaway for their anniversary. And there were just so many things that like had me just, you know, they got married and immediately he's controlling their finances. And look, every relationship is different. People have arrangements within the context of their marriage about [00:11:00] how they want to do things.
Some couples are like, I don't want to deal with the money you do it. But this was very different in that it really felt that he just kind of came and took over. You know, she was a physician, she was an ophthalmologist had a whole grown ass practice in her home state of Louisiana. she had a very close relationship with her family.
And what does this scumbag do? He comes in and makes her. Relocate, sell her practice and takes her to Colorado, her and her baby. And it's like I knew that what she didn't wanna do was have her baby and herself being taken away from her family from who she is close to. But you know, you're in [00:12:00] a marriage and you wanna make it work and you wanna try to do so.
And I say all that to say, it was very clear to me that she did not have a voice in that relationship. And it was very clear that he did not want her to have a voice in that relationship. And that was a red flag. Okay. That I know if I were her mother, and her mother was frightened for her, I would've been very frightened.
Katie Rempe: It sounds very culty where it's
kim: Yes,
Katie Rempe: the ties from your support network,
kim: yes,
Katie Rempe: to have any financial access
kim: yes.
Katie Rempe: 100% dependent on this person.
kim: Exactly. Exactly.
and then you wonder, do people recognize these signs? Do people see it? I mean, one thing that this guy did that I thought was like completely [00:13:00] wackadoo okay, was he had it that when her phone rang, his phone rang.
And I gotta tell you, if you are trying to listen. To my conversation with my mom, What do you think you're going to hear? Because I can tell you my husband would be in a board coma listening to that conversation.
So it's like, do you need that much control? Like,
Katie Rempe: Read a book. Yeah.
kim: you, thank you. But it was, it was very interesting. Again, it's like all these things are just, you see it played out in a lot of these cases.
And social work is exhausting. You know, so after I had had my daughter, I was like, yeah, I don't know that I can have that. And unfortunately social work is not known for its great pay,
Katie Rempe: Oh yeah.
teacher. You mean the people who really help? People don't like,
kim: Yes,
Katie Rempe: or
kim: exactly. Exactly, Are you a teacher?
Katie Rempe: No, but I know plenty
kim: it's not,
Katie Rempe: giving, it's [00:14:00] like being a nurse, like it's all give, and you only have so many years of being that before it
kim: right.
Katie Rempe: you out and rip you
kim: It's true. It's true. It really
Katie Rempe: attitude
kim: exactly.
Katie Rempe: like.
kim: Yeah. And the best intentions and the whole, yeah.
Katie Rempe: Especially since, you know, over time you get a knowing for certain patterns and things, but
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: in it that they
kim: Yeah.
Katie Rempe: feel like they can't do anything, they're unsafe to do it, or they don't recognize it because it's just their life.
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: frustrating.
kim: Yes, it really is. One of the things too that you recognize when you work in these types of fields is how beholden you are to the bureaucracy, and that is exhausting
Reinventing Through Knitting & Crochet
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kim: so when I had my [00:15:00] daughter and it was like, all right, what, what am I going to do?
How am I gonna reinvent myself? And I ended up just kind of, it's really interesting. So I had a very, rudimentary, understanding of how to nick and I was probably, and I wouldn't even say good, I was probably better at crocheting, like I would say I was a beginner all around.
but it was something that, I don't know really, I don't even know why, but it was something that I felt like I needed to do. It occurred to me when I was. Sitting in a parenting group with other mothers and their babies I realized all they wanted to talk about was their newborn babies and breastfeeding. And I was like yeah, this probably isn't the place for me because I don't wanna talk about that stuff. That's what I'm trying not to talk about. So I [00:16:00] came to knitting and crocheting as something for me.
And it was like at that point where in earnest I was going to do that. Because it was something I could do on my own, it was something that I didn't need a time. Step to do it. I could do it when the baby fell asleep. I could do it when, she was at preschool.
Like, it, it just opened up the door to really just hone in on something that was so unique and mine and mine alone.
Katie Rempe: Mm-hmm.
kim: And I had the good fortune of a yarn shop opening up not far from me. And I would literally, not knowing what the fuck I was doing, would just go in there and just stand in there.
Like, just, I mean, just stand there because I was just so taken with the [00:17:00] beauty of the fabric and the yarn and the alpaca and the silk and the, cashmere and the woman that owned the shop, she would tease me. 'cause she was like, you're the only one that comes in here and fondles the yarn.
Like, I would just go in and
Katie Rempe: be true.
kim: know, right? I'm like, well, you haven't been paying attention then. But it was just, and then suddenly I just started to do it and I realized, especially like when I look back I got in there and I was like, I'm going to do this.
And I got good, like I got really good. So I not only then like really got really good at crocheting, but I got really good at knitting it was, I. I guess you could say the best thing, that has ever happened to me, I got so good that when her other, she had a, a woman working there that when that woman [00:18:00] left I took over her classes.
So then I was teaching, beginners knitting, I was doing workshops, I was doing an relock workshop, I was doing a crochet, like it just expanded. And so I had this whole life immersed in what. I loved. And one of the things that I realized when I was, teaching particularly my beginners, I started to say to them that learning to knit and crochet is 10% technique and 90% desire.
If you have the desire, you're gonna do it. And the thing that I realized was when I was knitting, I didn't even care so much about what I was making., That was how I got to be really good because it was, I have to do this, I don't care. I have to do it. And because of that, I relaxed. I didn't stress, I [00:19:00] was able to sort of go back to the work and look at it and go, okay, I was twisting my stitches the whole time and that's what I was doing.
And that's okay. It just isn't different type of fabric now.
Katie Rempe: Yes.
kim: it was so remarkably media meditative that I kind of see it as my form of meditation
Katie Rempe: Mm-hmm.
kim: because the motion of it, I knit the way other people go to the gym.
Katie Rempe: You are not the first person tell me that this is how they got into knitting.
kim: Really?
Katie Rempe: who said when she had her child, Totally took away her identity and all she was was mom to this child and everything
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: was
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: kid. And there was not to say nothing to show for it, but you know, like you feed something like there's nothing. [00:20:00] The kid's still alive and
kim: Right,
Katie Rempe: but like, what about for you? And
kim: right,
Katie Rempe: started knitting. Oh, and because she loved to read fiction, but she would get so absorbed that she couldn't read while she had to pay attention to this child. And
kim: right.
Katie Rempe: was very responsible. And paid attention to the child.
kim: Right.
Katie Rempe: But the knitting, just like you said, it was her way to feel like she was being productive. It was just, for her, it didn't really even matter what she was making. It just was something that she could show for her time that was just for
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: And
kim: So well put.
Katie Rempe: into the meditation aspect, you clearly are enjoying the process of knitting, which I think is key to the
kim: Oh,
Katie Rempe: of any craft is embrace the
kim: it,
Katie Rempe: If
kim: it really is.
Katie Rempe: knitter, you're going to burn out. I mean,
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: the finished product and you should aim to finish things, but like,
kim: Yeah, [00:21:00] but
Katie Rempe: of the millions of stitches you have to do too.
kim: exactly. And that's, you know, and you hit the nail. You hit the nail right on the head. Like if you are a product knitter. And I think when I said to my students you know, it's 10%. Technique and 90% desire. I was trying to make that point that you ask yourself what you're in this for, because if you wanna start making beautiful things, that's not going to happen right away.
Katie Rempe: Yeah,
kim: not. It's just not
Katie Rempe: what you're making, the, the quicker the technique will
kim: Exactly, exactly.
Katie Rempe: at a yarn store, and I was shocked that most people never paid attention to what they were doing, equaling
kim: so right.
Katie Rempe: it.
kim: You're so right.
Katie Rempe: Because
kim: You're so right.
Katie Rempe: like, I've messed it up, you fix it.
And I'd
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: like this weekend and the middle of the night. I'm not gonna be there to fix your shit. Like[00:22:00]
kim: That's so girl, girl,
Katie Rempe: it. And
kim: girl.
Katie Rempe: this happens again, you will feel empowered to do it. That is
kim: That's right.
Katie Rempe: you'll never worry about all your stitches falling off your needle because you could
kim: Thank you.
Katie Rempe: on
kim: Exactly. And that's, that's key.
Forensic Knitting
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kim: When I was teaching the beginner's class, I would say to my students that they should try not to rip it back just to keep going
Katie Rempe: Smart.
kim: and not to worry about the mistakes. And I said, because what we will do is when you come back, we will do a little segment I call forensic knitting,
Katie Rempe: Oh
kim: where we will, where we will look at the fabric. And at this point, because I have done it all right,
Katie Rempe: yeah,
kim: could literally look at the garment and know exactly what happened.
And I. That was what I wanted them to start to develop for [00:23:00] themselves. If you rip back after every mis you're not learning anything.
Katie Rempe: you're really learning how to be a great ripper, but
kim: Thank you.
Katie Rempe: sometimes there's easier ways to fix things. I just pulling it all out.
kim: Exactly. And here's the thing too. I know knitting, I know crocheting. I know crafting is in my soul. It's in my soul. It's like, part of my identity in a way that I can't even explain.
When we were moving and it was just like, you know, we, we was coming from a really big space into a small space. My daughter's in Ohio most of, the year. For school. So it didn't make sense for us to have, so we, we, we paired down and we went from like a huge place to a place that's maybe the third of the size now.
And I say all that to say that I was not knitting, like for the first time in, like, I, [00:24:00] I don't even know how long I, I had stopped knitting. Like I didn't have something that I was working on and I got so cranky and so bitchy and I didn't understand. I'm like, what is going on? Do I need my medication adjusted?
What's happening? When we finally settled in, I like was like, okay, I'm gonna pick up this project that I've had like on the needles for a really long time. And the thing was, was the thing that made this project. Very challenging was, it was a very intricate lace pattern and you had to pay attention
Katie Rempe: Mm.
kim: every stitch you had to focus.
And I was like, this is perfect for me right now. It was perfect because it was like coming home again and giving all my time and my energy to this. And mind you, it's been on the needles for years. I would do just a little because it was just so involved. but I was so happy [00:25:00] and revived and I finished it and it was the best feeling. And then I realized like, yeah, you know what? Knitting has become such a form of meditation for me that when I'm not doing it, like those that do meditate in the traditional way, they probably felt as I do when they're not doing it.
Like a little crabby, a little short.
Katie Rempe: Yeah,
kim: Everything's getting on your nerves. You don't feel like fucking making dinner tonight.
Katie Rempe: that's
kim: Can we just have Cheerios?
Katie Rempe: Yeah.
kim: Thank you. Exactly.
Katie Rempe: is what was happening.
kim: That's that's absolutely correct.
it just has been this thing that just continues to evolve in all these really amazing ways, as always, something for me to do, something for me to relax.
The woman who owned the um, who, you know, she has since closed the shop, but she now has a festival that she does every year [00:26:00] called the Kings County Fiber Festival. So I take part in that. I will teach a class or do a workshop or, you know, help her out with the administrative stuff, like run a spreadsheet.
It's just been wonderful to have all of these wonderful things in my life just overlap in the way that it does.
Katie Rempe: Because really when you work at a yarn store, you are kind of a social worker for these people.
kim: Oh my God,
Katie Rempe: it's
kim: girl.
Katie Rempe: its own trials and
kim: Oh my.
Katie Rempe: of people.
kim: You are not kidding. The struggle is real.
Katie Rempe: because we take it so seriously and you know, for a lot of people they forgot that this was like a hobby. We don't have to do this. It's a choice, but it's fun.
kim: It is.
Katie Rempe: fun. It really turns into magic.
Practice Makes Progress
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kim: I have a friend who's like, oh, you know, teach me. I'm trying to learn. And, she's [00:27:00] having a hard time just accepting the process.
Katie Rempe: Hmm.
And this is an issue
kim: exactly. What is that?
Katie Rempe: Oh,
kim: It is. It is. And I'm so glad that I did not let that stop me. I'm so glad that I did not get hung up on that, because if I had I would've just put it away and never done it again.
Katie Rempe: Yeah, that's why a lot of people cast on a scarf as their first project, which also the worst first project in history.
kim: Yeah,
Katie Rempe: long.
kim: that's so funny. We used to do hats as first projects.
Katie Rempe: way better. So
kim: Yes,
Katie Rempe: Way
kim: yes,
Men Are Natural Knitters
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Katie Rempe: in my experience, I don't know if you found this, men picked up the knitting quicker.
kim: yes, yes, yes, yes. Absolutely.
Katie Rempe: they were
kim: That is true.
Katie Rempe: other, the, the woman would be pissed.
kim: That's so fun. [00:28:00] That's hilarious.
Katie Rempe: I don't know why. Like the mechanical brain or whatever, slightly different perspectives or
kim: yes, yes. That's
Katie Rempe: we feel like we cannot have the weakness of not knowing.
kim: right.
Katie Rempe: this guy who didn't even wanna be here, who had a drag here, he's doing it perfect. I hate him now.
kim: I know. I think we as women, and I know I can speak for myself when I say this, have this tendency to overthink and
Katie Rempe: What do
kim: think.
That's true. Right. You know, but I'm guilty and, and I I find that, you know, as, women, we, tend to overthink in a way that men don't,
Katie Rempe: Yes, they just do.
kim: They Exactly. I think you put like needles and yarn in a man's hand and they're [00:29:00] worried about what is exactly in front of them. In a way where women are like, well, what's happening here and what is going on? And what am I doing? What is my end game? What is this, what is that?
Katie Rempe: Mm-hmm.
Thank God my desire to do it overrode that
I
Katie Rempe: like, I need to. Get this thing, I don't care. Like I'll keep asking questions. This is a flaw I don't have, like I'll
kim: Exactly
Katie Rempe: I get it Right. So,
but not everyone is like
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: they don't wanna, you know, come off as seeming weak or annoying or
kim: right, I'm always fascinated by, people are like, I. I was taught when I was a little kid, when I was six, I learned and blah, blah, blah, blah. All the stories are valid in their own right.
I didn't come to it until much later and it served, I think, a very different purpose for me,
Katie Rempe: Yeah.
kim: evolved [00:30:00] into, well, now I'm making things, now I can make a sweater, make leggings. I can do socks.
Katie Rempe: yeah. Children have more of the man mindset at that point because they don't care about the outcome. They're more excited about, like, the experience of learning from the
kim: Right. Exactly. Exactly.
Katie Rempe: what it's supposed to be anyway, so they're not, you know, concerned about what the outcome is.
They
kim: Exactly
Katie Rempe: nastiest little piece of fabric in the end, and they're like, look at what I need. And
kim: right. Exactly. Exactly. This is beautifully gnarly,
Katie Rempe: Another reminder for us all to embrace the playfulness and not take it so seriously. Give ourselves some grace in learning and
kim: Absolutely.
Katie Rempe: Like I always say perfection is subjective. What my idea of perfect and your idea, Kim of perfect is I can guarantee are two different things.
kim: Exactly. And that's the thing. And also just understanding [00:31:00] that it's all a process.
Katie Rempe: Practice makes progress not
kim: Exactly. I love doing my podcast. I love, my knitting. I love when the fiber festival comes and, we're getting ready to, pull that together.
And I think it's also been very helpful for me in the sense, 'cause like, I'll get asked like, oh my God, does it ever get to be so much? Do you ever get overwhelmed? And I really don't because I do take care of myself and I find that my knitting, my crafting my crocheting is what I do.
Katie Rempe: Just for you.
kim: Just for me.
And it was interesting when, you know, I was visiting my daughter in Ohio and she's like, well, what do you wanna do?
And I'm like, I wanna go to a yard shop.
Katie Rempe: Of course you do. Where's the local yard store around here, huh?
kim: Exactly. So she took me to a [00:32:00] yarn shop and I, you know, picked out something and she's like, oh, what are you gonna make? And I'm like, I don't know, but I will figure that out.
Katie Rempe: That's later Kim's problem.
kim: Exactly,
Katie Rempe: heck
kim: That's a good one, Katie. I love that.
Why Do Crafters Love True Crime?
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Katie Rempe:
So I wanna ask you,
kim: yes,
Katie Rempe: has a podcast all about true crime,
kim: knitters
Katie Rempe: and crocheters and crafters seem to love this genre, why do you feel like, in particular, people who craft love this topic?
kim: because honestly, 'cause as somebody that was a consumer of podcasts and listened to podcasts, 'cause you can do both, I. You can knit and you can listen to a podcast. And it is again, a wonderful way to just absorb yourself in the art of storytelling
While being creative. And I think that we as [00:33:00] crafters are very curious and we appreciate the art of storytelling especially I think in the true crime genre because even though it's a hard story, it's still an important story and it's still always something to be gleaned or learned.
Katie Rempe: Hmm.
kim: I mean, and that's even how I approach my podcast and what I always think about when I'm telling these stories is these people that have lost their lives will not have lost their lives in vain because we will learn from them. They are, are a teacher in a way. I think it just kind of goes hand in hand because I think like as crafters we're always learning. And the reason I think as crafters that we never stop learning is because we're thirsty for it. We're hungry for it. So everything that we come in contact with, we are, [00:34:00] we're hungry for it.
And I think the same is true with consuming podcasts. We are hungry for that knowledge, for that education of sorts.
Katie Rempe: Mm.
kim: I find that with every crafter that I've met, that I've come in contact with, that I've been friends with, that hunger, that knowledge, that yearning is just a part of our DNA.
Katie Rempe: If listening to someone's story like that is keeping them, know, in the zeitgeist,
kim: Yes,
Katie Rempe: really what we're doing as makers is the same. We're knitting these physical items that in many cases will be remembrances of us to the people
kim: Oh my God,
Katie Rempe: being
kim: girl.
Katie Rempe: or you're left behind. really
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: a pattern, if not a short story, right?
kim: Katie, Katie. Beautifully, beautifully said. Beautifully, beautifully said. I
Katie Rempe: makes
kim: am [00:35:00] just getting chills from that, just yes, because think about that.
Katie Rempe: Hmm,
kim: That's forever.
Katie Rempe: yep. Yeah.
kim: the physical piece of somebody whose whole being has been in that and through that.
Katie Rempe: The time it takes to make something and don't we all, especially again, as makers, we tend to be a little bit more sentimental to things that
kim: Mm-hmm.
Katie Rempe: to us, that
kim: Absolutely.
Katie Rempe: our
kim: Absolutely.
Katie Rempe: our friends, whatever it was. Whether it's
kim: Absolutely.
Katie Rempe: a knitted item, a candle. Like anything,
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: that was, you know, game's brooch or
kim: Thank you. That's so true.
Katie Rempe: it's those physical reminders when we're not physically here anymore.
kim: Exactly.
Katie Rempe: they live somewhere else. Like they don't
kim: Exactly. No, no. and I think that, you know, just hearing you when you said that, it just occurred [00:36:00] to me how we are very physical beings. We need to see, we need to touch, to believe and there's something about holding a knitting piece of somebody that you love who isn't in your physical presence, that gives you that sense of being close to them nonetheless.
Psychometry
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Katie Rempe: There's lots of people whose best psychic ability is, oh, that word I can't remember right now, but when you hold the physical item, you
kim: yes.
Katie Rempe: their essence more
kim: Yes, yes, yes.
Katie Rempe: a comment for the word. I can't remember. Please.
kim: Right, It really is.
How to Make a Craft Murderer
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Katie Rempe: another question I want to ask
As makers, as storytellers, as crafters, Kim craft, for me, story outline of going on vacation as a maker and not the maker is the murderer, craft me a story with a crafter as one of the characters.
kim: [00:37:00] Well, one thing, as crafters, part of the vacation is centered around. Crafting, so I would say that a crafting tool can be one that offers great protection for anybody that tries to hurt or harm you. And I would tell a story of someone being in such a said situation and taking their needle and doing what needs to be done to get themselves time to get away.
Katie Rempe: I love it.
kim: Yes. But make sure you bring the needle with you and wipe off the blood.
Katie Rempe: Yeah. Maybe like a metal needle, because that
kim: Exactly.
The Magic of Storytelling
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Katie Rempe: So why do you think storytelling is such a magical experience? Just to wrap us up here.
kim: Because everybody has a [00:38:00] story. I. And even fiction comes from someplace. It comes from a lived experience somewhere. Someplace. I think storytelling really speaks to who you are, who the person is, what made them who they are, how they move in the world is because of their stories.
And that is so fascinating to me. Because there's no shortage of stories.
Katie Rempe: And everyone loves to talk about themselves, so
kim: Oh girl, that is so true.
As the kids say today, facts.
Katie Rempe: You're so hip, Kim.
kim: I know, I, I try to be, you know, I mean, my kid, I, I only know because I hear her yapping.
Follow Kim & Slaycation!
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Katie Rempe: Well this has been so much fun.
Thank you
kim: It really has.
Katie Rempe: It's been so great to chat with you about all the crossovers between the podcast, the crafting, both of them living in the same [00:39:00] space
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: Please tell everyone where they can listen to Slaycation, where they can follow and learn more. All that good stuff.
kim: You can find Slaycation, S-L-A-Y-C-A-T-I-O-N anywhere you get your podcast Apple, Spotify. You could also find us at our website, which is cation.wtf. Yes, you heard that right?
Katie Rempe: That's
kim: SlayCation. Wtf. You could find us on Facebook at our slaycation page. You can join our group slaycaters only. We also have an Instagram and the handle for that is slaycationWTF it's one word. And if you're curious about my crafting, you can find me at ThatGirlKnits one word.
Katie Rempe: I'll make sure to link everything in the description so it's super easy to find
kim: Thank you my friend.
Katie Rempe: If you enjoyed this episode, why don't you go ahead and [00:40:00] subscribe to the channel. That way you can get notifications every time there's a brand new episode with more amazing guests like Kim. can also maybe share this with a friend, especially if there are true crime enthusiast. I sure think that they will like this one. And leave a comment because I always love hearing from you.
Let us know what story Kim should discover more about in maybe a future episode of Slaycation. She loves hearing about that.
kim: Yes, I do. Thank you so much for having me. This was an absolute blast asked.
Katie Rempe: Oh yeah. It was so great. I'm so glad. Was it Nick
kim: Yes, yes, Yay, Nick.
Katie Rempe: good instincts. Thanks, Nick.
kim: Yes.
Katie Rempe: happen. Appreciate you.
kim: Thanks, Nick.
Katie Rempe: All right, everyone, until next time, merry make.
Thanks for tuning in. If you enjoyed the show, consider sharing it with a friend leaving a review on iTunes or Spotify [00:41:00] and supporting us on Patreon to enjoy exclusive content. You can also subscribe to the light from Lantern YouTube channel to receive a notification whenever a new episode of Knit A Spell is released.
And as always, I'd love to hear your feedback on this episode. So be sure to leave a comment on YouTube or on Patreon. See you next week.