Stetson Stories: Knifemaker Kay Foye

By Preston Hoffman

The memories from our past — the soulful moments that make up our DNA and shape us into the people who we are — seem to be intangible items locked away in the safety of our memories. As we grow older, some of these memories lose the sharpness they once carried; the finer details get mixed into a lifetime worth of experiences. However, with a passion for connection and a strong desire to hear other’s stories, Kay Foye found a way to hold those memories close with bits and pieces of our past preserved into a single knife handle.

Featuring women’s new arrivals.

Items that trigger the memories that make your heart beat fast — items that take you back to those important moments in time — so that you may never forget them. Ashes from a loved one that has passed, antler from the hunt of a lifetime, tobacco from your grandfather’s pipe, seashell from those first moments your feet met the ocean, and dirt from the road you grew up on, can all live in harmony on this handle.

The journey to finding these items — is often an emotional endeavor, requiring you to dig deeply, to prioritize what moments mean the most to you, to unearth those feelings you may have tucked away. This journey requires courage.

Kay wears the Classic Western Snap Front Shirt

Kay molds these tokens into breathtaking knives with the utmost care, precision, and dedication and returns them back into your hand for you to carry at your side. The final product is a knife full of meaning and life, beauty that can’t be bought at a store. It’s a piece of art that’s made just for you so you may never lose the sharpness of what makes your heart beat fast.

Harvest Plaid Shirt and Skinny Fit Jean

“My voice… my gift, is to share their voice… their story. When I finish a knife it’s almost like looking at a landscape of their personal history fashioned in what becomes a seamless swirl of color and texture. When you really start to observe what you are connected to with careful consideration about materials that you can incorporate into a handle, it forces you to see the world in a completely different way.” — Kay Foye

818 Bootcut Jean

“Everything becomes a possibility. Memories from your past become repurposed to create new memories in your future. Artifacts from your life become frozen in time and given a new life and meaning. No matter how technologically advanced we become, a knife will always remain a simple and constant necessity. I believe that something so necessary to our survival in this world should be crafted with materials that are so necessary to the survival of our souls.” — Kay Foye