Wow! Once again, it’s been a busy old week here at Beastie Towers – so much for those “lazy summer days” I keep hearing about. Still, we wouldn’t have it any other way… Especially since Explorer Beastie and I were invited to TWO crafty parties this past weekend!
The first one was a complete surprise – in the middle of last week, we got an invitation to the official opening of a new fabric shop just across the river in Dublin 7. Of course, they had me at “new fabric”, but once I found out that The Fabric Counter was just down the road from the neighbourhood where I used to live when I first moved to Dublin, I had to go and check it out!
Explorer Beastie and I had a great time looking through all the fabrics and trimmings… ALL OF THEM.
There’s also plenty to keep upholsterers and interiors enthusiasts entertained…
…Plus a selection of haberdashery, patterns and a few quirky details to help this lovely spacious shop feel more homely!
You can find out more about The Fabric Counter (including upcoming sewing classes) here, or why not pay them a visit in person?
Thanks so much to Cayeleen for inviting us, and good luck with your new store! Cheers!
And that’s only half the story! Saturday was World Wide Knit In Public Day – a perfect opportunity to catch up with some fellow woollyholics in my local yarn shop!
The Constant Knitter is right in the heart of Dublin’s antique quarter in Francis Street, and is surrounded by galleries, independent cafés and quirky boutiques. Since I’m all about embedding maps today, you can find them here…
… Or non-Dubliners can browse their selection of yarny goodness online!
The Knit in Public event was organised by Dublin Knit Collective, and although I will knit in public pretty much any day of the year, it’s unusual for me to get the chance to knit in company! I had loads of fun chatting with other knitters – including some I hadn’t seen in years – and enjoying lashings of tea and cake!
(In case you were wondering, I tested this cake thoroughly and can confirm that it was as good as it looks!)
There were also PRIZES!
Better yet, I actually won something! (This is NOT normal!) I picked up a lovely Stolen Stitches pattern in the raffle, which I will use as my motivation to someday try my hand at lace knitting.
For the less lazy knitters, there was a speed knitting competition as well – you can find out who won here – but most of us were just happy to take it easy.
Thanks to Dublin Knit Collective and the Constant Knitter for a fun morning!
After that flurry of activity, we’re probably going to put our feet/paws up and get on with some new Beasties over the next couple of days… but don’t forget to pop back in on Friday, when we’ll be catching up with some monster news from overseas! See you then!
I love that you have clung to your imagination power even as an adult. Also, the Guinness and chocolxxxate cake both look magnificent! (Two of my favorites!)
Thanks! A bit of imagination goes a long way… wouldn’t life be dull otherwise? 😀 Oh, and the same goes for Guinness and chocolate cake, now that I think about it! Cheers for your comment 😀
Haha! So true! I’m all for making life a little less dull 😀
This is so cool! EB looks to be enjoying quite much!
Doesn’t he? As long as there’s plenty of fun stuff for him to look at and climb over, he’s usually happy! Thanks for stopping in 😀
He reminds me of the me during school… hopping around. lol. I still do but 🙂
Prizes! Cake! Guinness!! It’s like a trifecta of awesome! And now that I’m trying to sew my own clothes I’m fascinated with fabrics, so thanks for the pictures to taunt me.
Ooooh, temptation! And that’s before we even get started with the prizes, cake and Guinness! Maybe they do mail order… did you decide which pattern you’re going to try first?
I’m almost done with the wrap-around skirt. One long piece of fabric, right? Seemed like it would be the easiest, right? Wait, where’d all these extra pieces come from?
Uh-oh… are you sure Finn McSpool hasn’t cut out some pieces to make himself a matching outfit?
I was wondering why the scissors were misplaced!
Erk. Although maybe his interest in tailoring should be encouraged… his teeny paws could be so handy for helping with tricky seams and awkward details!
I’m pretty sure he hasn’t applied for a work visa. Beastie sweat shop!
Great idea… if you can get him to put his book down! Given his love of reading and beer, I reckon Finn’s sweatshop career will be both short and inglorious!
Well, he just better not expect a severance package!
Fair enough. But I’d lock up those bottles of tasty home-made wine before you fire him if I were you…
OMG, I want to go to Dublin badly … The yarn shop looks amazing – quite a yarn porn! … and the fabric store looks like paradise, too. It’s so wonderful that you have all these resources at your fingertips.
… and of course those little monsters make your pictures even more special. I wonder if they snuck out some chocolate cake for later. *giggle*
If they did, it’s probably long gone by now… although I might check in Explorer Beastie’s backpack later and see if I can find some cake for elevenses! Good thinking 😀 And I do consider myself really lucky to have all these great crafty places within walking distance of home – Dublin is fast becoming a crafter’s paradise!
It sure looks like it.
Oh my….I would be lost for days in that yarn shop, so many things to squish and pet, and just look at all of those buttons…
Congrats on winning the raffle prize, it’s a beautiful pattern! What a lovely day – tea, cake, knitting, friends, yarn, buttons…what more could a girl want! 🙂
Oh yes, it is one of my favourite places to be! And it was amazing how many people turned up – I fell out of the habit of going to knitting groups a few years ago, so I forgot how many other knitters there are in Dublin! It was definitely fun to knit in company again 😀
Our knitting group is out in the sticks so there are only a few of us that go every month. I work in London quite a bit and keep thinking I will try and schedule a day so I can go to one of the bigger groups there one evening…it may happen one day!
Nice! I imagine London has a really crazy diversity of knitting groups… I might look into what’s on offer myself before my next visit! I’d love to try to connect with local crafters before I travel anywhere, the only problem is that I never have time to take holidays 😆