Beasties on TV - R Moore/CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie TV!

Hey there everyone! And wow, what an exciting week it’s been… Yesterday morning, bright and early, we arrived at the door of Virgin Media TV studios to appear on their breakfast show, Ireland AM! They wanted someone to talk about how knitting has really taken off again during the Covid-19 lockdowns… And you know, I do love to chat about all things knitting!

Plus, as we are all aware, the Beasties are incorrigible attention hounds.

So, soon after arrival, they fitted me up with a microphone. Then I helped to set up a table display of tasty yarn and surprisingly well-behaved Beasties.
Beasties on TV - R Moore/CrawCrafts BeastiesRoslyn from the Ireland AM crew had the presence of mind to take a few photos of the setup, thankfully… I completely forgot! She also took this picture, which some of you might have already seen on social media.
Me on Ireland AM - R Moore/CrawCrafts BeastiesThen, what seemed like microseconds later, we were live! My Dad very kindly photographed the TV at home while the segment was on and sent me these stills… Here I am, teaching the hosts Karen and Tommy how to knit!
Teaching Knitting on live TV! B Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThey both picked it up incredibly quickly, I was super impressed!

I also brought along a few samples of easy projects that I recommend for beginners, like these little fingerless mitts.Fingerless Mitts for Beginners - B Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties(These are very easy, by the way… And so much quicker than knitting a scarf!)

Here we are finishing up. I was so proud of my new pupils… And of the Beasties. Honestly, I’ve never seen them so quiet.
Knitting on TV - B Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThe knitting revival – you heard it here first, folks!
Beasties behaving for the TV cameras - B Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesIf you’d like to see the complete piece, it’s currently up on the Virgin Media Player, here:
https://www.virginmediatelevision.ie/player/show/809/185364/0/

You can access the show from this link for the next 29 days. Some friends of mine in Europe have already watched it without a hitch, but if it’s not available in your country, please let me know! I might be able to send it to you a different way.

Also…

Commissions are officially open again as of today! So if you’ve an idea for a little woolly monster of your own, now is the time to get in touch!

We’ll be back next week with the second part of Explorer Beastie’s countryside adventure – sorry for bumping you this week, E.B.!

Explorer Beastie Enjoying the Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts Beasties

Spring in the Irish Countryside

Hello there everyone! How are things where you are? Our county borders reopened here in Ireland last week… And maybe it was this, or possibly I was inspired by Paddy and Plunkett’s “great escape” last week, but I decided it might be a good time to escape to the lovely Irish countryside for a couple of days!

Explorer Beastie came along too, looking very dapper in his new Aran sweater.
Beastie in an Apple Tree - Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts BeastiesUm, can you maybe turn around so we can see?
Beastie Aran Sweater - CrawCrafts BeastiesMuch better! That’ll keep you nice and cosy while we go exploring. Although it looks like we’ve been uncommonly lucky with the weather – you’d hardly know we’re in Ireland at all!

This apple blossom is great, isn’t it?
Apple Blossom - Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts Beasties“Yes, and it smells AMAZING!”
What's Over There? Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts Beasties“Hey, what’s over there?”

Oooh, good idea! Let’s head off over the fields and see what we can find.

It wasn’t long before we came across these very delicate flowers – does anyone know what they are?
Mystery Flowers - Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts Beasties“I’ll stand next to them, for scale!”

Identifying these was easy enough though – hello, primroses!
Primroses - Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts BeastiesIt’s always nice to see their sunny yellow faces peeking out of shaded, Beastie-sized hollows in the hedgerows.

And even though we were there last week, it looks like we only just caught the end of the May blossom! The Irish countryside is white with flowers at this time of year, thanks to the many hawthorn and blackthorn trees that make up our hedges. This is a blackthorn tree, I believe…
Beastie Blackthorn Blossom - CrawCrafts Beasties

Ahhhh! I think we might just hang out here for a while, and watch the clouds drift by…

Big Skies - Irish Countryside - CrawCrafts Beasties

… And listen to the birds singing in the background. Make sure you have the sound on when you watch the video, so you can hear them too!

See you next time!

 

Paddy uses Plunkett as a ladder - Beastie Adventures - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

New Adventures Ahoy!

Hello there Beastie friends! How are things where you are? Here on the Emerald Isle, we’re getting ready to start opening things up again… And I know two intrepid little monsters who are looking forward to setting out on some new adventures this summer!

Sure, they’ve enjoyed their virtual travels over the last few months…
Paddy and Plunkett's Virtual Tour - CrawCrafts Beasties… But it’s not really a substitute for the real thing, is it?

So that’s probably why they started hatching travel plans the very second they spotted this unattended knitting bag.

“That looks like it might be going somewhere interesting! What do you reckon?”
Paddy and Plunkett Plotting - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“Possibly, Paddy… But how on earth are we going to get up there? Normally the humans leave their bags on the floor.”

“Don’t worry, Plunkett…”
Paddy has an idea - Beastie Adventures - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“… I have a cunning plan!”

Unfortunately, Plunkett didn’t realise that this cunning plan involved using him as a stepladder.
Paddy uses Plunkett as a ladder - Beastie Adventures - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“Ouch! Paddy, you’re going to have to start going easy on the Full Irish breakfasts… You weigh a TON!”
“Neeeeearly there. Hold steady, Plunkett!”

Finally…
Paddy Climbs Up - Beastie Adventures - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties“Success!”
“That’s all well and good for you, Paddy. How do I get up there?”
“I told you, I have a plan. Hold on a sec…”

Paddy's Plan, Part 2 - Beastie Adventures - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

“Here you go! Now climb up.”
“Oooh, very clever!”

Plunkett Joins Paddy - Beastie Adventures - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

And much huffing and puffing later…

Ready to go? H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

“There, I knew you could do it!”
“…”
Ah. Sounds like Plunkett was still catching his breath. So Paddy packed all the wool back into the knitting bag, making a nice cosy place for them both to hide.

“Where do you think we’re off to, Paddy?”
“I’m not sure…”

Let the adventures begin! H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

“… But I bet it’s going to be fun!”

Hopefully they won’t have to wait too long for the adventures to begin! Have you any interesting journeys in your future? Be sure to tell us all about them in the comments!

We’ll be back next week to catch up with Explorer Beastie. I’m sure he’s got some adventures up his woolly little sleeves too!

Vintage Beastie Playing the Drum - CrawCrafts Beasties

Vintage Fashion, Beastie Style 2 – All the Accessories!

Hey there everyone! And oh wow, look… I managed to post on a Tuesday! If you missed last week’s post (and who could blame you, it went out on Friday), we were catching up with this Beastie lady and her rather awesome vintage inspired look.
Vintage Style Beastie, a Commission by CrawCrafts BeastiesBut while it could be argued that “clothes maketh the monster”, this woolly little gal has much more going on. Let’s take a look at what she took with her when she left Beastie Towers for her new home.

First up…
Beastie Drum - Vintage Style Beastie - CrawCrafts BeastiesIs that a Beastie-sized drum? It certainly is!

And thanks to her magic magnetic paws, our friend can grab those drumsticks and belt out a thumping beat!
Vintage Beastie Playing the Drum - CrawCrafts Beasties

Drumming is thirsty work though… Perhaps some refreshments are in order?
Beastie Refreshments - CrawCrafts Beasties“Oooh, a Beastie-sized glass of red wine? Don’t mind if I do!”

I’m going to guess it’s her favourite vintage 😉

This wine glass was a pretty challenging make. Trying to sew see-through material is always tricky, and even calling on my old arch-nemesis, glue, didn’t provide any easy shortcuts! In the end, I went with keeping stitches to a minimum, using the most unobtrusive thread colours I could find, and throwing some unusual transparent items into the mix. I quite liked the effect that resulted from using crystal beads to make the stem!Beastie Wine Glass - CrawCrafts Beasties

There was even space inside for a discreetly-placed magnet, so she can quite literally hold her liquor!
Vintage Beastie plus Wine - CrawCrafts BeastiesIt’s probably not wise to drink on an empty stomach though…

“Definitely! Let’s eat!”Let's Eat! Vintage Style Beastie by CrawCrafts BeastiesWell, since she’s all set up with the proper cutlery and everything…
Beastie Cutlery - CrawCrafts Beasties… We’ll see what we can rustle up in the Beastie kitchen!

Oh, that does look good!
A Feast fit for a Beastie - CrawCrafts BeastiesOur vintage loving Beastie’s human counterpart loves a bit of fine dining… So hopefully her new monster friend will be suitably impressed by this needle-felted haute cuisine!

Dinner is Served - Vintage Style Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

It looks like it’s passed the taste test! Let’s leave her to enjoy the rest of her meal. She’ll need to keep her strength up to look after all this stuff!Vintage Beastie with Accessories - CrawCrafts Beasties

Also…

Don’t forget that our Bank Holiday shipping sale ends tonight at midnight!
Shipping Sale - CrawCrafts BeastiesCheck out the Beastie HQ store… Maybe your own monster friend is there waiting for you!