crawcraftsbeasties

Beastie Burgers!

Posted on January 22, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Explorer Beastie's Dublin

Happy Friday, everybody! And Explorer Beastie is back to share another of our favourite Dublin haunts with you all! Today, we’re going in search of Dublin’s best burger… A quest that has been an ongoing preoccupation of mine for the last couple of years.

Now, after countless hours of research, we can reveal that the burger that has most tickled our tastebuds (for at least the last twelve months) is made by… Bunsen!

But why? First of all, I appreciate the simplicity of their menu. Here it is.

So unfussy that it fits on a single side of a standard business card, this menu means that the chef can’t hide burger deficiencies behind fancy toppings or a crazy selection of different styles of bun. It HAS to be good. You will get a say in how your burger is cooked, though (I always go for well-done, but they entertain my friend Mike’s preference for ultra-pink insides as well) and you can take as many or as few of the toppings as you like.

Oh, and I have to get a chocolate milkshake. Sometimes I’ll even consider sharing it…

Hooray! The burgers are here! Unfortunately, excitement got the better of me and I ate half of mine before I remembered that I was supposed to be taking a picture of it.

For much better food photography than a hungry Beastiemaker can manage, I recommend visiting Bunsen’s own website or Facebook page. I’m afraid I couldn’t wait to put my camera away and polish off the second half of the burger! Oh, and I am absolutely one of those people who has to loudly slurp up the very last dregs of my milkshake…

I’m already looking forward to my next visit! And if you want to go yourself, Bunsen have two restaurants in Dublin city centre to choose from – the original one on Wexford Street is my local, and they added a second branch in Essex St East in Temple Bar last year. Both open at high noon (1pm on Sundays) and serve up burger deliciousness until 9.30 pm (Monday-Wednesday and Sunday) or 10.30pm Thursday-Saturday.

By the way, all opinions expressed here are 100% my own – no sneaky sponsorship deals afoot! Although if Bunsen were to offer me free burgers for life, I wouldn’t exactly turn them down! I also want to give Jo’Burger and Bobo’s a special honorary mention – especially since I realise that Bunsen is a little light on vegetarian options!

Explorer Beastie will be back with another Dublin gem in two weeks. In the meantime, don’t forget to enter our Great January Begone Giveaway! Oh, and to anyone who was good enough to click the “Share on Facebook” button at the end of my last post, could you please let me know so I can log your entry? Unfortunately WordPress has no way of telling me who you are! Thanks 🙂

A Real Little Cutie… Plus a Monster Giveaway!

Posted on January 19, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Info, Knitted Beasties

If it’s Tuesday, it must be new Beastie time! So, everybody say a big hello to Charlie Beastie!

Charlie Beastie was commissioned as a keepsake gift for a recently-arrived baby girl. I was asked to use as much pink as possible!

She also has her name embroidered on the front of her romper suit…

…Plus a couple of cheeky nods to her Irish/Australian origins, as suggested by the person who requested her!

Apparently this Beastie made it safely to her new home Down Under just in time for Christmas! I’m sure she’s enjoying sunnier days and higher temperatures than the rest of us here in Beastie Towers!

And that leads me on neatly to the other half of this post. It seems that morale is generally low here in the Blogiverse, especially amongst those of us “enjoying” a cold, rainy start to the year in the northern hemisphere. Add to that the fact that this January has already deprived us of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, AND that we had to face into 2016 having bid farewell to Lemmy from Motorhead, it’s a miracle we’re able to drag ourselves out of bed at all.

Now, I realise that there is no freebie on earth that could miraculously fix all this, but some freebies are definitely better than no freebies at all. So, let the Great January Begone Giveaway begin! I have 5 of my remaining Beastie calendars to give away to 5 lucky BeastieBuddies…

As you can see, Explorer Beastie is doing a great job of demonstrating how a Beastie calendar can be an important part of any thriving craft empire.

Oh, and one of the winners will also get a surprise MiniBeastie in their prize parcel!

MiniBeasties are incredibly rare, and there may be as few as ten of these teeny critters in the whole world! This one is made from cheerful blue sock yarn, and I used a small-batch merino wool yarn that I was given by some visiting knitters from Colorado to create his awesome technicolour dream-pants!

So, how do you get your mitts on these, and make your January instantly 150% better? Take your pick from:

Blog Buddies – Follow the BeastieBlog (if you aren’t already!) and leave a comment on this post saying which month you’re most looking forward to this year and why
Facebook Friends – Like the Beasties’ Facebook page and share it with your friends (and all those people you’re Facebook friends with, but have no idea how, or if, you even know them in real life)
Instagram Addicts – Find the Beasties on Instagram (@crawcraftsbeasties), follow us and leave a comment on any picture so I know that you’re a real person and not a “Get more Instagram followers NOW” spambot!
Each of these barely-challenging challenges will earn you an extra entry in the draw, so by doing all three you’ll triple your chances of winning! I’ll be picking the winners at random at high noon (Irish time) on the 31st of January. Good luck!

Don’t Fear the Reaper (He’s on Holiday)

Posted on January 15, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties

Here’s one Beastie who has truly landed on his paws! Grim Reaper Beastie had barely arrived with his new family before jetting off to enjoy the big blue skies in Mexico over Christmas! He certainly seems to be lapping up the sunshine in the photo above. Let’s hope he remembered to pack his sunscreen… something tells me his ghostly pale skin isn’t used to catching rays!

He does look strangely at home among the Mayan ruins, though!

During his trip, Grim Reaper Beastie visited Tulum and Coba – two major Mayan sites on the Yucatán peninsula. Back in pre-Columbian times, Tulum was the main port for the city of Coba, which is just under 30 miles away. Coba has several large temple pyramids, and visitors are still allowed to climb the 124 steps to the top of the tallest of these, Nohoch Mul. Even with human-sized legs, that’s a bit of a haul!

I wonder if he was able to make the whole climb by himself, or if he had to cheat a little and hitch a lift!

While he was there, Grim Reaper Beastie happened to hear about the Day of the Dead (Día de Meurtos) festival… Apparently the idea of this Mexican national holiday has piqued his interest, and he’s already hoping to make another trip sometime to join in the festivities! Watch this space…

Thanks to Nicole for sending me photos of Grim Reaper Beastie’s Mexican adventure, they’re much appreciated! Hope you all have a super weekend… we’ll be back on Tuesday with another new Beastie and news of a monster giveaway!

Live and Let Dive

Posted on January 12, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Time for another new Beastie! Can anyone guess what type of woolly monster we’re meeting today?

Ta-daaaaaah! It’s more than a year since I made my first Diver Beastie, and it seems he made quite the impression on a fellow traveller when he visited Iceland and Greenland a few months ago! It was so exciting to get a commission like this out of the blue, and thanks to some expert guidance, I was able to tailor this Beastie to match her new dive buddy’s gear as closely as possible! Let’s take a look, shall we?

Like all Diver Beasties, this one lives in her wetsuit! She’s also got a weight belt, which goes on before all her scuba gear…

…And the rest of her underwater wardrobe!

This includes her dive hood…
…Computer…

…And, of course, her fins!

Then it’s time to put on her breathing apparatus, which includes a tank, BCD (buoyancy control device), two regulators (one as a backup, just in case), air gauge and mask!

Ready to go!

Unfortunately, diving opportunities are few and far between in central Dublin in the dead of winter… so rather than have Diver Beastie all dressed up with nowhere to go, I set her down in front of an episode of “The Blue Planet”. Hopefully this will tide her over until her first real dive!

I’ll have another new Beastie friend for you next week – and don’t forget to stop by on Friday to find out where Grim Reaper Beastie spent Christmas!

A Sunny Stroll by the Grand Canal

Posted on January 8, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie's Dublin

New year, new feature… Welcome to the first instalment of Explorer Beastie’s Dublin!

Explorer Beastie had a bit of a quiet year in 2015…

… So we thought that it would be fun for both of us to get out a little more, and show you the hidden corners of our city from a Beastie’s-eye point of view!

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, so we scrapped our original plans for an indoor adventure and made for the canal instead. There are two canals in Dublin’s city centre, the Grand Canal in the south and the Royal Canal in the north, and both canals eventually link up with the River Shannon in the west, via a whole string of towns and villages throughout Ireland’s midlands. The Grand Canal is nearer Beastie Towers though, so that’s where we headed.

The first part of our route was along the side of a busy road (boooo!) but once you pass the top of Clanbrassil Street Upper there’s a pedestrian path along one side of the canal, which makes for a much more peaceful walk… and better photos!

There’s plenty of wildlife to see along the canal banks – we spotted mallard ducks, mute swans, moorhens and a couple of different species of gulls.

Explorer Beastie even tried to make friends with one of the swans…

… With limited success.

Never mind, there’s much more to see…

… And sunny streets to explore!

This canal is still in use, and the working lock gates along the way break the waterway into smaller sections, each with its own distinct character!

This stretch beside The Barge pub is especially popular – it looks quiet now, but you should see it in the summer! On a warm evening, you’d think half the city had turned out to enjoy a pint by the water’s edge!

And further along, this wall usually has some interesting graffiti to look at…

We carried on past the top of Leeson Street, right in the city centre. A perfect chance to sit on an old bench and admire the view…

…Before heading to one of our favourite cafés for a sandwich and a warming cup of tea!

Remind us to take you there sometime…

We’ll be back with another slice of Dublin life in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can find out more about the Grand Canal here – this site lists all kinds of interesting canal-based activities, including walking tours, food markets and dinner cruises. Or if there’s anywhere you think we should visit, let us know in the comments!

A Cheerful Start To The New Year…

Posted on January 5, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Yippeeeeee! It’s new Beastie time! And since I’m sure I’m not the only one who is still trying to get used to the transition from the old year to the new (anyone else out there steadfastly continuing to write 2015 dates on things? Because I am), who better to sweep away the clinging cobwebs of last year than…

GRIM REAPER BEASTIE!

With his sweet smile, woolly paws and little monster ears poking out through the hood of his robe, he is possibly the least grim Grim Reaper ever!
He’ll use his felt scythe to clear away the clutter of the year that was, and make space for the new, better year that will be. Oh, and his felt hourglass will help him keep an eye on the time for us all, too.

He can also embrace a more casual look, if it’s called for…

…But it’s getting colder outside, so he might be better off leaving his hood up, at least for the moment.

Before Grim Reaper Beastie headed off to his new home in Germany, I took him out for a walk in one of my favourite Dublin parks. Iveagh Gardens is right in the city centre, but with its high walls and hidden entrances, you really need to know where to look if you want to find it! The crumbling statues and stonework give it a real “Secret Garden” feel…

…While the evergreen-shaded pathways make for some great spooky photos!

And what’s that down there?

Yes, it’s a miniature hedge maze! The sundial at the centre is supposed to be very accurate – unfortunately a sundial in Ireland isn’t really the best way to keep time!

As the winter daylight faded, it was time to head back to Beastie Towers, and ready Grim Reaper Beastie for his onward journey. Apparently he’s settling in well in his new home!

More new Beasties next week… until then I’m going to sit down and practice writing “2016” on everything. I’m sure I’ll get the message by February…

PS Drop in again on Friday for our first “Explorer Beastie’s Dublin” post! I’m not sure where we’re going yet, but he’s assured me he has a plan!

Monster New Year!

Posted on January 1, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Info, Knitted Beasties

Phew! I might already have mentioned how busy December was for me and the Beasties, but with Christmas now under our (considerably tighter) belts, it’s time for us to start looking forward to another year of monster mayhem!

There’s going to be plenty going on over the next couple of months… starting with a veritable deluge of new Beasties! They’ve all had to keep their identities secret up until now, for fear of spoiling Christmas day surprises, but it’s finally time for them each to have their star turn on the BeastieBlog. I’ll be introducing you to a fresh Beastie face every Tuesday, so be sure to stop by! To whet your appetites, here’s an oatmeal stout-swigging Pint Beastie who made it to his new home in the UK just in time for Christmas!

2015 was a great year for Beasties abroad, and I’m so grateful to everybody who shared photos of their little woolly friends exploring the furthest reaches of the planet! When I said “hey, send me photos of your Beasties”, I never expected to see them gadding about in Canada…

… Enjoying ice-dripped coffee in Taiwan…

…Polishing off Christmas dinner in Argentina…

…Or scaling cliff faces in France!

Please please PLEASE keep them coming! I’ll be sharing photos every other Friday, in my Beastie Family posts! And that leaves two other Fridays each month for…

…Explorer Beastie!

He’s had a bit of a quiet time in 2015, but this year I’m hoping we’ll get out and about more to show you a few of our favourite places around Dublin. And of course Paddy and Plunkett will be back with more tales from further afield… Last I heard, they were heading off somewhere in search of some winter sun. I can’t wait to see pictures – they’ll be the perfect antidote to the blustery drizzliness of an Irish January!

So, that’s what you can expect from the BeastieBlog this year… Plus we have lots of other schemes, capers and new ideas in the pipeline. I can’t wait to share them with you all!

But what do you have lined up for 2016? Be sure to share your hopes, dreams and plans for world domination in the comments! And now all that’s left for me to do is to wish you all a happy new year… may 2016 be your beast year EVER! Cheers!

Merry Beastmas Everybody!

Posted on December 25, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

It’s been a hectic couple of weeks here at Beastie Towers, but now it’s time to kick back and relax beside the Christmas tree! Hope you all have a super day, wherever you are!

We’re off to enjoy another helping of Christmas pud now, but we’ll be back next week to introduce you to some of the Beasties who headed away to new homes in time for the festive season! Until then… Happy holidays! 😀🎄🎁

Christmas Explorer Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie Newsflash!

Posted on December 15, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info

Well, there’s no getting away from the fact that Christmas is in full swing! We’ve been BUUUUSYYYYY here in Beastie Towers, and there’s still a lot for us to do over the next couple of weeks before we get to put our feet/paws up by the fire and enjoy some festive treats!

For starters, we’ll be heading out to MART in Rathmines, Dublin 6 this coming Friday (that’s the 18th) for their Christmas market. This is going to be the Beasties’ last outing before Christmas – so if you’re around, do drop in and say hello!
We’ll be sharing the space with lots of other great artists and craftspeople, and there’s a fancy dress photobooth too – so we’re looking forward to a fun day out!

And if you’re still trying to figure out the best way to get 2016 off to a good start, I heartily recommend getting your paws on a Beastie calendar!

Explorer Beastie certainly got good use out of his last year…

This year’s edition can be yours for just €10, plus P&P. All you have to do is email me at crawcraftsbeasties@gmail.com and we’ll take it from there!

Righty, better get back to work! The Beasties and I will be back next week… see you then!

Piemaker Beasties Get to Work!

Posted on December 8, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Wow… Looking at this picture, it really seems like a very long time since I sent these two off to their new home in the UK! Check out how green everything is outside!

Anyway, despite the pre-Christmas rush, the Piemaker Beastie Girls have found some time to send me a couple of photos of themselves. They’re working hard for fellow pie enthusiasts Farmhouse Direct…

… Or so they say. To me, it looks like they’re gadding about in a pie-filled wonderland!

While one Beastie poses next to a mountain of pies stacked as high as her head, the other is lounging around on a gigantic pastry-based sofa… YUM!

OK ladies, breaktime’s over! Time to show off the human-sized pies that inspired the Beastie versions I made for you…

…And tell everybody about the special offers!

That’s better. All in a day’s work for these two!

Thanks to Suzanne for taking these photos – I always love getting updates from Beasties abroad. And now I think it’s time for lunch! I could really go for a pie today, for some reason… See you all next time!

	tierneycreates: a fu… on We Wish You A Merry Beast…
	crawcraftsbeasties on We Wish You A Merry Beast…
	quietwatercraft on We Wish You A Merry Beast…
	crawcraftsbeasties on We Wish You A Merry Beast…
	The Hidden Spain on (Mer)Made Just for You!