crawcraftsbeasties

Exciting News!

Posted on July 29, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Oh dear! I have been a rather lazy blogger these last couple of months! But there has been a lot going on behind the scenes, and now I have news aplenty to share!

First of all, a while back I selected an elite Beastie crew, which included most of the monsters you can see in the picture above, and sent them off on a top-secret mission. After bundling them up in bubble wrap to protect them from the whims of the Irish weather (and also to keep them entertained on their journey)…

…and tucking them in with plenty of colourful tissue paper…

…we were ready to take a trip on the Dart!

The team was dropped off at a strategic location, and then all I could do was sit back and wait to hear whether or not their mission had been successful. There were tense moments, sleepless nights… but hurrah! On Friday I received word that all has gone according to plan.

And what was this top-secret mission, you ask?

Only a move into the world of high street and online retail! The lovely people at Opening Minds are now selling Beasties on their website, and will be introducing them into their Dun Laoghaire store in the next couple of days! I could not be more proud of my little monsters!

Meanwhile, all has not been quiet on the home front either. Because Beastie Towers has relocated! Beasties, Boyfriend and I have been settling into our new home in a surprisingly quiet part of Dublin’s city centre. We are now enjoying an unprecedented amount of natural light (excellent for making fiddly Beastie accessories), greenery and – SHOCK – birdsong instead of traffic noise! I’ve also finally been able to liberate the rest of my crafty supplies from storage, giving me so much more fabric and yarn to play with. I can’t wait to get started!

Speaking of which, my knitting needles are calling… I should have a heap of new Beasties to share with you soon!

Exploring the Kaziranga Forest Trail… and then some!

Posted on July 9, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Sounds exotic, doesn’t it?

The best part is that we didn’t even need to leave Dublin to do it! Explorer Beastie was most miffed when he found out that I haven’t shared the photos of our trip to Dublin Zoo yet, especially since he had so much fun posing with the animals. So, to keep the peace at home, here some of the highlights of our day out!

One of the first places we went was the Kaziranga Forest Trail – isn’t that so much more exciting than “the elephant house”? Since I was last in Dublin Zoo, they’ve built a whole new enclosure for their group of Asian elephants, which more closely resembles their natural habitat. It’s surrounded by trees (that covers the “Forest Trail” element, then) and there are pools of water for them to swim in as well!

Our next port of call was the African Plains, where Explorer Beastie put his climbing skills to good use to get a proper look at the giraffes, rhinos and gorillas!

But the highlight of our visit was meeting the newest addition to the Dublin Zoo family… an okapi! These incredibly pretty creatures live in the dense forests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and they’re related to giraffes. It was a real treat to be able to see one of these beautiful, graceful animals so close to home!

Well, after all that exploring, we both felt a little like these orangutans…

… And we figured it was time to head home for a nap! But we’ll be back for more Beastie adventures soon!

More New Beasties…

Posted on July 4, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

Holy moly! It’s been another busy week… this summer is just zipping by! At least I’ve been able to find a couple of spare minutes to finish off a few new Beastie friends. Yesterday, I sent a top secret Beastie commission to his new home – I’ll share pictures once he reaches his destination successfully!

I also thought that the Creative Collective shop in Dalkey could use a bigger Beastie turnout. Beasties are naturally gregarious creatures, and they’re happiest when they’re hanging out in a big bunch. So I used that as an excuse to add the final touches to some monsters who have been living in my “In Progress” box for a while.

First of all, meet our cover star… Rugby Beastie!

Rugby Beastie is the newest addition to the Irish squad. He’s shown up for training this morning with his own rugby ball and old-school rugby jersey, and he’s taped up his ears to prevent long-term damage…

Uh-oh! Looks like he’s a little too late on that one. And because he’s my first Rugby Beastie, it was obvious which number he should get…

Cheering him on from the sidelines is a lady who usually prefers to stay at home with a good book – Book Club Beastie!

With her mop of blonde hair and natty print skirt, she can easily be spotted lugging another huge bag of purchases out of her local bookshop or enjoying a good read in her favourite cafe. What’s she reading right now, you ask?

“The Great Knitsby”, of course!

Thanks for stopping by… have a monster weekend, everyone!

Been a while…

Posted on June 26, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Holy moly! Where has the last month gone?!

Well, for starters, I’ve been taking a few steps towards making my largely sofa-based cottage (or, more accurately, apartment) industry into a more business-shaped concern. I’ve started keeping proper accounts, declared myself to the taxman and put together a Beastie information leaflet, so I can share their stories with even more people without having to leave the house!

Unfortunately, while these things are significant, they don’t make for particularly interesting reading. I’m also reasonably confident that my readers would soon tire of photos of me sitting in front of my computer. So, that takes care of the first couple of weeks of my absence.

The OTHER reason I’ve been away is…
…We have a new shop!

This beautiful, quirky little gallery space in Dalkey, South Dublin was offered to Creative Collective Ireland in the middle of this month. They very kindly invited the Beasties to take up residence there, alongside an all-star cast of gorgeous jewellery, fashion and homewares. Of course, we all jumped at the opportunity! After a hectic few days of painting, furniture moving and shelf installation, we opened our doors to the public at the weekend. And the best part is that we’re here for the summer! The shop will be open every weekend (Friday-Sunday) until the end of August. So if you happen to find yourself in Dublin, drop in and pay us a visit! Even if you can’t make it, you can still find out more about Creative Collective and the shop on our Facebook page.

Of course, a new shop means new Beasties! I decided to put together a couple more All-Irish Beasties to get the ball rolling…

I couldn’t resist making one with a pint! And I also took the opportunity to break out some classic book-based puns…

I also brought along one of my super-cuddly Big Beasties, just to look after the smaller ones…

I’ll be sending more Beasties down to Dalkey to join these guys soon! Stay tuned for pictures…

Oooh! New Beasties!

Posted on May 31, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Ideas, Knitted Beasties

For some time now, I’ve been wanting to make a range of Irish Beasties. Of course, my Beasties are already pretty Irish – they are born here, after all. But it always surprises me how little of the yarn we get in this country actually comes from here. And when you have a whole world of beautiful fibres to choose from – South American alpaca, merino wool from Down Under – it’s very easy to take what you have at home for granted.

Fortunately, I recently got a couple of timely wake-up calls. A while ago, some of my knitting friends and I started taking “Knit Days” – we’d hop on a train, or form a convoy of cars, and travel to another town or city to enjoy a crafty day out, usually fuelled by copious quantities of tea and cake. One of these Knit Days took us to the village of Graignamanagh in Co. Kilkenny, which is the home of Cushendale Woollen Mills. This family-owned mill has been producing yarn and finished woollen goods since the mid-1800s, and we were lucky enough to get a full tour during our visit. Since then, I’ve been looking out for a project that would allow me to use some of their products… even more so after I helped my friend with the annual stocktake at her wool shop, and I couldn’t stop admiring the beautiful colours of the Cushendale yarns. I realised that they reminded me of the countryside out in Roscommon, which is where my boyfriend comes from, and somewhere I never get tired of visiting…

Moss, Roscommon Peat Bog on a Cloudy Day

So, I picked out the four colours which I thought best summed up the peat-bog palette, and got knitting! Having completed my first full All-Irish Beastie, I had to give him an accessory… something really IRISH. I could have gone the obvious route – shamrock, leprechaun outfit – but I wanted something a little different, that still reflected everyday life in this part of the world. So he got…

A BIG MUG OF TEA!

Bet you didn’t see that coming… but, no matter who you consult, we Irish always make the top 3 in the world tea-drinking charts.

Our only challengers for the title are Morocco and Turkey, where people must be making cuppas 24-7 to hold us off the top spot. Truly “Irish” tea is made in a teapot, then put back on the range to stew into a viscous tar-like substance, before being thinned out with liberal doses of milk and sugar. But most of us settle for throwing a bag of Lyons or Barrys into a mug and just stirring it around a bit!

More All-Irish Beasties will be landing soon! Let me know in the comments if there are any you’d particularly like to see!

Postcard from Liverpool

Posted on May 24, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Hello there, Beastiebuddies! My Beastiesitter Helen is very busy at the minute, so I thought I’d share my latest adventures with you myself. As you know, I have spent the last week or so visiting the great human city of Liverpool, and I thought it would be interesting to travel out into the surrounding countryside too. Here I am looking at the river in a village called Ashford – I wish I’d brought my curragh with me for this!

Further down the road, I found this place!

A palace fit for a Beastie king! They had even set the table for my arrival!
Of course, I was very flattered… but I politely explained that I had brought my own sandwiches, and then made my way out into the gardens to find somewhere to eat them.

Success! I found this brilliant willow sculpture in the grounds of the house… perfect for a Beastie to hide in!

Suitably refreshed, I journeyed onwards to the Heights of Abraham. I couldn’t resist sneaking aboard the cable car… Look how high up I am!

Quite a novelty for a Beastie – normally we see everything from much closer to the ground!

Once I reached the top, I reckoned it was time for a cup of tea and a spot of birdwatching… perhaps I might be able to convince one of the birds to give me a lift back down the hill!

Well, that’s all my news for now. I’m off to do some more exploring! I’ll be back with more tales of adventure soon!

Monster hugs,

Explorer Beastie x

Explorer Beastie Heads to the ‘Pool

Posted on May 20, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

So, the Pop Up Shop has popped back down again, and as I was unpacking the Beasties who didn’t find their new homes this time around, I was hit by a disturbing thought.

Um, where is Explorer Beastie?

OH HOLY MOLY! Did he sneak into someone’s shopping bag and venture off to parts unknown?

Fortunately, a timely delivery of some holiday photos stopped my rising panic in its tracks. He DID stow away in someone’s luggage, and I will be having words with him about that, but luckily for both of us, said luggage belonged to my parents. So I can rest assured that he will be coming home at some point, and he got to enjoy an all-expenses-paid trip to Liverpool. And he really got to see all the sights – here he is looking out over the city, with the Liver Building in the background…

…And he followed this up with a trip to see some of Liverpool’s most famous residents!

The Beatles theme continued, with a visit to Penny Lane…

…And then he headed off to the Japanese Garden at the Festival Gardens.

It’s lucky he didn’t send me this picture first, or I wouldn’t have known where to find him!

Last I heard, he was planning to see what the surrounding countryside had to offer… so I suppose I’ll be sharing those photos next time around! Stay tuned…

Chef Beastie Revisited

Posted on May 13, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

At the last market I did, one of the Beasties who attracted the most attention was my Chef Beastie. Oh look, here he is:

So when I was deciding which monsters to include in my line-up for the Pop Up Shop I’m doing at the minute, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to revisit a classic Beastie and make a few changes. All my Beasties are unique, after all! As you can see from the main picture, New Chef Beastie has a more fitted apron to protect his stylish red trousers, and he’s clearly not going to the same dentist as my first one. I also thought I’d update his accessories…

Well, only a little bit. The felt carrot was such a hit last time that I just had to give him one of those. But since I have spent the last while honing my weapon-making skills, I thought I could probably trust him with a felt kitchen knife.

Et voila! Beastie is served!

It’s Showtime!

Posted on May 6, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Taaa-daaaah! Today I was out in Dun Laoghaire setting up Creative Collective Ireland’s Pop Up Shop. After a whole lot of shelf hauling, bemused studying of empty spaces and incremental tweaking of the displays, I think we’re ready to go!

And of course I got a little bit of extra help…

Well, sort of. Hipster Girl Beastie was too busy checking out the jewellery.

Fortunately my rhubarb-and-custard-coloured Beastie was on hand to tidy up after her!

He also took a shine to this hand-turned gift box, then…

… found a soft silky scarf, and settled down for a bit of a snooze. At least Ninja Beastie was working hard – he’s in charge of security.

Others were happy just to pose for a couple of publicity shots! I’d like to introduce you to one of my Big Beasties – this is the first time I’ve had them up for sale, so I’m interested to see how people react. They’re twice the size of regular Beasties… and at least twice as huggable!

Opening day is tomorrow, so wish us luck! I wonder who our first customer will be…

A Grand Day Out… With Victorian Explorer Beastie

Posted on May 5, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

I had to go out and pick up a few last-minute display bits for the Pop Up Shop over the weekend, and I thought I would treat myself to a quick wander around one of my favourite places in Dublin – the Natural History Museum!

I love this place. It’s like a museum of a museum – a real old-fashioned collection of interesting things in hardwood and glass cases, uncluttered by the beeping interactive displays and looping videos that infest most modern museums. Most of the animals are labelled with only their name (in English and Latin), where they came from and when they were added to the collection. If you want to know more about them, you have everything you need to do the rest of the legwork yourself at home. This frees you up to actually look at the animals while you’re in the museum, and appreciate their size, their colouring, the crazier features of their bodies that help them to survive… it’s also a great place to do some people-watching!

I figured Victorian Explorer Beastie would feel right at home here, so I brought him along for the ride.

The ground floor of the building houses Irish fauna. These giant Irish elk skeletons greet you as you walk in!

Even the smallest animals get a look-in – there are cases at the back containing all kinds of minibeasts, from beetles to slugs. Understandably, perhaps, the butterflies and moths are the most popular!

Upstairs is the “Animals of the World” exhibition, where Victorian Explorer Beastie came face-to-face with a monkey…

… Met a record-breaking Irish wolfhound…

…And realised he is much, much smaller than an elephant.

He also nearly got into a spot of bother – LOOK BEHIND YOU!

Turned out the hippo was only having a bit of a yawn, so we left unscathed. But we’ll be back! Hope you enjoyed visiting with us!

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