We Make Monsters.
… And a monster new year! Although it’s unlikely we’ll see snow here in Ireland this Christmas, that hasn’t stopped Explorer Beastie dreaming of making snow angels.
Have a fun and fuzzy festive season and we’ll be back with fresh monster adventures in 2024! I hope Santa Beastie is good to you all…
Well hello there, Beastie friends! Wow, it’s been a moment, hasn’t it? So far this year my alter-ego Knit With Helen has been hogging the spotlight a bit, and that’s left precious little time for monster-making activities! But with the weather starting to warm up here in Dublin, my mind has returned to Beastie-er things, and I thought it was high time I started catching you all up on some of what I’ve been doing since we last spoke.
And to kick us off, I wanted to share one of my favourite moments from last year’s Christmas market season.
Let’s set the scene – a weekend in mid-December, with the coldest weather we had had all year. Snow was falling, and there were patches of ice on the ground… So of course, I was doing my first outdoor market for about 5 years! Luckily, I had a roof over my head. But even heaps of layers of warm clothes, a hot water bottle and frequent cups of tea couldn’t keep the chill at bay, and by late afternoon on the second day I was completely frozen and had long since forgotten what it was like to have feeling in my toes.
But then, we had a visitor! Does anybody remember Felix?
Felix was adopted at one of the last markets I went to before Covid hit. But he’s been very busy since he headed off to his new home… As I found out when he showed up at my market stall with his human family! And what’s that you’ve got there, Felix?
It turns out that Felix’s friend has been documenting all his many, many adventures in an amazing scrapbook! So of course, I absolutely HAD to drop everything and see what he had been up to. Here, take a look yourself!
While I was having fun looking through Felix’s photos, the star of the show was chatting to the other Beasties on the stall. And guess what?
He made a friend!
This is Buddy, and Ireland, you’d better look out! Because Felix and Buddy are now hitting the road together. So far, they’ve fearlessly scaled mountains…
… Taken a trip to the arcade…
… Enjoyed wholesome hearty bowls of soup big enough for a Beastie to take a bath in…
… And occasionally indulged in some less healthy snacking as well.
Mmmm, delicious! I wonder where they’ll pop up next?
And before I wrap up this post, I owe a massive THANK YOU to Brendan for sending the latest photos of the Beasties out and about, and to Felix and Liam for brightening up a very cold market day. You guys are the best!
Yay! My favourite season is here!
There’s something about that slight cooling of the air, the change in the light and all those Autumn colours that gets me every time. It’s a time of year when I just have to get out, stroll around Dublin’s parks and soak it all up!
And the Beasties like to get in on the Fall fun too, of course.
This year, we’re extra excited to be able to celebrate the arrival of Autumn by… Going to a seasonal market!
We had a great time selling at the Richmond Barracks May Fair back at the beginning of the summer. It’s such a brilliant venue, and right on my doorstep too! I’ll be there for the whole weekend, and I’ll be joined by a gang of seasonal Beasties…. So expect to see plenty of monsters with food, drinks and cosy woollies.
And if you’re not local and can’t join us on the day, don’t despair! I’m sure some of those Fall-themed Beasties will be popping up on our Facebook, Instagram and Twitter feeds over the coming days 😉
Oh dear. After my own-trumpet-blowing post this past Wednesday, the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth in the UK has changed the planned lineup and I’ll be staying in bed on Monday morning instead of gracing Ireland’s television sets.
But there is a sunny side to this story – apparently they’re still keen to allow a Beastie invasion in the Ireland AM studio! So hopefully I’ll have an update for you in the not-too-distant future.
In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and I’ll chat to you all again soon!
Ok, I know I just published a post at the weekend, but I have exciting news!
We’ll be joining the good folks at Ireland AM on Monday morning at around 9.45 (Irish time) for a chat about all things Beastie… And a quick monster-making masterclass.
Hope you can join us… If the Beasties know you’re all watching, there’s a slight chance they might behave themselves.
Now, I’d better go and audition for my monstrous supporting cast… See you Monday!
It’s been a while since we’ve seen Paddy and Plunkett, hasn’t it? But that doesn’t mean they haven’t been out and about… In fact, an email from them landed in just recently! Let’s find out what they’ve been up to, shall we?
Aha! There’s Paddy now… With a sundial. What time is it showing, Paddy?
“Um… Cloudy!”
Fair enough. A sundial in Ireland has a pretty limited operating window, even in summer! I wonder where Plunkett has got to?
Oh, there he is. With… Another sundial!
“Look at this, Paddy! This multi-dial sundial can be used at any time of the year, with one dial for British Summer Time and a second to use in the winter. I think summer time is on the side where you’re standing – what time is it?”
“Ummmm… Still cloudy!”
Oh well, at least they can appreciate the different designs and shapes. And it turns out that this place is full of ever more intricate sundials… We’re in The Time Garden at Carnfunnock Country Park, right here:
This next sundial is more like a sculpture!
“The Cut Cube Dial has angles cut into its sides, and the shadows cast by these allow you to read the time on a series of diagonal markings on the cube’s faces.”
“Plunkett, this is all getting very complicated!”
But it doesn’t stop there. Look at this one!
Neither of the Beasties is sure where to even begin telling the time on this one, the Armillary Sphere. Plunkett goes to have another look at the information board.
“Okay! To read the time, we look at the shadow on the numbered ring created by the gnomon…”
“The what?”
“The metal bar across the middle.”
“Right. I’ll go up and see if that helps.”
“Make sure you’re reading the gnomon’s shadow, Paddy, not the shadow of one of the rings! Then we can find today’s date on the outer zodiac ring, add or subtract the number of minutes it says there, and then…”
“Plunkett, I think I finally know what time it is!”
“Really?”
“Yep! It’s LUNCHTIME!”
Well, at least Paddy’s stomach can be relied upon to keep time, even on the cloudiest of days. Bon appetit, Beasties, and we’ll see you again soon!
Hello there everyone! I have a commission story to share with you all today… Yes, I’m still catching up with all those custom orders from last year!
So, this time our tale begins at the Dublin Cat Fair, in 2019. My customer adopted this Beastie, in a rather fetching feline-themed blue sweater…
However, she had been hoping to pick up one of my Cat Owner Beasties, like this one:
These take a lot longer to make, and I tend to bring fewer of them along to markets… So by the time she and her partner reached my stall that day, they were all gone.
But fast forward a year and a bit, and there was a birthday on the horizon! My customer wanted to celebrate in the Beastiest way possible, and asked me to combine two of her boyfriend’s great loves – cats and unicorns!
First, she selected a Unicorn Beastie who was already available in my online store…
… And then I added a feline twist!
And so that their original Beastie friend didn’t feel left out… They got a kitty too!
By the way, calico cats (with ginger, black and white patches) are the intended recipient’s favourite, so I made two… Each with slightly different markings.
Here you go, Unicorn Beastie. You’re in charge of making sure both cats arrive safely in their new home!
Purrrrr-fect!
But the story doesn’t end there.
When birthday time rolled around again, another email popped into my inbox. As it turns out, since we’d last spoken, some full-size, non-Beastie cats had joined this family – two calico cats, just like the ones I’d made, and one little fuzzy black kitty.
So, my mission was… Could I bring the Beastie family up to date with a miniature black cat? Sure I could!
This teeny felted feline was super friendly, and loved prowling over my hand and getting chin scratchies!
And this little critter is all the more important today, because it’s National Black Cat Appreciation Day! Black cats get kind of a rough deal – the old superstition that they bring bad luck is hard to shake off, and it’s been reported that they’re less likely to be adopted from shelters than cats of any other colour. So, if you see a black cat today, or if you happen to be heading out to adopt a feline friend of your own, be sure to show them some love!
That’s all from us for this week – see you next time, when we’ll be catching up with Paddy and Plunkett!
Hello there, Beastie friends! And ooops, my new blogging schedule went completely out the window last week… Covid finally found its way to Beastie Towers, and forced me to spend a week knitting on the couch and watching bad scripted reality shows on Netflix. Life is tough, eh?
Fortunately, my encounter with the dread virus isn’t the special visit I mentioned in the title. The actual visit we’re talking about today was a lot more fun! And it all began with the arrival of a mysterious letter…
My correspondent’s mum had actually reached out to me a week or two earlier to see if I had any Cosy Scarf Beasties in need of a new home, and at the time I didn’t… But I’d said that I’d be happy to make one in Aisling’s favourite colours if she’d let me know what those were. I looked out for an email or text… But I was delighted to get my answer by post instead, complete with drawing!
So, I set to work. And soon…
… A Beastie appeared!
And once the Beastie had approved their passport photo, they were ready to ship out.
However, this journey wasn’t going to involve the usual trip to the Post Office! This Beastie had the honour of being picked up in person from my workshop, and hey, I thought we could have a bit of extra fun.
First of all, a quick comparison between the original sketch and the Beastie to make sure I’d done my job properly…
…Followed by a photoshoot in the Beastie-Sized Photo Studio with the big fancy camera!
I liked this picture the best – it looks like the Beastie’s scarf is fluttering in the breeze!
Then we did a quick tour of the rest of the studio building, and had a chat with a few of the other artists who work here.
Since my Beastie’s new human friend is a keen artist herself (rumour has it that there is a Beastie comic book in the works as we speak) I really hope she enjoyed seeing around our studio home.
And if you’d like to adopt a little woolly friend of your own, take a peek in our freshly-updated online store! I’ll be adding more Beasties over the coming weeks too, so stay tuned!
Hello there, Beastie readers! Now, any of you who tuned in to my previous post would be forgiven for thinking that all the accessories I showed off last time around would be plenty to keep even the most active Beastie occupied. But as the title says – there’s more!
Much, much more.
First of all, let’s get a proper introduction to this little felted sweetie who made a brief appearance at the campfire cookout a couple of weeks back:
Hello there, Mini-Sadie!
Mini-Sadie is a needle-felted miniature of Cindy Beastie’s human’s own canine companion. She’s a Cavalier King Charles Spaniel, and she has a penchant for dressing up, as you can see.
Unfortunately, she doesn’t walk so well… But that’s ok, because she has THIS!
Hop right in, Mini-Sadie! Let’s take a stroll together.
Good girl! And awaaaaaay we go!
Mini-Sadie’s “tail wagon” is made from felt, and features net windows so she doesn’t get too hot.
For extra realism, those wagon wheels really turn, too… And that ended up being the trickiest part of the design! I raided Dublin’s toy and charity shops in search of suitable pre-made wheels, but they were all the wrong size. After much experimenting, the winning solution turned out to be home-made – a thick wire axle, with button wheels held in place with tubular beads. And I think the embroidered felt “spokes” fit in better with the woolly, fuzzy Beastie design aesthetic as well!
So, that’s walkies done for the day… What’s next?
How about a spot of sewing?
Cindy Beastie’s human counterpart is a quilter and fibre artist, so obviously only a top-of-the-range Beastnina sewing machine would do! Let’s get it set up…
…And then she’s ready to stitch!
Human Cindy’s artwork also inspired an extra addition to her Beastie’s wardrobe. When I began her Beastification, she was creating a series of miniature art pieces, using small segments of fabric embellished with embroidery. You can see some of them on her website, here. Miniaturising already-miniature artworks seemed like a non-starter, but incorporating this idea into an item of clothing for a little monster? That might just work!
I used pieces of felt, printed cotton and ribbon, and the design continues across the back and over the sleeves!
The jacket fastens with snaps in the front, so it’s removable as well.
Surely that’s everything now though, right? Nope! Not quite. I’ve one more final touch to add to Cindy Beastie, as requested by Human Cindy.
Snazzy yellow specs!
I love how fun and bright these are… Don’t they complement her lovely pale blue complexion beautifully?
And phew! That’s everything accounted for! Thanks to Cindy for this awesome and challenging Beastification project – it really expanded my monster-making skills in all kinds of new directions. And cheers to all you readers if you made it this far… Next time, I’ll be introducing you all to a simpler (but no less special) Beastie friend. See you in a couple of weeks!
You may have noticed that my Beastie store is looking a little empty these days.
But fear not! A fresh crop of woolly monster friends is assembling as we speak, and will be landing on the 22nd of this month at 10m Irish time. Set your alarms… Or, better yet, head to the Store and sign up for restock updates!
Hello again, Beastie friends! And wow, do I have a commission to share with you today… In fact, it’ll be today and another future post, because this little monster lady really does have it all!
Let’s meet her, shall we?
Hi there, Cindy Beastie!
This project is another one from the lockdown era, and that certainly seemed to be the time of the GME (“Give me everything”)! I started by sketching up a heap of ideas for Cindy, a fellow maker, fibre artist and blogger, which I hoped would celebrate her work, her interests and her personal style. And she decided to take the lot!
So, let’s start at the top… Cindy Beastie’s main outfit, shown above, is a short-sleeved shirt made from a cool hexagon-print fabric. I’m such a magpie when it comes to prints – just try and walk me past a display of fat quarter quilting cottons in a fabric store and see what happens – and I was delighted to have a chance to use this one at last! Give us a twirl there, Cindy Beastie.
Lovely! Perfect for summer, too. And oh, look at her hair!
Cindy Beastie’s human counterpart rocks a stylish short hairdo, with a bit of extra fullness in the top. This style works great on a human head, but it took a little work to transfer successfully onto a Beastie! The yarn I used initially lacked the texture I was going for, and looked a bit flat and sad. So I dived back into my yarn supplies and turned up this one for a second go-around – the richer colour and slight curl makes for a livelier, more luxuriant Beastie barnet.
Next, it was time to raid the jewellery box!
Behold! A little gold chain necklace, with personalised initial tiles. And this piece actually took some making! I was sure I’d seen miniature golden letter beads in my local jewellery supply store, and that’s what I’d included in my design sketch. But when I went along to buy them, the owner said he hadn’t stocked them in more than a decade, and the internet didn’t have much in the way of viable solutions either. Buy a pack of 200 random letters in the hope I’ll get the three I need? I think not! Sometimes, if you want something done, it’s better to do it yourself. So I made multiple beads of each letter (to help with consistency and to allow for breakages) and selected the best three to attach to a slender golden chain for Cindy Beastie’s bespoke necklace.
After that, it was time to make sure Ms Beastie has plenty of monster-sized pastimes to keep her paws busy. Since her human counterpart enjoys both painting and knitting, equipment for both activities seemed like a safe bet.
And so that she can grip all these goodies securely…
… She has magic magnet paws! That means she can paint…
… And knit…
… To her heart’s content!
And so that she can take her favourite things with her wherever she goes, I also made her a Beastie-sized backpack.
Where ARE you going, Cindy Beastie?
“I think I’ll head out to the countryside for a day or two!”
Right enough, she loves the great outdoors. And look, we’re here already… She’s even got the campfire going!
This campfire is extra cosy, since every log and crackling flame is made from 100% needle-felted wool. And now that it’s heated up properly, how about we cook ourselves up a snack?
Mmmmm, bacon!
And it looks like I’m not the only one who’s enjoying those delicious cooking aromas… Who’s this, I wonder?
I guess you’ll have to rejoin us in a couple of weeks to find out a little more about this mysterious canine visitor to the campsite! See you then…