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.
Roslyn 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.
Then, 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!
They 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.
(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.
The knitting revival – you heard it here first, folks!
If 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.!
Um, can you maybe turn around so we can see?
Much 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!
“Yes, and it smells AMAZING!”
“Hey, what’s over there?”
“I’ll stand next to them, for scale!”
It’s always nice to see their sunny yellow faces peeking out of shaded, Beastie-sized hollows in the hedgerows.
… But it’s not really a substitute for the real thing, is it?
“Possibly, Paddy… But how on earth are we going to get up there? Normally the humans leave their bags on the floor.”
“… I have a cunning plan!”
“Ouch! Paddy, you’re going to have to start going easy on the Full Irish breakfasts… You weigh a TON!”
“Success!”
But 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.
Is that a Beastie-sized drum? It certainly is!
“Oooh, a Beastie-sized glass of red wine? Don’t mind if I do!”
It’s probably not wise to drink on an empty stomach though…
Well, since she’s all set up with the proper cutlery and everything…
… We’ll see what we can rustle up in the Beastie kitchen!
Our 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!
Check out the Beastie HQ store… Maybe your own monster friend is there waiting for you!
Look at this… A Beastie lady with THE MOST amazing hair. I had so much fun styling this – I think we’d better take a closer look!
I used two shades of pink yarn to give the hairstyle some depth, and added in some soft silvery yarn in the back to mimic her human counterpart’s ‘do.
Her scarf and sweet handknitted pink cardi are both removable, as you can see. And, because various lockdowns have forced me to improvise with my existing fabric stash rather than hitting the shops to find what I need, I ended up dyeing the scarf myself! Let’s just say I’m very glad my customer went for a nice neutral grey, rather than something more difficult to match.
And now that she’s not wearing long sleeves, it might be a good time to get on with a spot of baking. Her magic magnetic paws will help her to hold everything.
Thanks, don’t mind if I do! They look delicious.
Regular readers of this blog will be reassured to learn that, as usual, these delectable treats are free from sugar, fat, gluten, dairy products and palm oil. They’re also high in fibre – wool fibre, of course!
This Beastie’s new human friend is a fellow knitter, so I couldn’t send her little woolly monster out the door without a set of needles and a ball of yarn. As you can see, these ones a bit small for me to use anyway.
Her new human family has a strong connection with horses, and I wanted to include a big shiny felt rosette somewhere as a nod to that. Beasties have no time for modesty, so it’s a proudly-displayed “Best in Show”!
Thanks to Suzi for requesting this awesome Beastie as a special birthday gift for her mum!
You can see more pictures from this parade in the original post, 
This pretty city centre park is the perfect place for a springtime stroll… And you can admire St Patrick’s Cathedral as you wander! It’s right next door.
Of course, a St Patrick’s Day party is probably on the cards for a lot of people. Paddy Beastie will certainly be celebrating…
(Please enjoy your Paddy’s Day drinkies responsibly)
You’re also all invited to the annual monster celebration at Beastie Towers – remember 
… But went off the rails shortly afterwards.
So, will you be raising a glass to St Patrick today too? Be sure to share your party plans with us in the comments!
Don’t worry, we’ll have plenty of opportunities to walk this off later.
Glengesh Pass is pretty spectacular at any time of the year. The last time we were there it was late summer – look at those rolling green hills! It’s also on the way to Glencolmcille, where a Beastie can dip his paws in the Atlantic if the mood takes him.
Mind you, it’s not all sunshine and sand dunes here. Sometimes it can be a bit on the breezy side…
… And the traffic is terrible.
All this would really give you an appetite. Lunchtime! Conveniently enough, we’re just passing through Ardara… Nancy’s Bar here does a cracking lunch, and a very tasty homemade cider.
Alright, time to head north! And because we’re travelling by blog, we can enjoy two sunsets at two different locations. First, Fanad Head, where there’s a beautiful lighthouse to admire…
… And rocks to scramble over.
Next, we can journey to the northernmost point of the island of Ireland – Malin Head.
Then we can cruise by the wide sandy beach at Five Finger Strand…
… Before catching the last of the daylight on our way home.
Don’t forget to leave a rock monster behind to show we were here!
And once we get home, we can warm up by the fire and swap adventuring stories.
Aaaaah! Toasty.
Paddy was up nice and early, so he spotted it first. And of course, the very next thing he did was…
“What IS it, Paddy?”
“Look at that!”
But just looking at the snow was never going to be enough for Paddy. I think it’s time to head outside and play in it, don’t you?
It looks like he already has a project in mind, too. Look at him go!
“It’s a SnowBeastie, Plunkett! What do you think?”
Much better! It’s almost as cute as you are, boys.
… And get toasty again by the stove!
… Or enjoy a picnic together.
Yum!
And if that wasn’t enough, we’re also within walking distance of the National Botanic Gardens…
…The city centre parks of St Stephen’s Green and Iveagh Gardens…
… And spooky St Kevin’s Park, as featured in our 
Plus you never know who you might bump into along the way.
Dublin is also packed full of interesting old buildings to admire. The city is especially well-known for its Georgian-era architecture – a style that was popular for just over a century, beginning in the early 1710s.
How about you? Have you been seeing what’s on your doorstep with fresh eyes these past couple of months? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
So when I suggested we take a trip to Dublin’s spookiest park, he was more than willing to tag along.
The ivy-covered shell of the church stands in the centre of the park, while the gravestones of the old churchyard are propped against the boundary walls. The park officially opened in 1971, and in preparation for this change of use, all the graves were catalogued and the headstones (but not the graves!) relocated. So it’s hardly surprising that stories abound of 
“… Disappointing lack of vampires though.”
… Walked on the lawns…
… Or enjoyed the abundant Autumn colours.
Just then, I heard another small, possibly Beastie-like voice.
Then…
“He’s a bit skittish, isn’t he? I only wanted to ask if he had a spare sandwich. I’m STARVING!”
… He did have a spare sandwich.
Then there was just time to take a quick photo for the Beastie family album before we headed for home.
All in all, a spooktacular day out!
So, what are you up to for Hallowe’en? Be sure to scare us silly with your plans by telling us about them in the comments!