Crafting – Page 6 – Beastie HQ

Light Refreshments at Beastie Towers!

Posted on August 30, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hooray! If it’s Tuesday, it must be New Beastie Day! Here are a couple of the other new additions to the Beastie Towers family who joined us at our market last Saturday…

First up… Caff-Fiend Beastie!
Oh, I do love making Beasties with teeny mugs of hot drinks! And as someone with their feet firmly planted in the tea drinkers’ camp, all of my cup-toting Beasties up to now have been clutching a nice, milky brew. However, I have heard rumblings that some people -SHOCK – prefer coffee! And it turns out that this applies to Beasties too. So, Caff-Fiend Beastie has a big ol’ yellow mug full of rich, strong Americano…
…Although I suspect this might not be his first of the day! Check out his hair – is he perhaps a little frazzled?
Maybe we’d better make him order a chamomile tea next time around!

Of course, our “Drinks Beasties” feature today wouldn’t be complete without a Pint Beastie…
I equipped this Barróg* Beastie (those are the ones made out of 100% Irish wool) with one of my new-style pints, to see if the method worked with other types of beer… How about a nice red ale?

[*“Barróg” is the Irish word for “hug”, by the way!]
Looking good – I’d almost drink this myself! Sláinte!

Have you a favourite tipple that you’d like to see recreated in Beastie-size? Let me know in the comments!

The Recipe for a Monster Day Out!

Posted on August 23, 2016August 23, 2016 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Here at Beastie Towers we like nothing better than heading out together for a fun day at one of our local markets. And even though the weather here was less than stellar on Saturday morning, we still managed to have a good time at the Ha’Penny market – it’s definitely worth a look if you ever find yourself in Dublin!

A few of our group even went home with new human friends – first to go was Cookie Beastie…
…who was snapped up by Ali from A Little Idea, one of our stall neighbours on the day!

Many of the other Beasties who ventured off to pastures new have featured on the BeastieBlog before. But one of my recent additions found a new home too! It’s been a while since I last made a Chef Beastie – perhaps two years – so I really enjoyed cracking out my old templates and making some subtle adjustments to the design. The basic formula is the same – Chef Beasties always need a classic tall white chef’s hat and an apron…
…And I still get a chuckle out of making “useful” things to put in the apron pocket!
Put it all together, and you get…
…And perhaps you can see the BeastiEvolution which has taken place since I made my very first Chef Beastie!Who knows where they’ll go from here? Hmmm…

I have more new Beasties for you to meet, but I’m going to save ’em for next week. In the meantime, Paddy and Plunkett will be back to entertain you with more travellers’ tales on Friday. See you then!

Explorer Beastie Portrait - CrawCrafts Beasties

A Monster Gallery Overhaul!

Posted on August 9, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Info, Knitted Beasties

Aaaah, if only I had a magic wand like Fairy Princess Beastie’s! It would definitely save me an hour or two the next time I take a notion to give the BeastieBlog a little facelift. As it is, I’ve spent the morning looking through photos, making lists and trying to get my poor semi-senile laptop to cooperate… all in the name of deciding which Beasties get to star in my updated Gallery and Hall of Fame pages!

There have been a good few new arrivals in Beastie Towers since I first put the Gallery together back in February, and I wanted to make sure that some of these got a chance to take up residence in the prime internet real estate on my homepage! So I’ve added some recent favourites…
… While still keeping a few familiar faces in there too!

If you have a second, do go and check them out – I’d love to hear what you all think! Especially if you reckon there’s a Beastie missing who should be part of the lineup…

We’ll be back on Friday, with more Beastie antics! See you then… and in the meantime, have a great week!

What's this Beastie up to? CrawCrafts Beasties

Getting Down to the Knitty-Gritty…

Posted on July 26, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Well, this has been a long time coming.
Who would have thought that I had never considered making a knitting Beastie until one of my diligent readers suggested it a couple of months back? But in between commissions, I found a spare minute to make some felt knitting needles (with needle-felted ends), and set this little monster on the road to ~~the same yarn-based addiction that I myself suffer from~~ discovering the joys of knitting!
This Beastie has clearly got the hang of garter stitch already… but then, I suppose knitting is in his genes! I wonder what he’s making? Only time will tell, I suppose…
… But knitting is a great way to pass the time on long journeys. And this Beastie has in fact headed off on a top-secret mission! I’ll let you know how he’s getting on as soon as he reports back!

Speaking of long journeys, I had another Barróg Beastie (those are the ones made from 100% Irish wool) leave Beastie Towers this week. Hurling Beastie is on his way to the USA!Thanks to Kerry for finding him on our Etsy shop, and offering him a brand new home!

Anyway, time for me to get going – I have some Beasties here clamouring for new outfits. I’ll be sharing the results next Tuesday, but don’t forget to pop back on Friday to see Explorer Beastie’s holiday snaps from our recent “staycation”!

Have a great week!

Happy Families at Beastie Towers!

Posted on July 22, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Well, now that we’re back in Beastie Towers, suitably rested and relaxed from our little holiday, it’s business as usual here on the BeastieBlog! I’ve some new Beasties to introduce, and they’re super-excited to meet you all. So, without further ado, here they are… a whole FAMILY of Beasties!

These were made as a very special commission to celebrate the arrival of human baby Roibín… so of course the most important element was a little baby Beastie!
Look how cosy he is in his stripey handknitted blanket! I’ve given him big wide-open eyes and a little tuft of blond hair as well, to more closely match his human counterpart. But of course, we’d better not forget about Mum and Dad…

First of all, pretty Mama Beastie is modelling a mostly hand-stitched skater-style dress… yes, I’m FINALLY trying to do more of my monster tailoring on the sewing machine! All the stitches you can see in the photo are done by hand, but my machine made short work of speeding through the seams. I’ve also made Mama Beastie a necklace similar to the one her human normally wears!
And check out her beautiful blonde merino wool locks!
But what about Papa Beastie? Ah, here he is.
More tailoring here – this time, a bespoke checked shirt! After watching “The Great British Sewing Bee”, I’ve learned the benefit of strategically placing template pieces so the fabric’s patterns line up better on the finished article. I have to admit to being quite pleased with how this little shirt turned out!
And since Mama Beastie is holding the baby, what’s Papa Beastie got? Well, it turns out he’s a bit of a musician, so…
Perfect! Now he can play a gentle lullaby to send Baby Beastie off to sleep!
Here’s wishing this little monster family a nice quiet weekend together! And have any of you got fun family time planned for the next couple of days? Let us know in the comments!

As usual, we’ll be back on Tuesday… and there will be another new Beastie for you to meet, too. See you then!

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Beach Beasties Take a Weight Off - CrawCrafts Beasties

Summertiiiiiiime… And the livin’ is Beastieeeee!

Posted on July 5, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Commissions, Crafting

Happy Tuesday, everyone! And look, I’ve some new Beasties for you to meet!

I’m delighted to introduce you to Beach Babe Beastie and her new Beastie hubby, Outdoor Adventure Beastie!
The person who requested these two little monsters wanted them as a wedding gift for a couple who she described as “summer people” – when the sun starts to shine, they’re the first to dash outside to soak up some rays on the beach or seek out adventure in the countryside! So rather than dress their Beasties up in stiff, formal wedding garb, we decided to go for outfits and accessories that would reflect their love of those long, hot summer days.

Ready for the guided tour? Great – ladies first, then!
With her sunkissed blonde hair and Beastie-sized bikini, Beach Babe Beastie is all set to spend her honeymoon basking on golden sands somewhere in the tropics. And look, someone has brought her a cocktail to sip as she sunbathes!

Then once the sun slips below the horizon, she can pop on a cute floral-print skirt and head out for a relaxed dinner with her Beastie Beloved!
I also gave her a little tote bag, to hold her sunscreen – she needs to preserve her lovely rose-pink complexion, after all.
And of course, she needed a pair of film-star sunglasses to complete her look!
Now, where’s that husband of hers got to? Oh, there he is!
He’s a real outdoors enthusiast, who loves keeping fit and camping under the stars. All this activity has helped him grow a bit taller and musclier than your average Beastie!
While I was making these Beasties, I thought it might be a good opportunity to redesign my Beastie backpacks – the new-style ones close with Velcro instead of snaps, and I think they’re a better, more realistic shape and more sturdily constructed.
They still hold everything an adventurous Beastie needs for a day away, too – in this case, a big bottle of water and a tasty cheese sandwich!
And finally, this guy had to have a pair of sunglasses!
All we need now is a bright sunny day for them to enjoy! But until then, they’ve managed to find a decent substitute…
Hurry up, summer… I need my desk back!

Hope you’re enjoying less apocalyptic weather where you are – my must-have summer accessory this past week has been my umbrella! What do you keep in your beach bag or backpack?

A Pint of Plain is Your Only Man!

Posted on June 28, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Ideas, Knitted Beasties

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Well, I promised you a new Beastie today, and here he is – another Barróg (that’s the Irish word for “hug”, if you haven’t seen it before) Beastie, proudly holding a pint of the very finest felt porter!

Some of you might be thinking, “Big deal! We’ve seen Pint Beasties before!”… But let’s take a closer look at that pint, shall we?
Here at Beastie Towers, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to make some of the Beasties’ favourite accessories! So I decided to put my recent obsession with needle felting to good use, and rework my existing pint design. You can see one of the old-style ones in this photo…

The stitched head on the pint has a tendency to pop up a little bit once everything is sewn together – fine for Eastern European lagers or some Belgian-style ales, but if your pint of Guinness looks like that when it’s served, you should probably send it back. Being something of a perfectionist/masochist/certifiable basket case, especially when it comes to the accurate portrayal of fine ales, I’ve been working on seeking out the perfect Beastie-sized pint. And that’s where the needle felting came in.

Behold! Smoother sides! A flatter top! And a texture that more closely resembles the creamy surface of a freshly-poured pint of the black stuff!

All that adds up to a better pint – and a happier Barróg Beastie! Cheers!

In fact, he’s so delighted that he’d like to share one of his favourite books with you… Now you’ll see where we got the title of this post from!

As for me, I’m looking forward to brewing some more reworked Beastie pints soon – I might try a nice red ale next, or perhaps a summery Weissbier. Any requests? Let me know in the comments!

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A Busy Beastie Weekend!

Posted on June 21, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Explorer Beastie, Info

Wow! Once again, it’s been a busy old week here at Beastie Towers – so much for those “lazy summer days” I keep hearing about. Still, we wouldn’t have it any other way… Especially since Explorer Beastie and I were invited to TWO crafty parties this past weekend!

The first one was a complete surprise – in the middle of last week, we got an invitation to the official opening of a new fabric shop just across the river in Dublin 7. Of course, they had me at “new fabric”, but once I found out that The Fabric Counter was just down the road from the neighbourhood where I used to live when I first moved to Dublin, I had to go and check it out!

Explorer Beastie and I had a great time looking through all the fabrics and trimmings… ALL OF THEM.
There’s also plenty to keep upholsterers and interiors enthusiasts entertained…
…Plus a selection of haberdashery, patterns and a few quirky details to help this lovely spacious shop feel more homely!
You can find out more about The Fabric Counter (including upcoming sewing classes) here, or why not pay them a visit in person?

Thanks so much to Cayeleen for inviting us, and good luck with your new store! Cheers!
And that’s only half the story! Saturday was World Wide Knit In Public Day – a perfect opportunity to catch up with some fellow woollyholics in my local yarn shop!
The Constant Knitter is right in the heart of Dublin’s antique quarter in Francis Street, and is surrounded by galleries, independent cafés and quirky boutiques. Since I’m all about embedding maps today, you can find them here…

… Or non-Dubliners can browse their selection of yarny goodness online!

The Knit in Public event was organised by Dublin Knit Collective, and although I will knit in public pretty much any day of the year, it’s unusual for me to get the chance to knit in company! I had loads of fun chatting with other knitters – including some I hadn’t seen in years – and enjoying lashings of tea and cake!
(In case you were wondering, I tested this cake thoroughly and can confirm that it was as good as it looks!)

There were also PRIZES!
Better yet, I actually won something! (This is NOT normal!) I picked up a lovely Stolen Stitches pattern in the raffle, which I will use as my motivation to someday try my hand at lace knitting.

For the less lazy knitters, there was a speed knitting competition as well – you can find out who won here – but most of us were just happy to take it easy.
Thanks to Dublin Knit Collective and the Constant Knitter for a fun morning!

After that flurry of activity, we’re probably going to put our feet/paws up and get on with some new Beasties over the next couple of days… but don’t forget to pop back in on Friday, when we’ll be catching up with some monster news from overseas! See you then!

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A Sprinkle of Fairy Dust…

Posted on May 31, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hooray! It’s time to spread a bit of new Beastie magic here at Beastie Towers!

This friendly little monster may look like any other Beastie…
… But her accessories might give you a clue about her special secret identity!
Crown, sparkly wings, tutu, wand… Yep, I think we might have a Fairy Princess Beastie here!

All her accessories are handstitched and embellished by yours truly… Well, apart from the tutu. I’m proud to announce that, for once, I embraced 20th century technology and used my sewing machine for the waistband!

So, without further ado, let’s see how Fairy Princess Beastie’s outfit comes together.
Beautiful!

This little monster lady also marks another step forward in Beastie-volution – look at her paws, specially adapted to help her hold onto her wand without help.
As we’re now just heading into summer here in the northern hemisphere, Fairy Princess Beastie should definitely be warm enough in her elegant floaty skirt. But what happens when the weather starts to get colder again?

Don’t worry, Fairy Princess Beastie – we’ve got you covered!
I couldn’t resist knitting a couple of Beastie-sized sweaters in colours that would complement her lovely fuschia-pink skin tone. The blue one even has sparkles!

And of course, these open up all sorts of mix’n’matching possibilities…
This Beastie has already headed off to Germany, to help her new best friend celebrate her birthday! She made sure to bring along a gift, too… Beastie colouring-in pages!
Here’s wishing them lots of magical monster adventures together!

We’ll be back on Friday to share more tales of Beasties abroad… In the meantime, if you’d like a special monster friend of your own, give us a shout. We’d love to hear from you!

Explorer Beastie at the Etsy Offices - CrawCrafts Beasties

Ready for your Closeup?

Posted on May 17, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Explorer Beastie, Info

Explorer Beastie and I have been quite the social butterflies recently – we started with the Irish Blogger Conference at the end of last month, and then last week found us hanging out at the Etsy offices in Dublin city centre! We were there for a one-night Product Photography Course, organised by the Etsy Ireland team. When I heard they were running this, I jumped at the chance to go – my own Etsy shop has a hard time competing with my market setup, so I was hoping to pick up some tips to make it a more fun place to visit!

That, and Etsy’s HQ is an excellent place for an adventurous Beastie to explore…
Once everyone had arrived, and helped themselves to some cake…
…We got started! We all had a chance to introduce ourselves, and talk about what we make, and then we tackled the tricky subject of lighting.

We’re always told that it’s best to take photos in natural light, but in Ireland this poses something of a problem. I’m certainly guilty of holding out for a sunny day to take my pictures, and it seems I’m not the only one! Even in the middle of summer, a rainy day here can mean really limited daylight… and correspondingly dark and unimpressive pictures! Some of the others also pointed out that it’s difficult to get consistency in a set of photos, because natural light changes so much from season to season – or sometimes from one minute to the next! Gaaaah! How do you fix this?

Why, you build a lightbox of course! So we did – well, two of the team members took on the task of transforming a simple cardboard box (free from your local supermarket) into a glamourous miniature photoshoot setting!
Here it is, being used as a backdrop for a couple of beautiful Brookwood Pottery mugs! If you’d like to have a go at making your own, YouTube is just brimming over with “how-to” videos… We watched this one before we started. And most of the things you’ll need are either free, cheap or something you’ll already have at home! We all had fun testing it out, too…
…And here’s Cheerleader Beastie enjoying her moment in the spotlight, as Explorer Beastie watches admiringly from the sidelines!
But of course, he couldn’t resist the lure of the limelight…
The light in this lightbox still has a bit of a pinkish hue, but this can be fixed by using daylight bulbs instead of standard lightbulbs. Javier from CartabanCards showed us another way to make a lightbox, this time using LED camping flashlight tubes and pieces of a simple slot-together storage unit. I think the lighting in this one works much better for showing off Beasties in their best light!
Doesn’t Explorer Beastie look handsome? And look at how well this setup worked for this stunning vintage-style doll’s dress from DinahsDolls…
… And how it makes the colours pop in Maeve Croly‘s embroidery sample!
All in all, we had a great time and learned loads! It was super to make contact with some other local Etsyans as well, and swap tips and stories. I’m especially interested to try out Snapseed, which allows you to edit photos on your phone or tablet!

Thanks to the Etsy Ireland team for organising the course, and especially to Claire from mIrishDublin and Javier for teaching us! Claire also put together an Etsy treasury afterwards featuring some of the goodies from each of our shops… if you’re in need of a treat for someone (or for yourself), you could well find it there!

We’ll be back on Friday to check up on a Beastie abroad… in the meantime, if you have any top photography tips of your own please share them with us in the comments!

Have a great week!

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