Knitted Beasties – Page 14

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!

Plunkett at Samphire Hoe - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

White Cliffs and Teeny Trains

Posted on August 5, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties, Paddy and Plunkett

Paddy and Plunkett’s tour of the southeast of England continues! Today they’re down by the famous White Cliffs of Dover, which are shining brightly in the sunshine. In fact, Plunkett seems to be quite dazzled by them!
While they were here, the boys decided to have a look around Samphire Hoe Country Park. It’s a relatively new attraction in these parts – when work on the Channel Tunnel began in the 1980s, this area was given the (questionable) honour of being the dumping ground for all the chalk they dug out of the sea bed. The soil was used to reclaim 30 hectares of land from the sea, and a wall was built offshore to create an artificial lagoon. Then Mother Nature was left to recolonise the park as she saw fit!
There are a variety of different habitats to explore, and the lads even met a sunbathing adder on their travels – unfortunately they just weren’t quick enough with the camera to get a picture!

Then in the afternoon, it was time for something completely different!
Oooh, look at that lovely old train! But all is not as it seems…
Welcome to New Romney station, on the Romney, Hythe and Dimchurch heritage railway line – home of Britain’s largest model railway! Even Paddy and Plunkett felt like giants among these miniature landscapes!
They especially liked this part – well, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a monster day out for all the family?
But what really got Paddy’s attention was waiting just outside – real trains, scaled down to one third their usual size! Perfect for a little woolly monster… Let’s just hope Plunkett managed to stop him from taking one for a test drive!
We’ll be back on Tuesday with more monster antics! In the meantime, have a super weekend… and please get in touch immediately if a small green monster in an Aran sweater careens past you in what looks like a stolen miniature train!

Another Monster Big Day!

Posted on August 2, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Hey there Beastiebuddies! It’s Tuesday again, so that means I am duty bound to introduce you to the newest arrivals here at Beastie Towers – and since wedding season is still in full swing, it looks like you’re actually getting TWO new Beasties for the price of one. Don’t say I ain’t good to ya!

Ooookaaay, where shall we start? Aha! Here comes the bride now.
Isn’t she pretty? I loved styling her beautiful long hair!

Her dress is an understated yet elegant ivory satin, with a fitted wool bodice and net petticoats, and she has a veil to match… topped with pale yellow roses, to complement her golden skintone.
This Beastie bride’s human counterpart is a big fan of board games, so I also made her a personalised miniature Scrabble tile necklace to complete her outfit!
And what’s that in her paw?
It’s a “Carcassonne” board game, shrunk to Beastie size! Apparently this is the human bride’s very favourite board game, and I thought Beastie Bride would like one too.
I used felt as the background, then appliquéd hand-cut pieces of felt on for the larger blocks of colour, before adding in the details and lettering with hand-stitched embroidery. The finished box measures just 5x6cm!

But let’s not forget about the groom! He’s looking dapper in a navy felt and wool suit, and his golden yellow tie is a thoughtful nod to his lady-wife’s complexion.
And because he’s an enthusiastic Latin scholar and budding writer, I couldn’t quite convince him to leave his dictionary and favourite pen at home…
…But I did manage to attach them both to his jacket…
…So he can show off his sweet dance moves at the reception!
Congratulations to the bride and groom, and thanks to Niamh for requesting this fun commission as a gift for her friends!
We’ll be back on Friday, when we’ll be checking up on Paddy and Plunkett. Let’s hope the sun is still shining on them, wherever they are…

Until then, have a super week!

Visting the Oak Fairy - CrawCrafts Beasties

Explorer Beastie’s Holiday!

Posted on July 29, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Knitted Beasties

As some of you might already know, Explorer Beastie and I took a couple of days off last week and escaped to the countryside! And we really couldn’t have timed it better, since our trip coincided with another brief guest appearance from the ever-elusive Irish Summer.

Explorer Beastie couldn’t wait to get outside…

…And he was soon on the lookout for the perfect sunbathing spot. Check out that view behind him!

Aaaah, just right!
But it’s not in Explorer Beastie’s nature to spend an entire day sitting around. It was only a matter of time before his thirst for adventure got the better of him… Fortunately, we found the perfect place for him to explore! What’s down that path, I wonder?
Ooooh, interesting! Let’s check this out!

First we had to walk through the woven willow tunnel…
…And look what we found on the other side!
A fairy house! At first, we thought this was a one-off… But then we spotted more!
We’d stumbled on an entire fairy town in the forest! Some of the houses were easier to reach than others…
…But Explorer Beastie enjoyed lunch at the Dew Drop Inn, and a quick browse in the bookstore afterwards.
He also had fun taking pictures with our new friend Izzy! Here she is helping us to set up a photo beside a perfectly Beastie-size house. Thanks, Izzy!
We never did find the owner of “The Giant’s Lair”… although I think he must have been at home recently!
Clearly he shares my love of doing the dishes!

After our forest walk, we stopped in the courtyard for human-sized food before heading for home. Explorer Beastie waited for us in the herb garden!
What are you all up to this weekend? If you find yourself in Slieve Gullion Forest Park, don’t forget to say hi to our fairy friends in the forest!

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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David Bowie Beastie, A Special Commission by CrawCrafts Beasties

Scary Monsters (And Super Beasts)

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

Loyal Beastie spotters will already have seen this picture on our Instagram yesterday, but in case you missed it here’s a clue to the identity of the new Beastie you’ll be meeting today…

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A post shared by CrawCrafts Beasties (@crawcraftsbeasties)

And here’s how he turned out – meet David Bowie Beastie!
Or should that be Beastie Stardust? Either way, I had fun playing makeup artist to a real life monster rock star! The famous “stripe” is mainly felt appliqué, but with the finest lines embroidered in black cotton…
…Then I picked some chunky merino yarn to recreate his signature brilliant red feathered hairdo!
Since this Beastie is going to live with a human mum and her recently-arrived little one, we decided to keep his accessories to a minimum – just in case he ends up babysitting! Even so, I thought I could add a touch of glam rock style to his jumpsuit by using a shiny cotton and viscose yarn, and popping on some over-the-top satin shoulder pads…
Thanks to Tracy for requesting this very special Beastie as a gift for her friend! The idea had been stewing in my brain for a while, and it was great to finally have an excuse to make it a reality.

Here’s wishing you all a monster week, and don’t forget to share your favourite David Bowie song with us in the comments!

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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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May in Beastie Towers

Posted on June 14, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Info, Knitted Beasties

Wow, May was a busy month for us this year! It feels like the Beasties and I were on the go all the time, taking full advantage of all the fun and games that the crafting and blogging communities have to offer! So, today I’ve decided to follow the lead of Jem Arrowsmith Knits and Claireabelle Makes, and do a roundup of everything we got up to last month. I’d like to relive every moment in glorious technicolour – and hopefully it will keep you all entertained until I can share the top secret projects I’ve been working on lately behind the scenes!

First up, new arrivals! May saw the addition of two new Beasties to our worldwide monster family – another Diver Beastie and a sweet little Fairy Princess Beastie!
We also got updates from a few Beasties abroad – Antonello and Tiziana Beastie headed to Perugia with their Beastiekitty in tow, MiniBeastie discovered some appropriately teeny alpine plants at Wisley Gardens, and Finn McSpool settled into his new home in Portland, Oregon!
Oh, and of course Paddy and Plunkett were out and about!
But for once, they weren’t the only ones living the high life! Explorer Beastie and I ventured out of the Beastie Towers craft lab and learned about taking better photos, met some fellow bloggers over dinner and took some time out in the countryside!
We also enjoyed meeting up with some of our crafty colleagues – it’s always fun for me to talk shop with other people who find wool and fabric as compelling as I do, and Explorer Beastie likes making new friends too! Here he is hanging out chez Guadalupe Creations, and getting up close and personal with some felt viruses at Niki Collier‘s studio!
You’d think after that little lot, we’d be ready for a rest… but no! Here’s a taster of one of the Beastie projects we have in the pipeline for the coming months…
…AAAAAND I’m really excited to announce that, for the summer at least, I’ll be cutting back on the amount of time I spend in Other Work to focus more on all things Beastie! As well as working through my latest batch of commissions, I’m hoping to convert some of this extra free time into market appearances, testing out some new designs and, dare I say it, starting to get ready for Christmas! That, and we might finally squeeze in a holiday somewhere!

(I wish… :D)

We’ll be back on Friday with more monster shenanigans! See you then!

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Leabhar Beastie Closeup - CrawCrafts Beasties

A Very Beastie Birthday in Portland, Oregon

Posted on June 3, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties

Hooray! It’s finally Friday! So I thought we’d get the weekend off to a great (and slightly earlier than usual) start by visiting another Beastie abroad. This time, we’re skipping across the pond to Portland, Oregon, where a book-loving Beastie has made a new home for himself with writer and artist Tammie Painter – talk about a match made in heaven! He arrived just in time to join her for her birthday celebrations… Let’s see what they got up to! Oh, and I’d also recommend sticking around on Tammie’s blog to check out her incredibly finely-detailed artwork, or stop into her Etsy shop for some Father’s Day themed gift ideas 🙂

Tammie Painter

As promised many moons ago when I revamped my blog, although I no longer have a regular travel feature, I will occasionally share any travel adventures I do have. Last week was my birthday and to celebrate I decided I’d take a tour of Portland’s Japanese Garden.

While I do love gardens, there were a few ulterior motives behind this choice. First, it was free thanks to the Cultural Pass from my local library; second, it was only a short hop away from where I wanted to have a birthday pint; and third, I was hoping to get a few reference photos for future art projects.

Oh, and last but not least, I had a new friend who had recently moved to Portland from Ireland and wanted to see a few sites in his new home.

Meet Finn McSpool Beastie

Look at that face. how could anyone resist him? Finn…

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