Beasties in the Garden

Explorer Beastie in the Kale
I’m yet to knit a Beastie with green fingers (or any visible fingers, for that matter), but it seems to me that they’re managing fine in the garden without them. Here’s Explorer Beastie, celebrating his return home from his travels by mucking around in some kale!
Explorer Beastie and Gardener Beastie
He’s not the only one outside today. I guess this must be Gardener Beastie, who is clearly hard at work!
Gardener Beastie with Seedlings
It looks like she’s already pulled up some carrots for dinner. Now she just needs to check on the seedlings…

Gardener Beastie with Rhubarb
…admire the rhubarb…

Gardener Beastie with Ladybirds
…and say hello to some helpful garden friends.

Gardener Beastie Accessories
She also insisted I include a close-up of her beautiful felt gardening basket and seed packet.

In other news, the BeastieBlog is going to be a bit quiet for the next week and a half! I’m off to Roscommon (the land where internet fears to tread) to help out on the farm. Away from the distractions of the digital age, I will have no excuses not to knit like a woman possessed… which is just as well, because I have another selling opportunity on the horizon! Check out Creative Collective Ireland on Facebook for more details!

Rambo Beastie

Rambo Beastie

About a month ago, Boyfriend and Flatmate decided it was time to revisit the Rambo films. I have to say, they don’t make especially good knitting radio, since the soundtrack is more explosions, gunfire and screaming than actual dialogue, but they did give me an idea for a new Beastie. I am proud to introduce… Rambo Beastie!
Rambo on the Rocks

He’s a little less smiley than some of my other creations, but he’s had a pretty rough time of it these last few years.
Rambo Closeup

However, I did my best to cheer him up with some authentic Rambo accessories – combat trousers with a real leather belt, red bandana and an awesome 80s hairdo!
Rambo Beastie with Accessories

Oh yes, and he has a replica of the knife from the first film – lovingly recreated in lethally sharp… felt. Ahem.
Rambo Beastie's Knife

I was hoping he’d stick around for a while, but it wasn’t long before he escaped back into the woods on another one-Beastie campaign…
Rambo Beastie in the Woods

More new Beasties coming soon!

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

St Patrick's Day Parade

I woke up this morning to find my street closed to traffic and overrun with people in leprechaun costumes.  Must be St Patrick’s Day, then!  My building is actually on the parade route, so the Beasties and I had front-row seats for the whole show.  Since Explorer Beastie still isn’t back, I thought I’d let Green Sweetheart Beastie take the lead on this one… Enjoy!Viking Float

"The Wheels of Time" Float

LSU Marching Band

"Celtic Tiger" Float

"History of Love" Float

Beastie Close-Up

Thanks for dropping by… have a great St Patrick’s Day, wherever you are!

A Marvellous Day Out… with Victorian Explorer Beastie

Top of Bray Head

Okay, I don’t want to alarm anybody, but the other day I went into the living room to find a note on the floor…
Explorer Beastie Note

I’m sure he’s totally fine. He’s big enough to look after himself, and he did set out with a fresh sandwich in his backpack. That said, if anyone sees Explorer Beastie in the next couple of days, could you please ask him to call home?

Meanwhile, a new member of the family has dropped in to say hello. A throwback to the heyday of gentleman explorers, Victorian Explorer Beastie never goes anywhere without his pith helmet and a hipflask of good-quality gin (it’s hidden in his knapsack). Since the sun was out yesterday, I asked him to accompany me on a day trip to Bray – a seaside town just south of Dublin, in Co. Wicklow. It was a popular holiday destination back in the day, and I figured he’d feel right at home there.

The best way to get to Bray is to take the train. The DART (Dublin Area Rapid Transit) gets you out there from the city centre in about 45 minutes, and the journey is an event in itself. Just make sure you’re sitting on the left-hand side of the train, or you’ll miss all the good stuff!

Victorian Explorer Beastie on the train
For the first few minutes, the train passes through regular cityscape scenery – office buildings, houses, apartment blocks. Then, suddenly, you break out into this:
Sandymount Strand

Sandymount Strand is a long, flat beach which is featured in James Joyce’s “Ulysses”. My quick snap from the grafitti-scratched train window doesn’t really convey the scale and the peacefulness of this stretch of coastline, but it makes it hard to believe that the city is just a few seconds back up the line! However, the star of the show is the section of the line between Dun Laoghaire and Killiney. Here, the track hugs the cliffs, allowing you to enjoy a head-spinning view of the small, sandy coves below (impossible to photograph, at least for someone with my current level of expertise) or a more tranquil vista of the Irish Sea.
Bray Head from the train
Once we arrived in Bray, we headed for the beach…
Victorian Explorer Beastie on the Beach

…walked along the promenade…
Victorian Explorer Beastie on the Promenade
… and then decided it would be a great day to climb Bray Head!

Bray Head

It was a pretty steep climb…
Climbing Bray Head

… but the view from the top was totally worth it!
View View from the top of Bray Head

And so was running all the way back down again!
Tree roots on Bray Head

Look out for more adventures with Victorian Explorer Beastie in the next while… at least until Explorer Beastie makes it home!

 

Liebster Award – it’s like Oscars Night all over again! (Sort of)

Well, a little exaggeration never hurt anyone… Many thanks to lovely Roma at Cottage on the Green, who has nominated me for one of these:

Liebster Award logo

If you have a minute, check out her blog – it always makes me smile!

Anyway, it seems that I have some work to do before I can swan off down the red carpet and start swigging champagne like it’s going out of fashion. Let’s start with some rules… the first rule of Liebster Awards is that you do not talk ab… no, that’s not right. The rules are:

*Thank the person who has nominated you and link back to their blog (by posting a link on yours).

*Copy and display the award in your blog post available from here

*Answer the 11 questions about yourself, which are given to you by the person who nominated you.

*Write 11 random facts about yourself.

*Nominate 5 – 11 blogs/bloggers that you feel deserve the award. They need to have less than 1000 followers.

*Think of 11 new questions for the bloggers you have nominated and write them in your post.

So, it looks like you’ll be finding out more about me this week. Here goes…
1) Where would you most like to visit?
I’d love to travel on the Trans-Siberian Railway. Not really a destination, but never mind.
2) What item do you treasure most?
It’s a tie between my spiffy fabric scissors, the bookshelves my Dad made for me and the toy monkey I got on my first Christmas.
3) What craft do you admire most?
All of them. Seeing a skilled craftsperson at work is the most fascinating thing, whatever they’re doing.
4) What is your favourite meal?
Pie or sushi. But not together.
5) What is your favourite TV program?
Murder, She Wrote.
6) What makes you laugh?
My boyfriend.
7) What is the best time of day?
MEALTIMES.
8) Who is your favourite author?
Truman Capote.
9) What is your favourite flower?
Cactus flowers.
10) What must you do before leaving the house?
About six entirely unnecessary things.
11) Do you wear a watch?
Yes.

11 Random Facts About Me
1) I can sleep anywhere, apart from on long-haul flights.
2) I hate getting up early, especially when alarm clocks are involved.
3) I brew my own beer.
4) I once worked on a commercial pig farm for a week, to learn where sausages come from.
5) I have flown a plane, but can’t drive a car.
6) I am unbelievably, hilariously bad at singing.
7) I need at least 2 cups of tea a day to function.
8) I still listen to cassette tapes.
9) I would never go to the cinema alone.
10) I don’t really understand the appeal of Twitter.
11) I find it incredibly difficult to compile lists of information about myself.

I’d like to nominate:
Monster Maven

Make + Do

Strey Creative

Manon’s Maze

CultureGeek

A Wandering Teacup

…And my 11 questions are:
1) Where would you most like to revisit?
2) What’s the most useful thing you own?
3) What’s your guilty pleasure?
4) Do you tend to arrive late, early or on time?
5) What’s your hot drink of choice?
6) Where is the scariest place you’ve been?
7) What makes you nostalgic?
8) What annoys you?
9) What was your favourite childhood TV show?
10) What item of clothing do you most regret wearing?
11) Yippee! You have an unexpected day off! How do you spend it?

Thanks for reading! To wrap up, I’ll include a picture of some Beasties with the giant box of tea (“Knitting Fuel”) I was forced to buy yesterday… it was either monster-sized Lyons or any other tea, so that decision pretty much made itself.
Beastie Tea Party

Pirates, Ninjas and… Skiing?

Pirate Beastie

At last!
I’ve had some new Beasties “in progress” for what feels like forever, and last week I finally got around to putting on the last of their accessories and taking them outside for a photoshoot.

First of the new recruits is Pirate Beastie… I took him down to the Docklands on a sunny weekday afternoon so that I could photograph him alongside the Jeanie Johnston, a replica tall ship which is permanently moored in the River Liffey.
Pirate Beastie and the Jeanie Johnston

When I was making Pirate Beastie, I really went overboard (ha! Pun totally intended) with the pirate stereotypes. So he has a lot going on – natty matching hat and belt, cutlass, eyepatch, peg leg and, of course, a cheeky knitted parrot to keep him company!
Pirate Beastie Full Length

After completing my scurvy sea dog, I moved on to a stealthier project… Ninja Beastie!

Ninja Beastie

Ninja Beastie wears a black jumpsuit to help him melt into the shadows, and is bristling with teeny ninja weapons! They may be made of felt, but that doesn’t make them any less deadly. I gave him a pair of sai, to hang from his belt…
Ninja Beastie Sai

… a sword…
Ninja Beastie Sword

… and a shuriken throwing star.
Ninja Beastie Shuriken

Then I brought him to the Chester Beatty Library, in the grounds of Dublin Castle, to take his photo. This museum houses a collection of artefacts from the Middle and Far East, so it seemed an appropriate setting!
Ninja Beastie Chester Beatty Library

And finally – only a few days after the closing ceremony at the Sochi Winter Olympics (I have to admit I became kind of addicted to winter sports these last few weeks), a specially-commissioned Skier Beastie (or should that be Beast-Ski? Ski-stie?) met his new owner!
Ski Beastie

His skis and ski poles are detachable, too… that way he doesn’t have to miss out on the apres-ski!

See you next time!

New Beasties in New Places…

Sweetheart Beasties

Meet some more of my new arrivals!

I’ve been making these Sweetheart Beasties with a view to reviving my long-dormant Etsy shop in time for Valentine’s Day! If you have a second, why not drop in and pay them a visit?
Beasties on Etsy

Sharing Beasties in more places meant heading out for another photo shoot – this time I chose Iveagh Gardens, one of my favourite Dublin parks. Even though it’s right in the city centre, it’s a little tricky to find, and with its crumbling statues and high walls, it feels like you’ve stumbled into the Secret Garden…

Red Valentine Beastie Red Rose Beastie met a stony-faced lady…

Sweetheart Beastie … While Pink Sweetheart Beastie battled through the miniature maze to reach the sundial at the centre.

I’ve also been busy this week making my own selection of Valentine’s cards. I have to admit that I’ve never been the biggest fan of Valentine’s Day, so I decided to make the kind of cards I’d like to see. Was this a good idea? I’ll let you decide…

Valentine Cards 2

Have a great weekend!

Goth Beastie

Goth Beastie

Meet the first of my new Beasties – Goth Beastie!

Black hair, black dress, black makeup – and just to add a little colour, a bunch of black roses.  I also had a heap of fun putting an appropriate amount of metalwork in her ears… you can just about see the earrings in this closeup!

Goth Beastie Closeup

My local area provided me with the perfect backdrop for these photos – St Kevin’s Park, which was originally the site of St Kevin’s Church.  The church’s graveyard was cleared in the 1960s, and many of the headstones were moved and propped up against the walls.  The ruined shell of the old church still stands in the middle of the park, making it an incredibly sinister place to enjoy an alfresco lunch, but an ideal hangout for Goth Beastie.

Meet Explorer Beastie

Explorer Beastie 1

I think it’s about time Explorer Beastie made a special guest appearance on my BeastieBlog.  I actually made him before Christmas – work commenced in quiet moments behind my market stall table in November – and he has been providing me with stuff to talk about on my Beasties Facebook page ever since.  I have equipped him for adventure, by filling his backpack with everything he’ll need on his travels…

Sandwich and Compass

… So now I have an excuse to photograph him getting up to all sorts of mischief.
Christmas Explorer Beastie

Beastie in Curragh

(The conveniently Beastie-sized boat is a minature Boyne Curragh – a traditional Irish river boat made from hazel wood and cow hide.  You can find out more about them here)

I have also taken him out and about with me on my wanderings around Dublin.  Unfortunately, since we are currently in the depths of winter, his expeditions have been mostly limited to cafes…
Brother Hubbard Cafe (Brother Hubbard, Capel Street)

… And bars.

Against the Grain (Against the Grain, Wexford Street)

But I’m optimistic that when spring comes around, he’ll get to go further afield.
Explorer Beastie 2

I’m also working on some new friends for him, who should be ready soon!
Have a great weekend!