Hello there Beastie friends! I hope you’ve been enjoying travelling around with Paddy and Plunkett these last few weeks – if you’ve missed out you can catch up with their latest antics here, here and here. Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you. All done? Great! Let’s greet a new Beastie, then… It’s been a while, hasn’t it? But this one is dye -ing to meet you too!
Hello there, monster lady!
This Beastie girl was created as a very special birthday gift… And as you might have guessed from the title and subsequent puns, copying her human counterpart’s supercool hairdo was a really big part of this project! Let’s take a closer look at that colourful barnet, shall we?
So, we’ve got rich, natural dark brown at the top, multi-tonal blues at the ends… And her hair is curly, too!
Getting this to work really did take a bit of pondering. You see, when humans dye their hair like this, it’s not too tricky. The ends are bleached, dyed in your colour of choice, and then you can enjoy watching the ever-changing tones as the dye gradually fades. Being wool, Beastie hair responds much less positively to the initial bleaching treatment, and that meant I had to start by turning the entire process on its head!
So, I selected a couple of yarns from my stash – one solid blue and one multicoloured hand-dye helped me capture the right array of hues – and set about colouring the “root” ends darker to get the effect I wanted. Since I was only dyeing a very small amount, some sums were involved to make sure I got the reduced quantities of ingredients in the correct proportions. This, and the mixing that followed, had me feeling very much like a mad monster-making scientist!
Then, using highly technical apparatus (consisting of wooden clothes pegs, chopsticks and a repurposed butter tub), I set about dip-dyeing my pre-cut yarn strands. I worked with a colour called Espresso Brown initially, but when two separate dyeing sessions left me with a shade that was more “milk chocolate”, I picked up a sachet of black dye and used it to mix my own custom blend. Phew – third time lucky! I finally had a colour I was happy with, and once everything dried out, I was able to crack on with my usual Beastie hairdressing.
Talk about a learning experience! But it was really cool to take control of my colour selections in this way, and I’d definitely do it again – especially when it comes to trying to match the human hair tones that commercial yarn companies seldom offer in their ranges.
But there’s more to this Beastie than her hairstyle, y’know! To complete her look, I dressed her in black leggings and a black hoodie…
And of course, the hood can be worn up or down. There are even holes for her ears to poke through!
And… Wait a sec, don’t go!
Aha! She’s just fetching her four-legged friends to join the photoshoot. Hello, Beastie pups!
These little scamps are Beastie pugaliers – just like the full-size ones that her new human friend has at home!
When I saw photos of the family’s dogs, I noticed that they both had quite distinctive markings. So I used needle felting to make their Mini-Mes as close as possible to the full-size versions! Meet Beastie Lucy…
… And Beastie Sanjay!
And now that we’re all here… WALKIES!
How about you? Have you tackled something new recently? If you have, tell us all about it in the comments!
Aaaaand Paddy and Plunkett will be back next week, so be sure to join us then!
But Paddy and Plunkett were in a bit of a pickle when we left them 
Fortunately, I was getting all alarmed over nothing… Turns out that this rather large octopus is a big fan of the boys, and couldn’t wait to snatch them up for a hug and a photo!
Anything else lurking in the shadows? The 
He’s wandered into the Seahorse Nursery, another of the Sea Zoo’s ongoing conservation projects.
Pollution of the world’s oceans with plastic is already having a serious impact on marine life… And unless we fix this plastic problem, all of the fantastic creatures Paddy and Plunkett met here could vanish from the seas forever! They don’t want to see this any more than I do, so they asked me to wrap up this post by sharing a few little things we can all do to bin the plastic… For good.
The Menai Strait is the narrow stretch of water that separates the island of Anglesey from the Welsh mainland. It looks calm enough here, doesn’t it? But strong and ever-changing tidal currents make it highly unpredictable and tricky to cross. In the past, this served the locals well – Anglesey was one of the last refuges of the Druids, at a time when they were being displaced all over Britain by the arrival of the Romans.
The Lobster Hatchery is one of several conservation projects based here in Anglesey Sea Zoo. Overfishing in the 1980s meant that local wild lobster populations took a huge hit, so the Hatchery is here to help them get back on their spiny little feet. The main focus of their work is a captive breeding programme, but research and education are also important aspects of what they do.
Well, moon jellies, if you’re going to be particular about it… But they do have an otherworldly look to them, don’t they? He could have watched them for hours – which is unusual for Paddy!
And although Paddy was momentarily distracted by the starfish that was taking a stroll across the front of the tank…
… It wasn’t long before he found a new way to pass the time – playing hide and seek with the fish!
But what’s that stirring in the hidden depths of the aquarium? Uh-oh!
By all accounts, Paddy was ready to storm off in a huff… Until Plunkett corrected himself. Parys Mountain is a mine – in fact, during its heyday in the 18th and 19th centuries, it was the largest copper mine in Europe.
“Look, Plunkett! Blue and orange rocks!”
“Hmmmm, what have we here? An old stone windmill, perhaps for pumping water out of the mineshafts? Fascinating! And look at that stonework!”
“Wow! That’s pretty incredible!”
It really is! And all the more so when you remember that this massive hole in the ground…
Hey there, Cool Dad Beastie – and sweet little Baby Girl Beastie too! This charming woolly pair were requested as a super-special Father’s Day gift for a new dad. A very new dad… Father’s Day 2019 was his first! So, to help the festivities go with a trademark Beastie bang, these two little monsters needed to make sure that their human counterparts recognised them straight away.
Her new human friend is heading for her first birthday, so this Baby Beastie is also a little bigger than some of the 
… And these straps unclip too, making the sling removable!
Here you go, Dad Beastie!
I think it’s time for a hug!
Heehee! Look how teeny she is!
And look, he’s into craft beer too! These two new friends will have lots to talk about. Regular BeastieBlog readers will recognise the brand of beer from 
Yum!
Thanks so much to Deirdre from 
We’ll be back next week (hopefully!) with more monster mayhem… See you then!
Is it because of their shared curiosity about the world around them? Or just because they both have pointy ears? Either way, my first Beasties with their own feline friends proved popular at 
… Enjoying some cosy feline cuddles in their new home!
Then, a black cat this time… With bright green eyes!
Eagle-eyed readers will also notice that the cat is sitting the other way around in the Beastie’s paws… So Orange Beastie and Blue Beastie will make a lovely matching pair when they’re together!
Oh, hello Ophelia! No, don’t worry… I wouldn’t dream of doing a photoshoot without including you too.
Thanks so much to Rosa for this Beastie request… And for giving Ophelia an excuse to drop into the BeastieBlog 
This beautiful beach with its tempting turquoise waters greeted the boys as they set out from 
“Plunkett! LOOK!”
… He will be able to admire its 21 soaring arches in relative peace.
The port at Mallaig is the gateway to the Western Isles, and although Paddy would happily have traded in his rail ticket for the chance to be captain of a pirate ship, Plunkett gently reminded him that this post is supposed to be about trains. Speaking of which… We’ve another one to catch! Don’t be late!
Plunkett reckoned that it was close enough – this still-active steam train is 
A few trains later, the boys were back in Glasgow… And because travelling Beasties know how to have a good time, they invited themselves into an empty penthouse suite in a nearby hotel for a little R&R.
“Can’t talk! Eating!”
“Not bad at all! Hey Plunkett, where are we off to next?”
And, in Russian-doll-like fashion, that’s removable too!
Aha! It’s a blue running top! I chose a colour that matches the shirt Human Bruce got for taking part in the Dublin Marathon… See, I told you he was sporty! His stripey beanie hat is also a marathon souvenir.
Good work, Beastie Bruce! It gives me great pleasure to present you with this special Beastie-sized medal.
How about a tasty croissant to snack on? It’s Human Bruce’s favourite way to start the day! This one is made of felted wool – the perfect low-fat, high-fibre treat for a Beastie on the go.
I think he’s finally good to go!
Oh, and although he’s been wearing them throughout all the pictures in this post, let’s not forget those glasses! Some careful work with needle and pliers meant that I could capture the thin metal frames of Human Bruce’s specs.
Phew! It’s only when I write a post like this that I realise how much goes into each and every Beastification. Still, this was such a fun project. Then seeing Human Bruce sharing pictures of his new monster buddy was the icing on the cake!
Well, I can now reveal that this place with the lovely view is Fort William, in the Scottish Highlands!
It may be shrouded in mist, but it’s pretty difficult to hide completely. It’s Scotland’s highest mountain, after all!
“This is the sally port, Paddy! They used it to bring in supplies by boat back in the day. Look at that stonework…”
Perfect for little short Beastie legs! And luckily for the boys, just as their paws began to get tired, they happened upon a friendly local who offered them a lift home.
We’ll rejoin the boys in a couple of weeks. Next week… A new Beastie friend for you all to meet. And this one has SO MANY ACCESSORIES!
Hmmm… There is a lot of water around. It’s coming down from the sky too, by the looks of things. Hopefully it won’t rain for their entire trip!
… And were soon speeding along the road to their next port of call – Glasgow!
They might have hung out in the square a little longer than planned… Quick, get to the train station!
The boys got a few funny looks as they navigated the turnstile – honestly, you’d think people had never seen a Beastie before. But luckily they got to their seats just in time.
Well, I say seats – they find they get a much better view when they stand on the table.