Beasties – Page 43

Taking Care of Beastie Business!

Posted on January 23, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Ah, January! Cold, dark days, nights that begin at 4.30 in the afternoon and the Christmas lights in the streets haven’t been taken down yet, but they aren’t being switched on any more either… Well, that’s what’s happening in Dublin, anyway. So, what better time for me to tackle one of my New Year’s resolutions head-on, and get the Beasties’ Etsy shop going again?

Ta-daaaaaah! My first three listings went live this morning, and I’ll be adding more over the next few days. If you have a spare second, please pop over and visit the Beasties in their new online home… Etsy’s such a massive place these days, I’m worried they’ll get lost in there! I’d also love to hear any feedback you might have about the shop, or your own experiences of buying or selling online… tell me all about it in the comments!

Happy Friday everybody, hope you all have a monster weekend!

Oh, I almost forgot!

Posted on January 14, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

Christmas is a strange time – a veritable Bermuda triangle for thoughts, ideas and good intentions. In all the madness of present-buying, meeting up with friends who were home from overseas, card-making and holding down a job in retail, it seemed that I had hardly any spare minutes to sit down and share my Beastie news. Then it all got lost in a fug of turkey and brandy butter, and further buried as I started formulating all kinds of madcap monster schemes for the new year ahead.

But today, I took some time to go through the photos in my camera and I found these pictures. I realised that I’d never had a chance to introduce you all to Artist Girl Beastie, because she was commissioned as a gift and I didn’t want to accidentally spoil someone’s Christmas morning! So, without further ado… here she is!

Like my other Artist Beasties, she has a felt beret, artist’s palette…

… a paintbrush, and a paint-spattered smock!
But I also thought I would give her a mop of blonde hair (complete with artsy bohemian braids)…

… And a fun polka-dot top to relax in at the end of a hard day’s painting!

In the last couple of days, I’ve delivered two more made-to-order Beasties to their new homes… pictures to follow soon! And in other news, thanks to Roma at Craft Odyssey for nominating me for a Liebster Award – I’ll be sure to answer all her questions and introduce you to some of my favourite blogs in an upcoming post!

Thanks for reading… have a monster week!

Beastie New Year!

Posted on January 6, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Knitted Beasties

Happy new year, everybody!

Well, nice as it’s been to put our feet/paws up and relax over the holidays, the Beasties and I are now ready to launch ourselves at 2015. Let’s see what delights it can offer to a lady and her ever-growing brood of woolly monsters!

But first, a quick overview of 2014 – looking back, it was a pretty eventful year! It saw Beasties venturing into uncharted waters…

… Catching up with old friends…

… Dabbling in the arts…

…And growing to new heights!

Together, we’ve been to markets, pop up shops and high street stores, so we’ve learned a lot about the best places to introduce Beasties to new human friends. And as a result, my little monsters have headed off to homes in some far-flung places, including Germany, the USA and Norway! I’ve also had fun making some personalised Beasties to order… This is Colm Beastie, who, like his namesake, enjoys running marathons and the odd pint of Guinness. I LOVED doing his hair!
I also made a sister for Explorer Beastie. She hit the road almost as soon as she was off the knitting needles, and was last seen enjoying Christmas dinner in Argentina!

And of course, Explorer Beastie has been popping up all over the place!

I’m intrigued to see where his travels take him in 2015!

And that brings us neatly back to the whole point of this post – what are we going to get up to this year? I figure that if I share some of my plans with you all on the BeastieBlog, I’d be that little bit more likely to actually DO them. So, in 2015, the Beasties and I solemnly swear to…

Keep in touch more often, with more photos, blog posts and Facebook updates
Revive and revitalise our Etsy store
Hang out at markets more, because we always have a great time there
Learn some new skills – just to keep things interesting!

Stay tuned to see how we get on… and thanks to everyone who stopped by to say hello during 2014. Hopefully you’ll stick around and follow us on more monster adventures! And we’d love to hear your plans for the coming year – how will you be spending 2015?

Merry Beastmas!

Posted on December 25, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Well, it’s here at last! Merry Christmas to all my Beastie buddies, old and new! The Beasties and I will be back in the new year with more adventures… In the meantime, enjoy your celebrations (whatever they may be) and thanks for being a part of our big monster family!

Beasties, Beans and Banners… My Market Day!

Posted on December 11, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Yikes! I can’t believe it’s been so long since I last posted something! I’ve been pouring all my days into preparing for my latest market, and it didn’t leave much time for anything else… between the knitting, stitching and coming up with some new ideas to freshen up my display, I’ve been somewhat reclusive these last few weeks!

But the madness is over, and now that I’ve taken a couple of days to catch my breath, tidy up the stray balls of wool and (GASP!) start my Christmas shopping, it’s really high time I sat down and shared all my news.

First of all, for any of you who haven’t stumbled upon the Beasties’ Facebook page yet, I’m proud to introduce my new Santa Beasties – freshly arrived from Lapland!

We’ve been experiencing some pretty polar-type weather here lately ourselves, so I’ve also been wrapping up some of my new Beasties in cosy hats and scarves…

…And I couldn’t resist making a Christmas Fairy Beastie to sit at the top of my Christmas tree!

But the surprise hit of the day was my new range of cuddly toy beans!

I got the idea for these from my friends Stephen and Yayoi. Before they picked out a name for their baby girl, they called her “Mame-chan”, which means “little bean” in Japanese. I thought it would be fun to make a little toy edamame (soy) bean from some lime green fleece fabric I had in my stash, and I actually sold a couple of “Mame-chans” at my pop-up shop back in May! For this market, I decided to add a couple more characters – a sassy pink Jellybean and a Chilli (or, more correctly, chilly) Bean with a woolly beanie hat and a big chilled-out smile. And the kids loved them! I’ll definitely be making more of these… I’ve already got a few ideas for some more beany friends!

While I was getting my team of Beasties and Beans ready to go, I started thinking about my display. A while back, a friend of mine suggested I make a banner to help make my stall more visible. I liked the idea, but hadn’t a clue what to put on the banner. Then finally, inspiration struck…

… and after an afternoon of literally watching paint dry in the freeeeeeezing underground car park of Beastie Towers, I came up with this!

I’m still trying to convince Boyfriend that this masterpiece of monster art deserves a place on our living room wall…

Aaaaand finally, something else I’ve wanted to do for a while is to try my hand at making some Beastie t-shirts. What better opportunity than the flurry of activity/panic that comes with preparing for an upcoming market? Since my mum had very kindly agreed to help me on the day, and had said, “Yes, I’ll wear anything!” I went ahead and created these…

And here I am modelling mine on market day! This won’t be the last time I wear this shirt… I kinda love it!

Thanks for stopping by… more Beastie adventures coming soon (I promise)!

Explorer Beastie in Autumn

Posted on November 1, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

A couple of weeks ago, Explorer Beastie and I had a chance to head out West and enjoy a little quiet time. Autumn is far and away my favourite season, and I’d argue that the Irish countryside looks its best at this time of year. We definitely got more than our fair share of “mists and mellow fruitfulness”, as you will see! Our first discovery was a toadstool among the fallen leaves in the garden…

Then we headed out into the fields to see what natural goodies we could harvest!

I was particularly keeping an eye out for sloes on this expedition, but I needn’t have worried. The blackthorn trees were weighed down with these super-bitter berries, which, like a lot of us, become a lot mellower and nicer to be around with the addition of a little gin. My sloe gin stocks have been sorely depleted after two consecutive bad years, so I was pleased (or relieved) to see such a bumper crop! Picking the sloes is usually an arduous task, involving multiple scrapes and jabs from the vicious thorns that give the trees their name, so it was good to have a little extra help this time around.

We were also on the lookout for more immediately edible treats – blackberries! We took these home and used them to make miniature apple and blackberry pies…

… Once Explorer Beastie had finished gadding about in the brambles.

There were plenty of other natural treats to be found along the way… unfortunately, I lack the equipment and expertise to make these beautiful hedgerow fruits into something tasty! Maybe next year…

After that, we had just enough time to say hello to the cows…

… And take a few artsy shots of glistening mist-spangled spiderwebs…

…Before heading home to toast our toes by the fire!

How do you spend a perfect autumn day? Let me know in the comments!

Right on Kew… Beasties Explore the Gardens!

Posted on September 30, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

My trip to London over the weekend wasn’t just for me… It was also the perfect opportunity for Explorer Beastie to catch up with an old friend! Garcia Beastie left his skis behind for a day to join us at Kew Gardens for a spot of horticultural exploring… as you shall see.

Luckily for us, the Great British weather decided to show its finer side! We got one of those perfect early autumn days for our visit – warm, bright sunshine with just a hint of coolness in the air. Lovely stuff! Also, it turns out Beasties get into Kew Gardens free of charge! But of course, it wasn’t long before they were up to mischief…

I turned my back for five seconds, and the pair of them were halfway up one of the gnarly old olive trees in the Mediterranean Garden! Since they were so intent on climbing, I thought they’d enjoy the Xstrata Treetop Walkway…

Up here, you can stroll around in the treetops to your heart’s content! Explorer Beastie scaled the barriers to make sure he got the best views…
…And he did get to see some surprising things!

Sweet chestnuts growing at the very top of the tree, and an unusual bird having them for lunch! Kew Gardens is full of these green parrots, which are actually wild – they’re the descendants of escaped pets. We saw several large groups doing fly-by displays during our visit, and they’re hard to miss… they’re pretty noisy! The scenery up there wasn’t bad either…

Back on dry land, we made Beastie-sized tracks towards the Pagoda, a 10-storey Chinese-style folly that has been standing in Kew since 1762!

The building is doubly impressive up close…

…And there is also a Japanese-style gate and zen garden nearby!

But we couldn’t stop for long, because there was plenty more exploring to do! Our next port of call was Queen Charlotte’s Cottage, where Garcia Beastie helped out a lady who seemed to have lost her head over something…

And then, a spot of lunch.

Suitably refuelled, we took in some of the Intoxication Season exhibits…

… had a wander around the Princess of Wales Conservatory…

… explored the world of underwater plants…

…And took a trip to the top of the Palm House!

As the light began to fade, there was just enough time to take some final pictures with the rather imposing Plantagenet Falcon, one of the “Queen’s Beasts”. These ten heraldic-inspired sculptures line the path outside the Palm House, and are replicas of statues that stood outside Westminster Abbey during the Queen’s coronation in 1953. Perhaps I should arrange something similar along the street outside Beastie Towers…

And so ended another monster day out! More London-based Beastie adventures next time!

Wool! Needles! KNIVES!

Posted on September 22, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

Anyone who keeps up with the Beasties through Facebook will already know that over the weekend, my Mum got in touch with me to tell me that she’s been having trouble visiting the BeastieBlog lately. Why? Because her ISP is blocking this site due to its references to (and I quote) “VIOLENCE and WEAPONS”.

I’ve been so tickled by this that I couldn’t resist mentioning it in my post today… and using it as an excuse to do a retrospective of some of my choicest armed-to-the-teeth Beasties. Those of a sensitive disposition should probably look away now… Here we go!

First up is one of my early creations – Guerrilla Woolfare Beastie, who left Beastie Towers more than a year ago. Although he isn’t armed, he is considered highly dangerous… Just look at that incendiary literature he’s carrying around with him!

The new year ushered in a new crowd of bad-to-the-bone Beasties! We started out with Pirate Beastie, whose razor-sharp felt cutlass could probably do some serious damage…

…Then Ninja Beastie made an appearance! He refused to settle for “just” having a sword, and insisted I make him a pair of sai and a shuriken (throwing star) as well!

Oh, and then he called for reinforcements.

You’d think that would be enough, but…

…Soon afterwards, Rambo Beastie came to town. That’s a close-up of his knife in the picture at the top of this post – a lethal-looking piece of feltwork, I’m sure you’ll agree. And who could forget Viking Beastie, recently off the longship and ready for battle with his round shield and prestigious Ulfbeast sword?

Hmmm… is it possible that the powers that be are right? Even my Chef Beastie is carrying a knife!

I’d better keep an eye on these critters… if they weren’t so gosh-darn cute they could probably land me in some serious trouble!

Thanks for checking out BeastieBlog… officially the most violent knitting blog on the whole internet!

Making Sweet Beastie Music!

Posted on September 10, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Ideas, Knitted Beasties

Yes, I know Indie Rock Beastie already got a good bit of airtime in my post last week. But I figured that since he is currently involved in helping out with some fundraising, that more than justified giving him a second guest appearance on the BeastieBlog. Plus, we really didn’t get a chance to talk about his guitar.

Guitars are one of the most labour-intensive Beastie accessories to make… every piece is hand cut and hand sewn, and their small size makes this one fiddly task! Also, no two guitar-toting Beasties have ever been given the same instrument. My first one got a bright pink flying V…

…Then I had to make a more Robert-Smith-esque guitar for my Robert Smith Beastie!

I had originally intended to use the same basic template for Indie Rock Beastie’s guitar, but somehow it just didn’t look right. Since I am a stickler for such things/a masochist/insane (delete as applicable), I decided to embark on some research. And I came across this…
Gibson ES 325

(Image from en.audiofanzine.com)

It’s a Gibson ES325, as played (and, I found out later, smashed onstage in a fit of pique) by Kings of Leon frontman Caleb Followill. The one shown in the image above perfectly fitted with my idea of what Indie Rock Beastie should play… and the colour of the body rather conveniently matched some felt in my crafting stash too! How could I resist?

I started by modifying my template to reflect the deeper, more symmetrical shape of this guitar…

… and raided my scraps bag for teeny pieces of felt to make the details! When I’m cutting out felt, I always keep any offcuts – they’re so useful for projects like this one because I can trim them to the right shape by eye, rather than cutting out tiny circles and rectangles from a larger piece of fabric.

Once the guitar body was finished and lightly stuffed, the last stage is to add the strings!

These are run from underneath the piece of grey felt at the end of the guitar’s body, and tied off along the headstock. Then all that was left to do was to place it carefully in the paws of my finished Beastie, and let him do the rest!

Beer Monsters!

Posted on September 6, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

For the last couple of years, the first weekend in September has meant one thing… Beerfest! Or, to give it its full title, the Irish Craft Beer and Cider Festival. If there is a better way to herald the beginning of autumn than sampling an array of tasty beers, I’m yet to hear about it!

This year, I thought it might be fun to bring a new woolly friend along… Meet Red Ale Beastie! I felt he was the perfect festival-going companion, given his penchant for fine ales and his all-Irish (ie, knitted from 100% Irish wool) roots.

Here he is at our first port of call… The Brú Brewery stand! Neither of us could resist the lure of their Autumn Ale, flavoured with cinnamon, coriander, orange peel and a hint of butternut squash! Yum!

Having got the day off to an excellent start, we decided to treat ourselves to a late lunch/early afternoon tea… This was mostly due to Boyfriend reappearing at the table with one of these:

That’s a pulled pork sandwich, made with free-range pork cooked sous vide with cider for around 12 hours, served with barbecue sauce and caramelised onions. WOW. So we made a beeline for Jane Russell’s stand and picked up one for ourselves… and Red Ale Beastie made a friend while our sandwich was being assembled!

Suitably refreshed, we had to give The White Hag brewery’s Meabh Rua Bog Ale a try… this tasty treat is a bit of a heavy hitter at 8.2%, but it was absolutely delicious. They claim it’s perfect for a cold Irish night, and they might just be right… the bad news is that it’s an export-only brew! Overseas readers would do well to keep their eyes peeled for this one, and their Black Boar Imperial Oatmeal Stout, which was Boyfriend’s pick of the day!

Some of our other Festival favourites included Independent Brewing’s Coffee Stout…

…And Trouble Brewing’s Chasing The Dragon Double IPA!

As always, we had a great day out… but the immense selection on offer defeated us! I’m pretty sure we barely scratched the surface of the beery delights available to us yesterday. Oh well, I suppose we’ll just have to go back next year… Happy weekend, everyone!

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