Hey there everyone! And wow, what an exciting week it’s been… Yesterday morning, bright and early, we arrived at the door of Virgin Media TV studios to appear on their breakfast show, Ireland AM! They wanted someone to talk about how knitting has really taken off again during the Covid-19 lockdowns… And you know, I do love to chat about all things knitting!
Plus, as we are all aware, the Beasties are incorrigible attention hounds.
So, soon after arrival, they fitted me up with a microphone. Then I helped to set up a table display of tasty yarn and surprisingly well-behaved Beasties.
Roslyn from the Ireland AM crew had the presence of mind to take a few photos of the setup, thankfully… I completely forgot! She also took this picture, which some of you might have already seen on social media.
Then, what seemed like microseconds later, we were live! My Dad very kindly photographed the TV at home while the segment was on and sent me these stills… Here I am, teaching the hosts Karen and Tommy how to knit!
They both picked it up incredibly quickly, I was super impressed!
I also brought along a few samples of easy projects that I recommend for beginners, like these little fingerless mitts.
(These are very easy, by the way… And so much quicker than knitting a scarf!)
Here we are finishing up. I was so proud of my new pupils… And of the Beasties. Honestly, I’ve never seen them so quiet.
The knitting revival – you heard it here first, folks!
If you’d like to see the complete piece, it’s currently up on the Virgin Media Player, here:
https://www.virginmediatelevision.ie/player/show/809/185364/0/
You can access the show from this link for the next 29 days. Some friends of mine in Europe have already watched it without a hitch, but if it’s not available in your country, please let me know! I might be able to send it to you a different way.
Also…
Commissions are officially open again as of today! So if you’ve an idea for a little woolly monster of your own, now is the time to get in touch!
We’ll be back next week with the second part of Explorer Beastie’s countryside adventure – sorry for bumping you this week, E.B.!
… But it’s not really a substitute for the real thing, is it?
“Possibly, Paddy… But how on earth are we going to get up there? Normally the humans leave their bags on the floor.”
“… I have a cunning plan!”
“Ouch! Paddy, you’re going to have to start going easy on the Full Irish breakfasts… You weigh a TON!”
“Success!”
Thanks to Pedro at 
Paddy: Yeah, and the beaches!
It’s also easy to travel around because it’s not very big.
Paddy: I think he means ACTUAL travel, Plunkett, not just photoshopping ourselves into pictures. I choose LA!
Paddy: Action films! And fast cars!
Answer: Nowhere. Because they weren’t on this world at all! As spotted by some eagle-eyed readers, the boys have magicked themselves onto Mars. Overall, they enjoyed the experience, but Paddy says the nightlife isn’t really up to much.
And while some shadowy thickets retained a feeling of chilly mystery when the clouds parted…
… In some places the winter sun broke through the trees and made the empty fields glow.
And there are wonders right at your feet in the undergrowth, too.
These alien-looking marvels are fungi called earthstars. They pop up in the same place every year, so I always make sure to check in on them when I’m in the neighbourhood.
But where was Explorer Beastie while all this was going on? Ummm…
Well, I suppose the holidays are a time to rest up and recharge your batteries.
Paddy was up nice and early, so he spotted it first. And of course, the very next thing he did was…
“What IS it, Paddy?”
“Look at that!”
But just looking at the snow was never going to be enough for Paddy. I think it’s time to head outside and play in it, don’t you?
It looks like he already has a project in mind, too. Look at him go!
“It’s a SnowBeastie, Plunkett! What do you think?”
Much better! It’s almost as cute as you are, boys.
… And get toasty again by the stove!
… Paddy is, as ever, happy to oblige. Revisit his attempt to obtain gainful seasonal employment from a certain jolly Beastie in a red suit 
… Or overindulge in high-calorie foods.
But you may wish to take your mind off the Beastie-shaped gap in your life by perusing the shelves of our 
… Explorer Beastie strolled off to see if there might be any other Beasties about.
He didn’t have to go far… There’s one!
Hey there, 
And we got a special guided tour of the displays, too. There’s plenty of floral colour everywhere for visitors to enjoy!
Visitors of all sizes.
And just as we were about to leave, Explorer Beastie spotted a familar face. Look who’s hanging out in the hanging baskets!
“What’s going on here, Paddy?”
“… But hop in here and we’ll soon find out!”
“We’re here! Um, where is here?”
“We’re in the west. Sligo, I think!”
“Aaaaaaah!”
So many waterfalls! You probably won’t be surprised to learn that this town, Ballysadare, takes its name from these beautiful rushing rivers. It’s called “Baile Easa Dara” in Irish, which means “town of the waterfall of the oak”. Clearly Paddy has gone in search of the oak!
And Plunkett LOVES these.
“Fine. But we’re definitely going to the beach tomorrow!”
He’s certainly dressed to impress, in a crisp white t-shirt and hand-embroidered baseball cap. Let’s get a closer look at that, shall we?
Just like human Tierney’s beau, this guy is showing some love for the Denver-based Colorado Avalanche ice hockey team… And how could any monster maker resist a team logo that incorporates a Bigfoot foot? I used 100% wool felt for the hat body, then appliquéd the large blocks of colour before embroidering in the finer details.
Yum! I’d almost eat this myself… If it wasn’t entirely made out of wool. The portion is probably better suited to a Beastie-sized appetite anyway. Are you hungry, Mr Beastie?
“Well sure… But in this shirt?”
Much better!
And how about a small digestif to round off the meal? It seems our Beastie friend is something of a bourbon connoisseur, and only the finest whisky will do – Monster’s Mark!
Here we go! He’s sitting at the card table, we’ve dealt the cards… And wow, he’s a high roller! Those are $100 chips he’s betting with!
It doesn’t get much better than that – a royal flush! And it looks like romance may indeed be on the cards… He’s got a pawful of hearts, featuring teeny-tiny embroidered portraits of himself, tierneycreates Beastie and Mikelet the (miniature) miniature Schnauzer.
Ooooh, is that an engagement band on your magic magnetic paw? And rumour has it that there was one in the box for a certain lady monster too… Congratulations, Beasties! May you enjoy many happy years of warm woolly happiness together.