Hey there Beastie friends! And a very happy new year to you from all of us here at Beastie Towers!

2019 has barely begun, but we’re already super-excited at the prospect of a fresh shiny new year, all crammed with possibilities! And, looking back, 2018 was a pretty awesome twelve months.
For starters, it was my first full year of not having a part-time job to prop up my monster-making habit. And while that was occasionally terrifying (because I’m a sucker for luxuries like food and shelter), I was lucky enough to have a few alternative means of making ends meet thrown my way.
Top among these was starting to teach knitting classes in my local yarn emporium, The Constant Knitter. How cool is that? I’ve met some great people along the way… And watching them progress from learning the first steps to becoming the kind of hardcore knitting addicts who sit up half the night to finish a project has to be one of the best feelings in the world!

I also gave some new Beastie-based projects a go too… The biggest leap here was the framed Beastie family I made at the beginning of the summer.
Wow, talk about a learning curve! But totally worth it… And now that I’ve done one, I’m definitely up for taking on more projects like this!
Then, later in the year, the surprise hit of the Christmas market season – Kitty tree decorations!
I made these to tempt the attendees of the Dublin Cat Fair back in November, and thanks to a shout-out from the organisers on Facebook before the event, they sold out! From then on, I could barely keep up with demand, even when I was frantically making more behind my table on market days! I’ll definitely be adding these to my festive lineup for 2019.
But I believe I promised you new Beasties in this post, so new Beasties you shall have! The pre-Christmas rush usually sees some fresh Beastie faces gracing my market stall, and they don’t always get the attention they deserve. So, without further ado…

First up is Watermelon Beastie! I had noticed that Beasties tend to embrace the less-than-healthy end of the dietary spectrum, so Watermelon Beastie is here to help balance that out a little. And their pink and green colouring so nicely complements that slab of delicious juicy melon, don’t you think? Look out for more fruit’n’veg munching monsters in the new year!
But those of you with a sweet tooth can rest assured that Beasties are still happy to share your favourite treats with you. Cookie Beasties and Doughnut Beasties were as popular as ever in 2018!
And my All-Irish Beasties were still happy to down a tipple or two… Tea, anyone? Or would you maybe prefer a pint of the Black Stuff?

Meanwhile, others decided that the most important thing was to stay toasty – cosy sweaters and tweed scarves ahoy!
I also brought along a new Unicorn Beastie… It didn’t take them long to find a home!
And finally… Some of you might recognise this woolly little monster face from Paddy’s Christmas tale last week. Yes, a Christmas market lineup wouldn’t be complete without…
… SANTA BEASTIE!
Phew! There were a few more there than I bargained for, so I suppose we’ll have to tackle the first of the Christmas commissions next week. In the meantime, thank you all SO MUCH for hanging out with us in 2018, and a very Beastie new year to you all!
Oh, and if your life isn’t Beastie-ful enough already, don’t forget that our 2019 downloadable Beastie calendar is available now!
Catch you next Tuesday!