Tag: Crafts

Been a while…

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

New Big BeastieHoly moly! Where has the last month gone?!

Well, for starters, I’ve been taking a few steps towards making my largely sofa-based cottage (or, more accurately, apartment) industry into a more business-shaped concern. I’ve started keeping proper accounts, declared myself to the taxman and put together a Beastie information leaflet, so I can share their stories with even more people without having to leave the house!

Unfortunately, while these things are significant, they don’t make for particularly interesting reading. I’m also reasonably confident that my readers would soon tire of photos of me sitting in front of my computer. So, that takes care of the first couple of weeks of my absence.

The OTHER reason I’ve been away is…
Creative Collective Shop…We have a new shop!

This beautiful, quirky little gallery space in Dalkey, South Dublin was offered to Creative Collective Ireland in the middle of this month. They very kindly invited the Beasties to take up residence there, alongside an all-star cast of gorgeous jewellery, fashion and homewares. Of course, we all jumped at the opportunity! After a  hectic few days of painting, furniture moving and shelf installation, we opened our doors to the public at the weekend. And the best part is that we’re here for the summer! The shop will be open every weekend (Friday-Sunday) until the end of August. So if you happen to find yourself in Dublin, drop in and pay us a visit! Even if you can’t make it, you can still find out more about Creative Collective and the shop on our Facebook page.

Of course, a new shop means new Beasties! I decided to put together a couple more All-Irish Beasties to get the ball rolling…
All-Irish Beastie - PintPint Beastie Close-Up

I couldn’t resist making one with a pint! And I also took the opportunity to break out some classic book-based puns…
All-Irish Beastie - Wool-lyssesWool-lysses Close-Up
All-Irish Beastie - Woolly-ver's TravelsWoolly-ver's Travels Close-Up

I also brought along one of my super-cuddly Big Beasties, just to look after the smaller ones…
Big Beastie

I’ll be sending more Beasties down to Dalkey to join these guys soon! Stay tuned for pictures…

Oooh! New Beasties!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Ideas, Knitted Beasties

All-Irish Beastie

For some time now, I’ve been wanting to make a range of Irish Beasties. Of course, my Beasties are already pretty Irish – they are born here, after all. But it always surprises me how little of the yarn we get in this country actually comes from here. And when you have a whole world of beautiful fibres to choose from – South American alpaca, merino wool from Down Under – it’s very easy to take what you have at home for granted.

Fortunately, I recently got a couple of timely wake-up calls. A while ago, some of my knitting friends and I started taking “Knit Days” – we’d hop on a train, or form a convoy of cars, and travel to another town or city to enjoy a crafty day out, usually fuelled by copious quantities of tea and cake. One of these Knit Days took us to the village of Graignamanagh in Co. Kilkenny, which is the home of Cushendale Woollen Mills. This family-owned mill has been producing yarn and finished woollen goods since the mid-1800s, and we were lucky enough to get a full tour during our visit. Since then, I’ve been looking out for a project that would allow me to use some of their products… even more so after I helped my friend with the annual stocktake at her wool shop, and I couldn’t stop admiring the beautiful colours of the Cushendale yarns. I realised that they reminded me of the countryside out in Roscommon, which is where my boyfriend comes from, and somewhere I never get tired of visiting…

Lake, RoscommonRoad, RoscommonForest, RoscommonAbandoned Car, RoscommonPeat Bog, Roscommon

Gate, RoscommonBlackthorn Blossom, RoscommonMoss, RoscommonPeat Bog on a Cloudy Day

So, I picked out the four colours which I thought best summed up the peat-bog palette, and got knitting! Having completed my first full All-Irish Beastie, I had to give him an accessory… something really IRISH. I could have gone the obvious route – shamrock, leprechaun outfit – but I wanted something a little different, that still reflected everyday life in this part of the world. So he got…
Irish Beastie full lengthIrish Beastie Tea Mug

A BIG MUG OF TEA!

Bet you didn’t see that coming… but, no matter who you consult, we Irish always make the top 3  in the world tea-drinking charts.

Our only challengers for the title are Morocco and Turkey, where people must be making cuppas 24-7 to hold us off the top spot. Truly “Irish” tea is made in a teapot, then put back on the range to stew into a viscous tar-like substance, before being thinned out with liberal doses of milk and sugar. But most of us settle for throwing a bag of Lyons or Barrys into a mug and just stirring it around a bit!

More All-Irish Beasties will be landing soon! Let me know in the comments if there are any you’d particularly like to see!

It’s Showtime!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Pop Up Shop

Taaa-daaaah! Today I was out in Dun Laoghaire setting up Creative Collective Ireland’s Pop Up Shop. After a whole lot of shelf hauling, bemused studying of empty spaces and incremental tweaking of the displays, I think we’re ready to go!

And of course I got a little bit of extra help…
Hipster Girl Beastie
Well, sort of. Hipster Girl Beastie was too busy checking out the jewellery.

Beastie with Jewellery
Fortunately my rhubarb-and-custard-coloured Beastie was on hand to tidy up after her!

Beastie with Box
He also took a shine to this hand-turned gift box, then…

Beastie with Scarf
… found a soft silky scarf, and settled down for a bit of a snooze. At least Ninja Beastie was working hard – he’s in charge of security.
State-of-the art Security System

Others were happy just to pose for a couple of publicity shots! I’d like to introduce you to one of my Big Beasties – this is the first time I’ve had them up for sale, so I’m interested to see how people react. They’re twice the size of regular Beasties… and at least twice as huggable!
Big Beastie and Rose Beastie

Opening day is tomorrow, so wish us luck! I wonder who our first customer will be…
Victorian Explorer Beastie with Soap

Victorian Explorer Beastie

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties, Uncategorized

Victorian Explorer Beastie Close-Up

Regular visitors to the BeastieBlog will remember this dashing chap from our visit to Bray in Co. Wicklow a couple of months ago.
Bray Head

However, he was so busy strolling along the promenade, climbing the hill and picking up interesting pebbles on the beach that he didn’t get a chance to show off all his tip-top explorer kit. So I’ve invited him back!Victorian Explorer Beastie

No gentleman explorer should leave home without his pith helmet, belt pouch for assorted sundries, and knapsack. I wonder what he’s taking with him?
Map and Hipflask

Oh, of course! A map of a distant land and a hipflask of finest gin. Nice!

Victorian Explorer Beastie’s next port of call will be Dun Laoghaire in South Dublin, for Creative Collective Ireland’s annual Pop Up Shop… but who knows where he’ll go after that?

Beasties Don’t Cry…

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

Robert Smith Beastie

My first encounter with The Cure didn’t go so well. It was 1990, they’d just released the remixed version of “Close to Me”, and the video for the song was played over the closing credits of Top of the Pops that week. And it FREAKED ME OUT. The wobbly camera work, the whole band trapped in a wardrobe that’s just fallen off a cliff into the sea, the over-friendly trumpet-playing octopus with the human face… GAAAAAH! Horror! Anyone with nerves steelier than my 8-year-old self can check out the video here, if they dare.

I’m not sure what changed my mind about them, but somewhere along the way The Cure ended up being one of my favourite bands. I’ve whiled away many long bus journeys listening to “Disintegration”, and danced like a loon to “The Lovecats” more times than I’d care to think about. And who could forget Robert Smith stepping in to save the small town of South Park from total destruction by a rampaging Barbra Streisand? I figured it was high time I paid tribute to one of the most recognisable faces in rock, Beastie-style.

Robert Smith Beastie 2
After I’d finished his trademark dark eyes and red lips, I added a mop of curly hair and a tailor-made black shirt, and then…
Robert Smith Guitar

… a hand-stitched guitar, based on one Robert Smith actually plays!

Has anyone any ideas for other musicians who deserve to be immortalised in wool and felt? Let me know in the comments!

He’s Back!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Explorer Beastie in Glasnevin

Ta-daaaaah! Explorer Beastie is back in Dublin. Well, for the moment, anyway. While I was away sunning myself in the West of Ireland (yes, that CAN happen) over Easter, he took a trip to the northern suburbs of the city to have a look around Glasnevin Cemetery.
Explorer Beastie with Knotwork Headstone

Not everyone’s idea of a good time, perhaps, but Glasnevin Cemetery is actually a fascinating place. For starters, some of the monuments are beautiful – check out the knotwork design on this one!
Explorer Beastie with Graves

There are over 1.5 million people buried in Glasnevin Cemetery. That’s more than currently live in the County Dublin region! Among them are significant figures from Ireland’s past – Daniel O’Connell, Charles Stewart Parnell and Michael Collins, to name a few – as well as many of our most famous writers, artists and musicians. Glasnevin also makes an appearance in James Joyce’s Ulysses, and Explorer Beastie appears to have caught up with Mr Joyce himself in the gift shop…
Explorer Beastie with James Joyce

Meanwhile, I have enjoyed a relaxing week away! I’ve been flexing my farming muscles, babysitting these little sweethearts…
Calves

…being inspired by the scenery…
Lake at Dusk

…And most importantly, knitting like a fiend! I have a bunch of new Beastie bodies ready to be decorated – I wonder what they’ll be?

Beasties in the Garden

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Info, Knitted Beasties

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

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

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!

Pirates, Ninjas and… Skiing?

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties

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!

A Day Out in Dublin

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie

Windowsill, Ely Place

When you live in a city for a long time, it’s easy to get caught up in your daily routine and forget about all the interesting things you promised yourself you’d do when you first moved there. With this in mind, Boyfriend, Explorer Beastie and I stepped outside and set off for pastures new… a stone’s throw from where we live.

Our main purpose was to check out The Enclave by Richard Mosse, which is on show in the Royal Hibernian Academy gallery. I’d never been here before, and I was amazed to find this beautiful spacious gallery tucked away in a side street, just around a corner from regular tourist magnets like the National Gallery, Grafton Street and St Stephen’s Green park. And the street itself is Dublin in a nutshell. The buildings are Georgian, and these tall, simple but elegant houses are the signature style of old central Dublin. Around half of the houses have been converted to office buildings, while the rest, like the one in the main picture, are being left to quietly crumble away.

I have a real thing for derelict buildings, so I took a few photos…

Ely PlaceEly Place Basement

 

… And it was only when I went around the corner that I realised that this building had a history of its own.

Front Door, Ely PlaceRichard Griffith Plaque

By this point, though, Boyfriend and Beastie had but one thing on their minds… FOOD. So I put my camera away and we went to try out Alfie Byrne’s, a new craft beer pub which recently opened up on the other side of St Stephen’s Green.

Beastie with StewExplorer Beastie's Dinner

A tasty end to a great day out! See you next week!