Hello everyone! Wow, it’s definitely starting to feel a little autumnal out there… I’d better start knitting faster to make sure the Beasties and I have enough woollies to see us through the cooler days that are coming! And before the weather turns, I also thought it might be a good idea to sort out my sad and unruly balcony garden.
I thought. I didn’t actually do anything.
Regular BeastieBlog readers may remember that we bumped into Gardener Beastie at the Botanic Gardens a couple of weeks ago.
Clearly embarrassed by the state of our little patch of urban green space, Explorer Beastie must have made a call… Because yesterday morning, as I sat down at my craft table, I overheard this…
“Wow, there’s a lot to do here, isn’t there?”
And then,
“Did you say there was a human around somewhere who could help?”
Ears burning, I made the mistake of stepping out onto the balcony.
“Yes! Here she is now!”
So much for sitting back and letting the Beasties sort it out! It’s lucky I had my old clothes on, because the rest of my day was looking a bit like this:
Explorer Beastie and I started with some weeding…
… While Gardener Beastie planned our next move.
As the only one with hands big enough to manage the secateurs, I was on pruning duty.
These chives might even bounce back if we trim away the dead flower heads and repot the rest.
But some things in the balcony garden were very much alive.
“These strawberry runners can all go into pots to become new plants!”
And to make sure the wind doesn’t blow the baby plants out of their pots before they have a chance to grow real roots, we put some of the squillions of wire twisty ties that come free with any electronics purchase to use.
“Bend each one into an arch, and pin the plant to the soil. That’ll keep them in place!”
Thanks, Gardener Beastie!
Now, what can we do with this big pot, which I found down by the recycling bins earlier? (How lucky!)
“How about pairing up one of the little trees with some cyclamen? Cyclamen loves shade and doesn’t take much from the soil… Should work out nicely!”
So, I moved the two plants in together, and added another cyclamen from indoors that seemed to be finding it a bit warm. I also discovered some seeds in the pot with the white-flowered plant, which I spread around over the extra “blank space” in the new container.
Are we done now? Not quite.
“Is there anything in here?”
“Ohhh, yes! This basket has bulbs in it! They still flower every spring, no matter what the weather’s doing…”
“…But the basket might have seen better days.”
“Okay! Let’s get them out of there…”
“… And into something bigger. You should have a great display to look forward to this spring!”
And speaking of the future…
“Don’t forget to pick those up and plant them! They’re nasturtium seeds. Nasturtiums mean free salad leaves for you, and a feast for your local bees too!”
And now we’re finished!
“Much better. Time for a cup of tea!”
Oh yes, I think we’ve earned it!
If you’ve any extra garden tips and tricks, please share them with us in the comments… And I’ll send Explorer Beastie outside to put them into action.
We’ll be back next Tuesday to catch up with Paddy and Plunkett, so be sure to join us then!
Angel Olsen Beastie was created for Shane, who may be the biggest fan of human singer-songwriter Angel Olsen going. So this Beastification really needed to be a good one! Armed with some carefully-selected reference material (thanks Shane!), I picked out some wardrobe options for Ms Olsen-Beastie.
As you can see, the vintage-style green dress with beehive hairdo won out. And much knitting, stitching and hairstyling later…
… And I Beastified her dress too!
I had a tricky time trying to find an exact match for the green in the photo, but this light olive satin from 
She doesn’t have to play all the time though. The strap unclips at the side so she can put it down at the end of her gigs.
Sorry, no more encores… At least not until next Tuesday! Thank you and goodnight!
… 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, 
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!
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.
Hey there, 
With libraries closed, getting her paws on some reading material was also high on tierneycreates Beastie’s to-do list. Human Tierney loves books about craft, personal development and home decor, so these titles should go down a treat.
Next, she realised that this hat…
… Needed a matching scarf.
“But hey, it’s not winter just yet! I should probably update my summer wardrobe as well. Oooh, polka dots!”
Into the cart it goes.
Look how teeny it is! I have enough trouble trying to type on the human-sized ones. This super-slim model is made from felt with a shiny reflective ribbon screen so it looks the part.
… She picked up a doggy backpack, just like the one Human Tierney uses to bring Mike the Miniature Schnauzer out and about!
The top of the backpack is open with a drawstring so Mikelet can peek out and stay involved in the action. It also goes rather nicely with the sundress!
… A sewing machine!
I just hope she still has time to help Tierney with her blog posts every now and again!
… And I was delighted to get a picture of Miss Beastie looking very summery in her new outfit!
Thanks so much to Tierney for this awesome project, and for enabling her Beastie’s online shopping addiction! For any of you who have also been (over)indulging in a little mail-order lately, you can confess all in the comments below. We won’t judge!
I created this Beastie as a very special birthday gift for an active lady who loves to spend time in the great outdoors. And since she lives in Scotland, I needed to make sure the weather never had a chance to rain on her parade (or hiking trail). That’s why she’s wearing a very fetching handknitted bobble hat…
… A rain jacket with handy hood…
(Did you notice the teeny embroidered zips?)
I stitched some felt treads to the soles of these boots to make them extra-grippy, and finished them with some embroidery thread laces. Now she’s fully equipped from head to toe!
This one is handstitched from 100% wool felt, and should hold everything she needs.
Why, you ask? Well, this Beastie lady also enjoys a game of 
Shinty sticks have a distinctive wedge-shaped head that sets them apart from the sticks used in hockey, hurling and other related sports like cammag (from the Isle of Man), bando (Wales) and Knattleikr (played by the Vikings in Iceland). In my quest to get the shape right, I was lucky enough to find 
Thanks to Anne for requesting this very special Beastification for her sister-in-law’s birthday!
Hello there!
WOW! I had so much fun with this! I used two slightly different shades of pink to give the colour extra depth, and unwinding the strands to separate the individual plies produced this tumble of luxuriant curls. Then a combination of carefully-placed stitches and a little precision styling with my needle-felting needle helped me to copy my human subject’s favourite swept-over-the-shoulder hairstyle.
… And as you can see, the long-sleeved version in a cute turquoise, green and cerise floral print with felt collar and buttons won out. Good choice!
It really complements her hair and healthy blue complexion, don’t you think?
… And a paintbrush, so she can let her creative side shine through too.
Finally, I copied her human counterpart’s cool glasses!
As usual, they have real clear plastic lenses and are removable. However, with this pair, I developed a new technique for making glasses that allows me to slim down the frames a little.
But hang on a second, Miss Beastie – don’t you have a birthday party to get to? Best get moving, you’re only sixteen once!
I’d say her future is as bright as her hair – what do you reckon?
Hmm, then again… Perhaps not, if you actually want to get anything done.
This set of hammer, torch and pocket knife headed off to Illinois with 
… And the pocket knife opens to reveal a sharp(ish) felt blade!
Next, some of the more unusual work related items I’ve created – a Beastie-sized micropipette and cell culture flask!
Honestly, these little monsters can (and do) turn their paws to just about anything! You can find out which Beastie left Beastie Towers with this lot 
As I said in the 
(I also kinda love her tiara… It’s probably not workplace-suitable attire, but let’s give it a mention anyway!)
This Beastie-sized needle-felted croissant and hand-embroidered newspaper celebrate the way 
… And a scan through the news of the day!
Phew! After that lot, you’d almost need to take the weekend off and put your feet up! Did I miss any favourite Beastie accessories out in my round-up? If I did, be sure to give me a nudge in the comments!
“Exploring some interesting places, by the look of it!”
“Wow! You’re right, we should go and visit her… I wonder where she is now?”
“This place looks nice. I wonder if anyone’s in?”
“Oh, look! Is that… The kitchen?”
“Yes! I think I’m going to like it here.”
Now, I know that June Beastie’s ever-present rolling pin has raised a few eyebrows throughout her travels. Did she have trouble getting it through airport security? And why would she need it on a visit to a National Park?
So… Many… Rolling… Pins! And look at all those recipe books, too.
“…I’ll whisk them up a tasty snack!”
“…Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz…”