Dublin Parks – Beastie HQ

Plunkett Discovers Some Greenery in Sligo - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Happy St Patrick’s Day, Everyone!

Posted on March 17, 2021June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Life at Beastie Towers

Hey there Beastie friends! Yes, it’s that time again… Can you believe that it’s St Patrick’s Day already?

This year, it’s going to be a pretty quiet Paddy’s Day in Dublin. But the Beasties have had me look out some old photos of past festivities, to give you all a feel for what would normally be going on in the city. Aren’t they thoughtful?

First of all, the big St Patrick’s Day parade! Many years ago, I lived in an apartment that overlooked part of the parade route… And that meant we got a privileged view of the performers in the closing stages of their journey from the other side of the river Liffey.

In my first year of Beastie-making, a little green monster joined me to watch the fun!
You can see more pictures from this parade in the original post, here.

And if parades aren’t really your thing, how about a quiet stroll around St Patrick’s Park instead?
This pretty city centre park is the perfect place for a springtime stroll… And you can admire St Patrick’s Cathedral as you wander! It’s right next door.
Of course, a St Patrick’s Day party is probably on the cards for a lot of people. Paddy Beastie will certainly be celebrating…
(Please enjoy your Paddy’s Day drinkies responsibly)

And look, Plunkett has found some nice seasonal shamrocks for us all to enjoy!
You’re also all invited to the annual monster celebration at Beastie Towers – remember last year’s festivities?

That party started out fairly sedately…
… But went off the rails shortly afterwards.
So, will you be raising a glass to St Patrick today too? Be sure to share your party plans with us in the comments!

Happy St Patrick’s Day!

Explorer Beastie at the Canal - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beasties in the Great Outdoors

Posted on November 10, 2020June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Explorer Beastie, Life at Beastie Towers

Hello there everyone! You know, after writing up Paddy and Plunkett’s garden adventure in last week’s post, I started thinking about how being outdoors is one thing that the pandemic hasn’t really been able to affect that much. In fact, if anything, we’re all outside a lot more than we might have been in a more normal year!

And the Beasties love a bit of outdoorsy time too! It’s a great way to catch up with friends…
… Or enjoy a picnic together.
Yum!

So for today’s post, I thought I’d revisit some of the Beasties’ favourite outdoors places… Care to come along?

As you all probably already know, we live in Dublin – and pretty close to the city centre. For us, “outdoors” usually means “the park”, and luckily we have plenty to choose from around here. Earlier in the year, when everyone in Ireland was confined to within 2km of home, we discovered the springtime joys of the National War Memorial Gardens.

We’ve also got the Phoenix Park, the largest enclosed park in Europe, on our doorstep. It’s so big that there are herds of deer living there!And if that wasn’t enough, we’re also within walking distance of the National Botanic Gardens…
…The city centre parks of St Stephen’s Green and Iveagh Gardens…
… And spooky St Kevin’s Park, as featured in our pre-Hallowe’en post a couple of weeks back!

But our wanderings don’t always involve the city’s green spaces. One of my favourite walks is along the banks of the Grand Canal – it’s a joy even in the depths of winter.

Plus you never know who you might bump into along the way.
Dublin is also packed full of interesting old buildings to admire. The city is especially well-known for its Georgian-era architecture – a style that was popular for just over a century, beginning in the early 1710s.

Of course, there are other places to visit that have nothing to do with architecture. I wonder if that’s really tea in Tae Beastie’s mug?

The touristy visitor-attraction part of the Guinness brewery may be closed, but don’t worry! They’re still making beer… And filling the air with the delicious smell of toasted barley on roasting days.

And sometimes it’s just nice to stroll, and admire the crazy jumble of old and new that is the streets of Dublin.
How about you? Have you been seeing what’s on your doorstep with fresh eyes these past couple of months? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!

Vampires, Monsters and… A Graveyard Park?

Posted on October 27, 2020June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Explorer Beastie's Dublin, Knitted Beasties

We haven’t seen Explorer Beastie in a while, have we? Well, this might explain why… With Hallowe’en looming, he has been watching A LOT of horror films. He especially likes any that feature vampires, and his absolute favourite is…
So when I suggested we take a trip to Dublin’s spookiest park, he was more than willing to tag along.

St Kevin’s Park is right in the city centre… But since it’s smaller than other nearby parks like St Stephen’s Green and Iveagh Gardens, it tends to attract fewer visitors, most of them locals. Why is it spooky? Because it was originally a church and graveyard!
The ivy-covered shell of the church stands in the centre of the park, while the gravestones of the old churchyard are propped against the boundary walls. The park officially opened in 1971, and in preparation for this change of use, all the graves were catalogued and the headstones (but not the graves!) relocated. So it’s hardly surprising that stories abound of the place being haunted!

Perfect for a pre-Hallowe’en wander, I’m sure you’ll agree.

“And we’ll definitely see a vampire!”

Right, Explorer Beastie. We definitely will.

But first, lunch!

“It’s nice here…”
“… Disappointing lack of vampires though.”

Explorer Beastie also failed to see any vampires as he looked at the old headstones…
… Studied the fallen leaves…
… Walked on the lawns…
… Or enjoyed the abundant Autumn colours.

“Hmmm, I wonder how the renovations are coming along?”
Just then, I heard another small, possibly Beastie-like voice.

“Um, excuse me?”
Then…
“He’s a bit skittish, isn’t he? I only wanted to ask if he had a spare sandwich. I’m STARVING!”

Sorry, Dracula Beastie, he’s just seen too many movies. Finally, with much coaxing, we were able to convince Explorer Beastie to come back. And as it happens…
… He did have a spare sandwich.

“Here you go!”
“Yum, thanks!”
Then there was just time to take a quick photo for the Beastie family album before we headed for home.
All in all, a spooktacular day out!
So, what are you up to for Hallowe’en? Be sure to scare us silly with your plans by telling us about them in the comments!

Aran Beasties and Autumn Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie Fall Festivities!

Posted on October 20, 2020June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties

Hello there Beastie friends! Erk, not such good news from Dublin this week… As of last night, all of Ireland has moved to the highest level of Covid-19 restrictions to try to get our case numbers back under control. But it’s not all doom and gloom! Autumn (or Fall) is here in all its glory, and October is my very favourite month to get out and enjoy some natural beauty.

And it looks like I’m not alone in this. Look who I bumped into in the park!
You don’t see one of these guys very often – it’s Autumn Beastie! This little monster has been picking out the choicest fallen leaves for… Some ill-defined Beastie purpose. But there’s a great selection in there, and look at those colours!
Lovely!

Then, further along…
… I found a pair of Aran Beasties too! They were happy to pose for a photo.
Cheers lads! This is only a small park though, so it was only a matter of time before their path crossed Autumn Beastie’s. Fortunately, Beasties aren’t having to do social distancing like the rest of us.

That’s two extra pairs of paws to help with the leaf hunt! Good stuff. And it looks like further reinforcements are on the way too.
Hey there Woolly Jumper Beastie… Wow, this is turning into a full Fall Festival out here! And it’s definitely sweater weather today, with so many cosy knits to admire.

Wait, MORE Beasties?!

And more snug knitwear.
Fall Fashion Show!
And just as all the Beasties were preparing to go their separate ways…
… Up pops Hurling Beastie! This little sportsmonster was keen to get a team together for a match, but with one hurl between four Beasties, it sadly wasn’t going to add up. Sorry! Maybe next week, eh?
How about you? Are you enjoying being out and about, kicking through piles of fallen leaves? Or is your Fall experience more of the hot-chocolate-by-a-roaring-fire variety? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!

And as usual we’ll be back next week, with more shenanigans from Beastie Towers… See you then!

Gardener Beastie, meet Explorer Beastie! CrawCrafts Beasties

Botanic Beasties 2 – Back to the Gardens!

Posted on September 1, 2020June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Explorer Beastie's Dublin, Knitted Beasties

Hello Beastie friends! Wow, is it really Tuesday again already? How about we kick off this week with a continuing tour of Dublin’s Botanic Gardens, then? And don’t worry if you missed the first part last week, you can catch up here!

After encountering a very busy BumbleBeastie last time…
… 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, Gardener Beastie!

This little horticultural monster is super-busy keeping all the beautiful seasonal plantings in order… But there’s still time to pose for a quick photo!
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!

Nice to see you again, BumbleBeastie! Maybe we’ll bump into each other again on a future visit to the Botanic Gardens?

And speaking of the future, join us next Tuesday to meet another new Beastie! See you then…

Botanic Gardens Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beasties in the Botanic Gardens

Posted on August 25, 2020June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie's Dublin, Knitted Beasties

Hello everyone! Welcome back to Beastieland… We’ve missed you! And just to show that I haven’t spent the last couple of weeks sitting on the sofa eating crisps (well, not all of them), I’ve got a brand new Explorer Beastie adventure to share over the next two posts. Where did we go? Well, when the sun breaks through the rainclouds here in Dublin, one of the nicest places to be is the National Botanic Gardens of Ireland.

So, if you go down to the woods today…
… You’ll see BEASTIES!

Explorer Beastie wasn’t the only monster in the gardens that day, either. Check out this spooky tree we found, with what looks like eyes all over its trunk!

Our Botanic Gardens aren’t especially big – they’re nowhere near as massive as Kew Gardens, for instance. But there are lots of quiet hideaways and secret corners where a little monster can relax and enjoy being outdoors among the plants.

We both really liked the Chaintent, with its human-sized benches and twisty wisteria branches for a Beastie to climb!
Even as summer here draws to a close, there are plenty of bright blooms to enjoy too. The hydrangeas are very much in flower!
Next, we made our way down to the lily pond.
There are still enough lily pads on the surface that Explorer Beastie figured he could cross to the other side by walking over them, but I encouraged him to use the picturesque bridge instead.
And further on… HERE BE MONSTERS!
Monster trees, that is.
I’m not exactly sure what species it is – I couldn’t see a sign or tag near it. Anyone want to help us out here?

As I tried to figure out the identity of the mysterious giant tree, Explorer Beastie decided to have a go at climbing it.
I think we’re going to be here a while.

So, I headed off to take a look at the herbaceous border. It’s a riot of colour at this time of year, and is humming with insects making the most of the last days of summer.

Wait, what’s that?
It’s a bit hard to see among all those yellow flowers but…
Yes, it’s a BumbleBeastie!

I followed her until she landed on a nice purple thistle, where I could get a clearer photo.
Then Explorer Beastie found us.

“Hello! Want to join us for lunch?”
“Love to, but I’m soooooo busy! You’re welcome to stick around while I work though… If you can keep up!”

She wasn’t kidding. She must have visited every flower in that border!
We even met some of her six-legged insect counterparts along the way.
We left her tucking into some lamb’s ear – a favourite bee treat!
I wonder who else might be in the Botanic Gardens today? You’ll have to join us next time to find out!

PS If you can keep up with their hectic pace, you can adopt a BumbleBeastie of your very own. Have a look in the Beastie Store!

Woolly Jumper Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Woolly Autumn Wonderland!

Posted on October 15, 2019June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Knitted Beasties, Life at Beastie Towers

Hello Beastie friends! Since the sun was peeking out between the autumn leaves earlier, I thought it might be fun to head out for a seasonal wander… And guess what? A Beastie stowed away in my camera bag! Well, it’s an occupational hazard in this line of business. Hi there, Woolly Jumper Beastie!

Hey, your sweater matches those leaves perfectly!
“Oh yeah! Look at that!”

A little further along, we found some more fallen leaves… In a conveniently Beastie-sized pond.

But not all of nature is packing up in preparation for winter! There’s still a lot of greenery about… We are in Ireland, after all.
Then…
“Come and look at this!”

Although this park next to St Audoen’s Church has recently had a bit of a facelift, some parts of it have obviously been here for a while. There are plenty of places for a mischievous woolly monster to hide in this old ivy-covered wall!

Found you!
Alright, time to get back to the studio! We’re heading to the Dublin Championship Cat Show on Sunday, and we’re going to need to rustle up some more Cat Beasties! But if you’d like to hang out with Woolly Jumper Beastie some more, why not swing by the Beastie HQ store? This little monster is on the lookout for a new home! 😉

Aaaaand we’ll be back next Tuesday – hopefully a little earlier in the day – with a new Beastie for you to meet. See you then!

Old Wall, New Market Season Beasties - CrawCrafts Beasties

The Calm Before Market Season

Posted on November 6, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Hello everybody! There’s heavy weather forecast for Dublin later today, so as I write I’m looking out the window and enjoying the bright sky and autumn colours before the storm sets in! And it seems doubly apt, because with market season on the way, right now is the calm before THAT particular storm kicks off too.

So, I thought it would be the perfect moment to share some sunny snaps I took on a bright, crisp Saturday a couple of weeks ago, when I let a few Beasties off the leash in the gardens at the Irish Museum of Modern Art!

First of all, I had to get them there. And that wasn’t easy, with every other tree presenting them with a tantalising climbing challenge and colourful photo opportunity!
Although it turns out that urban scenery appeals to them too.And interestingly, Aran Beastie has stumbled upon The River That Google Maps Forgot! This is the River Camac, whose name took some pretty intense searching to find… Possibly because it has been sent underground in several places along its course to avoid various roads, canals and other man-made features, and then it trickles unobtrusively into the Liffey at the end of its journey. Around here, though, its rushing waters made a pleasant soundtrack to our wanderings.

Now, onwards! We’re almost there.

Inside the gate, we found a rustic stone wall that was crying out for some Beastie action!
And a faded alcove at the entrance to the formal gardens made an excellent spot for a group photo.
But when I turned the Beasties loose in the hedges, they really started to have fun!
They also enjoyed walking down the tree-lined avenues, and marvelling at how tall their shadows looked in the sunshine!
As the sun started to set, it was time to think about heading for home. But wait a sec, isn’t there someone missing?

GAAAAAAAAH! PANIC!

Fortunately, Gift Beastie’s lovely bright pink complexion was easy to spot among the green grass and fallen leaves.
“I just stopped to look at this leaf… Check out that yellow! You should get some wool this colour for next year.”

And with that, all the Beasties piled into my bag and let me carry them home. Thanks, lads.

Back at Beastie Towers, I was able to put these pics to good use… As market season promotional shots! I sent them off to the nice folks at the Dublin Flea Christmas Market, and my profile on their site went live this morning! See which photos made the cut here.

And don’t forget to join us again next week, when I’ll be confirming my final lineup for Market Season 2018!

See you then!

Autumn in Dublin's Parks - CrawCrafts Beasties

Dublin in Autumn

Posted on October 9, 2018June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie's Dublin, Knitted Beasties

Hello there, Beastie friends! How’s your week been? I’m juggling a couple of ongoing monster projects just now, but unfortunately none of them are at a publishable stage yet! So for today’s post, I thought I would share some pics of Dublin’s parks in their autumn finery instead. Care to wander with us?
Living in the middle of a city is great – if you feel like walking, there’s always somewhere interesting to walk to. And in Dublin, we’re lucky to have several beautiful parks right in the city centre! So anytime I’m in town, I’ll usually find an excuse to take a toddle around St Stephen’s Green, at least. It’s probably Dublin’s most famous and busiest park, since it’s just a stone’s throw from Grafton Street, one of our main shopping districts.

Explorer Beastie is posing in one of my favourite bits of St Stephen’s Green – an avenue of lime trees that leads away from the main gate. Lush and green in spring, shady and cool in the summer… And in Autumn, a riot of yellow leaves!

We would have taken more pictures here, but the downside of being in a popular park is that a Beastie could easily get trampled underfoot. Time to cut across to the far gate and seek out a hidden gem only a few streets away!

Much better! This is Iveagh Gardens… It may not be a truly secret garden, but it certainly feels that way. Two of the three main entrances are set well back from the street, and the park is full of quiet walks and crumbling statues.
Explorer Beastie also likes this big heap of rocks, which provides the perfect mountaineering challenge for an adventurous Beastie!
And from the top, you can enjoy the spectacle of the trees glowing in the Autumn sunshine. (Or catch your breath a bit, whichever fits!)

On this walkabout, we had an ulterior motive – to audition potential candidates for a holly-packed Beastie calendar page for December! Explorer Beastie threw himself into the challenge with gusto – braving the prickly leaves to help you all to better organise your busy lives.
Actually, those prickles don’t seem to be bothering him much at all…
And with the photoshoot complete, we were able to enjoy kick back and enjoy the morning sunshine.
Explorer Beastie really appreciates how tall he looks in the slanted sunlight – well, his shadow at least!

We even had a chance to meet some of the park’s residents…
… Although some of them were a little camerashy!
So, have your paws taken you anywhere interesting lately? And how is Autumn (or Spring) in your part of the world? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!

Oh, and don’t forget to grab your free Calendar Pages for the last three months of 2018, and see which photos made the cut for November and December.

See you again next week for more monster adventures!

October View - Calendar Pages - CrawCrafts Beasties

Wrapping up the Year – Last of the Calendar Pages!

Posted on September 29, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Hey there everybody! OK, I know I said that this would be ready yesterday, but due to some computer-related issues, I totally ran out of Friday. Who would have thought that uploading crazy giant image files and trying to play around with them would really slow down the editing process?! Ah well, we’ll chalk that one up to experience. Anyway, even with that little hiccup, I’ve managed to cobble together the final installment of this year’s free downloadable calendar pages!
You can grab yours right now, from our online store!

I’ve put them together as one file, so you only need to download once. After that, you can print them all out together, or page-by-page as you need them! And as usual, you can ignore the part of the order form that asks for your postal address – all we need to deliver this deeeelightful free goodie to your inbox is your name and email.

If you don’t get your download immediately, check your spam or promotions folder.

And here’s what you’ll get…

October

Grab those crayons… It’s another colour-it-yourself bonanza! Hallowe’en is still my favourite festival, so October’s page is all about the best bits of the spookiest night of the year. Sparklers and toffee apples were the highlights of Hallowe’en as a kid – am I the only one who mysteriously lost their appetite after eating all the sticky sugar shell from the toffee apple?

Pumpkin carving is a more recent addition to the festivities, and I’m making up for my apple-dodging younger days by using all the pumpkin’s insides once the carving is done. Pumpkin soup and roasted pumpkin seeds? Yes please! As for the broomstick aerobatics… Well, maybe someday.

Of course, we’d love to see your finished calendar pages, so don’t forget to share! Use #Beastiegallery on Instagram and Twitter so we don’t miss your masterpieces!

November

Explorer Beastie is back for November! We took a lovely sunlit wander through some of Dublin’s parks yesterday, and I thought this photo of him kicking through the fallen leaves and conkers would be a nice reminder of how lovely autumn can be. Yes, the days are getting shorter and it’s not as warm as it was… But when the sun shines, there’s no finer time of year!

December

And finally… Well, I wanted to avoid getting full-on Christmassy, so Explorer Beastie and I braved the spines of a selection of local holly trees to bring you a nice cheery picture to wrap up the year. And after all that prickliness, the best of the bunch proved to be this smooth-leaved one!

So, that’s it – 2018 calendar pages complete! And I’d be interested to know how this experimental calendar delivery method has worked out for you. From my end, it’s been a bit more work through the year… But not having to deal with under/over supply, delivery problems and getting overcharged at the Post Office has been brilliant! What do you reckon? Let me know in the comments!

Oh, and we’ll be back on Tuesday with the second part of my latest Beastification – I promise!

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