Hey there everyone! How are you getting on? We’re still locked in here in Ireland, but there’s the possibility of a few things starting to return to normal next week, so hopefully I’ll have some good news for you then. In the meantime, we’re sticking with quarantine procedures, and trying to go out as little as possible. And although they’re Corona-immune, even the Beasties are getting in on the act. Here, take a look!
Quarantine Birthday Beastie – A sign of the times!
People are pretty quick off the mark when it comes to suggesting personal touches for their Beastifications. So this Birthday Beastie…
… Got a Covid-19-era update!
The face mask is made from cotton, pleated and lined with felt for some good woolly air filtration. Then, a pretty ribbon strap with a little elastic helps to hold it in place.
And when she’s staying safe at home, and not having to be socially distant… There’s a whole birthday cake to eat!
Two needle-felted wool sponge cakes, sandwiched between layers of felt jam and icing? That would put a smile on any Beastie’s face!
She’s also dressed to impress, in a sweet floral print sundress with ribbon ties on the shoulders.
And finally, check out those lustrous alpaca tresses! I really should get the Beasties to share their hairdressing secrets.
Now all we need to figure out is how she’s going to blow out the candle without removing her face mask!
Big thanks to Annemarie for suggesting this fun and timely project! And speaking of fun…
Quarantine Entertainment
So, I’ve been working from home these past few weeks – you might remember seeing my desk invaded by a Beastie raiding party on St Patrick’s Day in this post – and I’ve noticed myself picking up some new hobbies. I thought I’d share them with you… Mostly to see if any of you have started doing similarly odd things yourselves!
The big difference between home and my studio is that I now have a window to stare out of when I’m figuring out the angles of my latest Beastification. I also don’t see Ophelia the studio cat as often as I did. I miss her antics!
As such, I have been avidly following the daily patrollings of Big Ginger Cat and Little Tortoiseshell Cat, who swing by several times a day to sunbathe, hunt bluebottles and wage war on the magpies in the big tree. It’s nice to see them continuing about their usual business!
And when the cats are away, the birds get a chance to play… A lot of people are saying that they’ve been noticing birds and birdsong a lot more, and we’ve been enjoying the occasional full-on dawn chorus here some mornings. It’s harder to see the little birds in the trees now that they’re all leafed out, but I’ll sometimes catch a glimpse of a robin or blackbird as they flit from branch to branch. This morning I spotted some swifts for the first time this year, zipping around high in the sky! Has anyone else become an amateur ornithologist lately?
Then again, there’s a downside to that window too. When the sun comes around in the late afternoon, it blazes in and makes my work table hotter than the surface of Mercury! What’s a girl to do?
Why, retire to the garden of course! My balcony pots are looking better tended than they have in years, and on Sunday I harvested my first home-grown radish. Talk about satisfying – I’ll share some pics when a few more things sprout or flower.
And how about you? Have you taken up a new quarantine hobby, or had a change of pace that lets you see things you’d have missed before? Be sure to tell us all about it in the comments!
We’ll be back on Friday with a run-down of some of the craziest Beastie accessories I’ve ever made, so be sure to join us then!
PS…
In case you missed it in last Friday’s post, I did this!
Barry interviewed me for his podcast just before the lockdown kicked in, and the episode went live last week. You can have a listen here, or on your usual podcast provider. And a big thank you to all those people who listened already and got in touch afterwards! It was so nice to hear from you all!
While Dad was harking back to the “Madchester” era in a football shirt and parka. Check out the furry hood!
I also can’t believe I managed to do all that teeny embroidery on the album cover before I got my wondrous magnifying lamp!
… And her miniature miniature schnauzer, Mikelet!
She also left Beastie Towers with two outfits…
… And a whole heap of accessories!
Her “survival kit” pays tribute to a few of Human Tierney’s favourite things – quilting, blogging and visiting her local library.
The match was placed here to give you an idea of just how teeny he is… Although I can’t guarantee he won’t be playing fetch with it later!
“Look, there’s still cherry blossom here!”
Hey, who’s that?
Yay! 
A little further up the hill, we wandered into the rose garden. And although there aren’t many roses in bloom yet, there was plenty of other greenery to explore!
We’ll definitely have to schedule another visit later in the year to catch it at its best!
And 
The last time I saw that sweet teal-coloured Beastie in the red scarf was at the Christmas on the Square market back at the end of November. He was hoping to find a home to call his own, and he really lucked out! A few weeks later, I received a lovely email from his new family. They told me he was settling in well, and they’d called him Felix because he’d brought them so much happiness. Well, that Beastie has some serious happy-making powers, because hearing that made me smile too!
… Learning to ride a bike (I’m not sure how he’s working the pedals, but that doesn’t lessen the achievement)…
… And taking the family car for a spin.
Let’s hope he’s a better driver than our good friend Paddy!
Well held!
Well, an ice cream would definitely be a good start. Hopefully he’s planning to share all that with someone… It’s nearly as big as he is!
To further his career, he asked me to share this photo of him recreating a classic pic of U2 (image not my own, I should say), taken around 2000 in Dublin’s Grand Canal Dock.
Hey there, FrankenBeastie!
Woooooooo! SCARY!
Finally, I dressed him in a ragged-edged shirt and faded charcoal trousers.
Let me know if you bump into him when you’re out for your daily half hour of exercise!
Well, the happy monster couple was only part of the deal. I was also asked to Beastify Marge, a charming and elegant pug who came into the guys’ life disguised as a humble birthday card, and then became a member (if not the ruling matriarch) of the family. Here she is getting ready to enjoy the marriage ceremony back in January.
Unfortunately, Beastie Marge wasn’t ready in time for the wedding. She takes her appearance very seriously, and that held things up a little! But while the boys and their Beasties were honeymooning, I had time aplenty to get busy with my felting needles.
Ta-daaaah! You know, it’s actually quite strange to see her with feet!
… And her glasses really have lenses!
Finally complete, she was ready to hop in a box and travel to her new home. By all accounts, she’s settling in nicely!
… Although, Beastie antics aside, it has been nice to be at home for the last week getting on with some commissions! They’ve been stacking up a bit this past while, but with my teaching schedule completely on hold for the time being, I’ve really been enjoying getting on with some teeny sewing!
Bake Off Beastie had prepared treats…
Any chance I can use my scissors, lads?
“No, sorry. This is the bar now. Sláinte!”
Turns out my cutting mat makes a pretty nifty dancefloor… And oh great, they’re dancing on the tables now too.
What’s this? MORE BEASTIES?!
Oh, come on! Some of you are aren’t even finished yet! And hey, get down from there!
Uh-oh. This can only go one way.
“Um, we got you a present?”
… During which time the boys found a novel way of staying out of the rain.
“Outta the way, camera! This is a Beastie bag now!”
Well, they do find us humans endlessly fascinating. And while there were occasional opportunities for mischief…
For the first part of our visit, we were in Highgate Cemetery East. Humans and Beasties can wander freely around this newer part of the cemetery for a small fee, and there’s so much to see here! While many of the monuments are fairly traditional…
… But keep your eyes open as you stroll around and you could also meet Douglas Adams, George Eliot, Karl Marx or Bruce Reynolds, who masterminded the Great Train Robbery!
… To see the rest, you’ll have to take the tour yourself!
First of all, you can see she’s sporting a very lovely handknitted Aran sweater. This Beastie’s human counterpart loves to travel… And although she’s been to some pretty far-flung destinations, the Aran Islands (which lie just off Ireland’s west coast) remain one of her favourite places to visit. What better way for a Beastie to celebrate this connection than with knitwear?
And now, how about something to tie into her working life? For a time, our Beastification subject worked for St Patrick’s Athletic Football Club – a Dublin team based in Inchicore, just to the west of the city centre. She’s also the head of a family of self-confessed football addicts… That made this a prime candidate for being included in the accessory lineup!
When it’s not holding the ingredients for her latest gastronomic experiments, she can use it to carry everything she needs for her other favourite pastime – getting lost in a good book!
As you can see, I’ve provided her with a selection of Beastie-appropriate titles – The Monster Family Cookbook and a classic Hercwool Poirot crime thriller!
… And let the good times roll!
Thanks to Niamh for choosing to celebrate her Mum’s retirement the Beastie way… And for all her help in getting the blend of accessories just right!