Hello there Beastie friends! I hope you’ve been enjoying travelling around with Paddy and Plunkett these last few weeks – if you’ve missed out you can catch up with their latest antics here, here and here. Don’t worry, we’ll wait for you. All done? Great! Let’s greet a new Beastie, then… It’s been a while, hasn’t it? But this one is dye -ing to meet you too!
Hello there, monster lady!
This Beastie girl was created as a very special birthday gift… And as you might have guessed from the title and subsequent puns, copying her human counterpart’s supercool hairdo was a really big part of this project! Let’s take a closer look at that colourful barnet, shall we?
So, we’ve got rich, natural dark brown at the top, multi-tonal blues at the ends… And her hair is curly, too!
Getting this to work really did take a bit of pondering. You see, when humans dye their hair like this, it’s not too tricky. The ends are bleached, dyed in your colour of choice, and then you can enjoy watching the ever-changing tones as the dye gradually fades. Being wool, Beastie hair responds much less positively to the initial bleaching treatment, and that meant I had to start by turning the entire process on its head!
So, I selected a couple of yarns from my stash – one solid blue and one multicoloured hand-dye helped me capture the right array of hues – and set about colouring the “root” ends darker to get the effect I wanted. Since I was only dyeing a very small amount, some sums were involved to make sure I got the reduced quantities of ingredients in the correct proportions. This, and the mixing that followed, had me feeling very much like a mad monster-making scientist!
Then, using highly technical apparatus (consisting of wooden clothes pegs, chopsticks and a repurposed butter tub), I set about dip-dyeing my pre-cut yarn strands. I worked with a colour called Espresso Brown initially, but when two separate dyeing sessions left me with a shade that was more “milk chocolate”, I picked up a sachet of black dye and used it to mix my own custom blend. Phew – third time lucky! I finally had a colour I was happy with, and once everything dried out, I was able to crack on with my usual Beastie hairdressing.
Talk about a learning experience! But it was really cool to take control of my colour selections in this way, and I’d definitely do it again – especially when it comes to trying to match the human hair tones that commercial yarn companies seldom offer in their ranges.
But there’s more to this Beastie than her hairstyle, y’know! To complete her look, I dressed her in black leggings and a black hoodie…
And of course, the hood can be worn up or down. There are even holes for her ears to poke through!
And… Wait a sec, don’t go!
Aha! She’s just fetching her four-legged friends to join the photoshoot. Hello, Beastie pups!
These little scamps are Beastie pugaliers – just like the full-size ones that her new human friend has at home!
When I saw photos of the family’s dogs, I noticed that they both had quite distinctive markings. So I used needle felting to make their Mini-Mes as close as possible to the full-size versions! Meet Beastie Lucy…
… And Beastie Sanjay!
And now that we’re all here… WALKIES!
How about you? Have you tackled something new recently? If you have, tell us all about it in the comments!
Aaaaand Paddy and Plunkett will be back next week, so be sure to join us then!
Hey there, Cool Dad Beastie – and sweet little Baby Girl Beastie too! This charming woolly pair were requested as a super-special Father’s Day gift for a new dad. A very new dad… Father’s Day 2019 was his first! So, to help the festivities go with a trademark Beastie bang, these two little monsters needed to make sure that their human counterparts recognised them straight away.
Her new human friend is heading for her first birthday, so this Baby Beastie is also a little bigger than some of the 
… And these straps unclip too, making the sling removable!
Here you go, Dad Beastie!
I think it’s time for a hug!
Heehee! Look how teeny she is!
And look, he’s into craft beer too! These two new friends will have lots to talk about. Regular BeastieBlog readers will recognise the brand of beer from 
Yum!
Thanks so much to Deirdre from 
We’ll be back next week (hopefully!) with more monster mayhem… See you then!
Is it because of their shared curiosity about the world around them? Or just because they both have pointy ears? Either way, my first Beasties with their own feline friends proved popular at 
… Enjoying some cosy feline cuddles in their new home!
Then, a black cat this time… With bright green eyes!
Eagle-eyed readers will also notice that the cat is sitting the other way around in the Beastie’s paws… So Orange Beastie and Blue Beastie will make a lovely matching pair when they’re together!
Oh, hello Ophelia! No, don’t worry… I wouldn’t dream of doing a photoshoot without including you too.
Thanks so much to Rosa for this Beastie request… And for giving Ophelia an excuse to drop into the BeastieBlog 
And, in Russian-doll-like fashion, that’s removable too!
Aha! It’s a blue running top! I chose a colour that matches the shirt Human Bruce got for taking part in the Dublin Marathon… See, I told you he was sporty! His stripey beanie hat is also a marathon souvenir.
Good work, Beastie Bruce! It gives me great pleasure to present you with this special Beastie-sized medal.
How about a tasty croissant to snack on? It’s Human Bruce’s favourite way to start the day! This one is made of felted wool – the perfect low-fat, high-fibre treat for a Beastie on the go.
I think he’s finally good to go!
Oh, and although he’s been wearing them throughout all the pictures in this post, let’s not forget those glasses! Some careful work with needle and pliers meant that I could capture the thin metal frames of Human Bruce’s specs.
Phew! It’s only when I write a post like this that I realise how much goes into each and every Beastification. Still, this was such a fun project. Then seeing Human Bruce sharing pictures of his new monster buddy was the icing on the cake!
This Beastie was requested as a very special birthday gift and she needed to match her new buddy’s look as closely as possible. So, that boiled down to a pairing of flashes of bright colour with a few nods to gothic/heavy metal style. No problemo!
… And is removable, too. However, after several instances of 
And now that the hoodie hood is down, you will have noticed that this Beastie is rocking some rather spiffy piercings and a cute bob and fringe!
I made sure to keep the individual strands of hair quite fine, though – just to make sure her hair wasn’t too big to fit inside her hoodie hood.
Very nice!
As you can see, it tucks in neatly underneath the hoodie hood, so she can bring it with her come rain or shine!
Beastification complete… Rock on!
Many thanks to Caspar for this awesome Beastie project… And to all of you for dropping in to visit! Paddy and Plunkett will be back next Tuesday, so be sure to join us then.
… But following a Grand Slam victory for Wales in the Six Nations rugby tournament earlier this year, she thought a special celebratory addition to their wardrobe was in order. So I found a willing Beastie model to help me get the sizing right, and TA-DAAAAAAH!
One Beastified Wales Rugby jersey!
… And added an appliquéd number 8 on the back!
The significance of the number 8 is still a mystery to us here at Beastie Towers, but it’s clearly got some sort of special meaning to Jon Beastie and his human counterpart. I’m keeping an eye on 
I can’t imagine why that might be.
Poor Explorer Beastie!
… But Explorer Beastie really enjoyed his therapeutic bubble bath!
“Aaaaah! We should do this every week!”
Whiter teeth and a nice clean beanie hat were just an added bonus!
And now he’s ready for action again!
Beastie Hospital services are available to all Beasties, too! You only need to reach into your pocket to pay postage back to Beastie Towers – we’ll take care of the rest. Contact me 
Meet Julia Beastie! This particular monster lady was made as a very special “Yay, you finished your MA thesis” gift… And as you can see, she’s not travelling alone. She’s being kept company by her feline felt friend, Paddy the cat!
Now, Beasties with pet cats aren’t new – you may remember that I made a few for the 
… And the combination of delicate green skin with rich dusky rose stripes!
Aaah, you can’t beat those classics! Although I adjusted this Anne Bront
And how about a ticket to a show, to complete the set?
“Carousel” is one of Human Julia’s favourites, so it’s fairly safe to assume that her new Beastie companion will enjoy it too. Just one thing, though…
“… And pop it in my backpack for me?”
As you can see, the straps clip into place at the base of the bag. That means they can simply be slipped around a Beastie arm and attached!
Perfect!
Here’s wishing them all kinds of monster adventures together!
No, I haven’t been hiding out in the daffodil patch with Paddy and Plunkett for the last month… Although I bet that would be a party!
Since we last spoke, I’ve been gradually moving more of my crafting kit out of Beastie Towers and into the studio… One blue IKEA bag at a time! Honestly, what did craftspeople use to transport their gear around before?! I’ve also picked up a few things to make my little workspace a bit more “Beastie”, and I’ll be sure to give you the new and improved photo tour in a future post.
…Plus a couple to finish up and add to my online store (AT LAST)!
And what about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other? Be sure to tell us all your latest news in the comments!
We’re just down this passageway, in the open-plan Back Loft area! Turn the corner and…
Please excuse the mess… I’m still in the process of moving in! A bit of that craftsplosion I mentioned earlier will definitely take care of those empty walls and clear tables, too.
… While still having a separate fabric-cutting and ironing station!
And here’s a sneaky peek at some of the communal spaces. I’m really looking forward to relaxing in the roof garden this summer.
Today, I brought along the first (and most important) decorations for my studio walls as well – pictures and cards from some of my Beastie friends! Perhaps a few of you will spot something familiar in here…
Oh… And one more thing. This studio comes with a free feline friend! Hey there, Ophelia!
Isn’t she pretty? Expect to see a lot of her in future posts! Apparently she has a bit of a thing for yarn though, so I’m making sure all my storage boxes are kitty-proof!