Hello there Beastie friends! Well, after a quick new Beastie pit stop last week, we’re back on the road with Paddy and Plunkett. Despite the very obvious appeal of sticking around in that cosy cottage at the Logan Fish Pond, the adventurous pair have moved on… And apparently hopped a couple of rungs up the property ladder at the same time!
“Greetings from Powerscourt House, everyone!”
Wow! Plunkett looks right at home here, doesn’t he? Has he officially moved in?
“No, just visiting… And enjoying the view!”
Powerscourt House is in County Wicklow, and it’s only about half an hour south of Dublin. You wouldn’t think it, would you? The house is set in spectacular and varied gardens, and has made Lonely Planet’s list of the Top Ten Houses and Mansions in the world.
And of course, the house has a bit of a tale to tell! It’s been here since Medieval times, and some of the stonework of the 13th century castle still forms part of the structure.
That said, what you see today is mostly the result of an 18th century facelift, commissioned by the 1st Viscount Powerscourt in 1730. The main work was completed in 1741, but the house continued to grow and change over the years. They added a whole extra storey in 1787, and there were more major refurbishments towards the end of the 19th century.
Then, in the 20th century, a fresh round of renovations were completed, in preparation for the house to throw its doors open to the public for the first time. But disaster struck, just as work finished in 1974… A fire started on the top floor, and reduced the house to a roofless shell.
And so it remained for twenty years, until they rebuilt the roof in 1996. Finally, Powerscourt House got its moment in the sun in 1997, when President Mary Robinson officially opened it to the public. It seems to have gone from strength to strength since then – what do you think?
So, while Plunkett has been enjoying the spectacle of the house, Triton Lake and the Italian Gardens, all set against the backdrop of the Sugar Loaf Mountain, where has Paddy gone? I thought he’d at least be trying to persuade one of those winged horses to take off and give him an aerial view of the grounds… Oh wait, there he is.
Wait a sec, WHERE is he? It looks like he’s in Japan! I thought these two always travelled together!
Ah, not quite. He’s gone to explore the famous Powerscourt Japanese Garden, which is packed full of pagodas, azaleas, Japanese maples and Chinese fortune palms.
So let’s follow the winding path across the wooden bridge…
… And wait by the stone lantern for Plunkett to catch up!
The Japanese Garden was created in 1908 by the 8th Viscount and Viscountess Powerscourt, making it one of the newer features of the grounds. But funnily enough, the boys stumbled on one of the oldest parts just around the corner – the grotto!
“Paddy, look at all this wonderful moss!”
Yes, Plunkett is a big fan of moss – it’s cool, soft and really brings out his lovely green complexion. Fortunately for him, you can’t go far in Ireland without finding some! And better yet…
“Paddy! It’s a Beastie-sized waterfall! I could stay and watch it all day…”
“No way, Plunkett! There’s still so much to see. Come on!”
Of course, we’ll have to wait until next week to finish up the tour… Be sure to join us then!
I found Knitter Beastie hanging out among the plants in my studio, on the day I was going to meet one of my long-term knitting students for a goodbye coffee. This student had been a regular at the classes for a while, and we’d worked through some awesome and ambitious projects together. But alas, her time in Dublin was coming to an end, and she was moving home to Germany to continue her studies.
“Reeeeeally? I’ve always wanted to see Germany… And I could probably use a bit of help with this project, too.”
And with that, it was decided. Knitter Beastie hopped into my bag, and pretty much insisted on leaving the country with my student. I hope they’re getting on well… And that Knitter Beastie hasn’t been raiding all the local yarn shops in the hope of whipping up a few woolly monster friends!
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!
And with the warming temperatures and gradually lengthening days, activity levels have been picking up a little too! Today I wanted to share some of the extra-curricular activities that have been keeping me and the Beasties busy this past while.
But this year, I decided enough was enough. Let’s master those sewing machine demons! So I signed up for a class with 
You see, a lot of students want to take on the challenge of making a jumper quite early on… But even the simplest-looking designs often have next-level knitting skills lurking in the pattern. And while some new knitters thrive on being thrown in at the deep end, more than a few are put off by the idea of fancy shaping techniques, decorative seams and the alphabet soup of abbreviations that crop up in many “beginner” patterns.
… And I couldn’t resist leaving a monster behind on one of the beaches, just to prove I’d passed through!
We also had a delicious lunch at 
