Tag: Irish Wool

Beastie Treats!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hurrah! If it’s Tuesday, it must be New Beastie Day! And since we had a no-show last week, today I’m planning to make it up to you all by introducing you to two (yes, TWO!) new Beasties!

First up… look who’s joining us for breakfast! It’s Fry-Up Beastie!
Fry-Up Barróg Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesCan there be any better way to start your day than a big tasty fry? Well, your arteries may scream “Yes! Quinoa porridge and three servings of organic fresh fruit!” but sometimes a hearty plate full of assorted fried goodies is just the ticket. Plus, no matter how busy you are, after a traditional “full Irish” I guarantee you won’t need to eat again for about 6 hours. Talk about efficiency!
Contented Fry-Up Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesThe fried breakfast is a familiar sight on tables across the UK and Ireland, but what you find on your plate varies depending on where you are. The least healthy variant is the Ulster Fry, my birthplace’s contribution to world cuisine, thanks to its traditional line-up of both fried potato bread AND soda farls. Truly delicious… but have one of those every day for a week and you’ll probably keel over!

Anyway, Fry-Up Beastie seems pretty content with his portion. Pop it up on the table there, so we can have a closer look!
Beastie at the Breakfast Table - CrawCrafts BeastiesOooh, yum!
Fry-Up Close-Up - CrawCrafts BeastiesLet’s see… Sausages, a fried tomato, bacon rashers, a lovely big puddle of baked beans, black and white pudding and a fried egg. A proper Full Irish… no surprises there, since eagle-eyed Beastie-spotters will already have identified this little monster as a Barróg Beastie, made of 100% Irish wool! I should also point out that all elements of this delectable Beastie feast were cut, stitched and embroidered by my own fair hands, making this a truly home-cooked meal!

And now that we’ve had a hearty breakfast, it’s time for… elevenses!
Doughnut Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesHey there, Doughnut Beastie! He looks pretty excited to tuck into his favourite treat…
Doughnut Beastie, with his Favourite Treat - CrawCrafts Beasties…And perhaps we should take a closer look at it ourselves.
A Beastie-Sized Doughnut, by CrawCrafts BeastiesMmmm… Strawberry felt frosting with embroidered rainbow sprinkles! Good choice, Doughnut Beastie! Although perhaps you shouldn’t eat all that in one go… It’s nearly the same size as your head!

Wow, for some reason I’m now feeling incredibly peckish! It might be time to raid the fridge…

We’ll be back on Friday for Flashback Friday, since it seems to have been a hit with many of you! In the meantime, what’s your favourite tasty treat? Share it in the comments, and I may immortalise it in glorious felt for my next round of gourmet Beasties…

Explorer Beastie at Niki Collier's Studio

A Bit of Local Colour

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Explorer Beastie's Dublin

Explorer Beastie With Some Felt Gems - CrawCrafts BeastiesWith Paddy and Plunkett enjoying some well-earned rest after their last round of travels, it’s been left to me and Explorer Beastie to come up with an adventure to share with you this week! Fortunately, we didn’t have to go too far to find something interesting… In fact, we barely had to leave our own neighbourhood!

My friend and fellow craftsperson Niki Collier (who I featured recently in my guest post for craft magazine Olann And’s blog) recently relocated to a new studio space, and she decided it was high time she had a “studio-warming” gathering to celebrate her move. So of course Explorer Beastie and I had to go for a nosey!

The first thing that caught our eye was the impressive Wall of Tools – look at all those scissors! I promise I only experienced a little bit of craft den envy!
Explorer Beastie and the Wall of Scissors - CrawCrafts BeastiesThere are also plenty of Niki’s finished pieces dotted around the studio. That meant there was lots to keep a curious Beastie entertained…
All The Felt - CrawCrafts Beasties…While the grown-ups talked out the angles of a future collaborative project! Can any of you guess who this Beastie might be?
A Beastie in the Making - CrawCrafts BeastiesOne of my favourite pieces in the studio was this little tree.
The Felting Tree - CrawCrafts BeastiesNiki made this when she started felting. Each leaf was contributed by another crafter, and has notes on the back about the properties of the wool used to make it – what breed of sheep it came from, the length of the fibres – as well as the name of the person who donated it. What a great way to learn!

Once we’d seen everything there was to see in Niki’s studio, it was time for us to go and inflict ourselves on the people who occupy the other half of this building!
In The Leatherworkers' Studio - CrawCrafts BeastiesThis is the home of RJ Mooney Leathers, and their workshop is incredibly cool! Explorer Beastie had fun checking out all the different leathers…
Explorer Beastie Checks Out the Goods - CrawCrafts Beasties… And look at the machinery! Talk about a vintage-lover’s paradise!
Vintage Singer Sewing Machines - CrawCrafts BeastiesApparently they are all still in perfect working order, too! I’d love to come back and see them in action on a proper work day!

Tour completed, there was time for a quick cup of tea before we headed for home. Since the sun was out, we decided to stroll back along the canal – a great end to a super afternoon!
Walking Home Along the Canal - CrawCrafts BeastiesThis weekend we’ll be heading to The Grand Social on Liffey Street for the Ha’Penny Market – hope you’ll join us there if you’re in town! Otherwise we’ll see you again on Tuesday, when I hope to have new Beasties to share (AT LAST!)…

Light Refreshments at Beastie Towers!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Hooray! If it’s Tuesday, it must be New Beastie Day! Here are a couple of the other new additions to the Beastie Towers family who joined us at our market last Saturday…

First up… Caff-Fiend Beastie!
Caff-Fiend Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesOh, I do love making Beasties with teeny mugs of hot drinks! And as someone with their feet firmly planted in the tea drinkers’ camp, all of my cup-toting Beasties up to now have been clutching a nice, milky brew. However, I have heard rumblings that some people -SHOCK – prefer coffee! And it turns out that this applies to Beasties too. So, Caff-Fiend Beastie has a big ol’ yellow mug full of rich, strong Americano…
Anyone for Coffee? CrawCrafts Beasties …Although I suspect this might not be his first of the day! Check out his hair – is he perhaps a little frazzled?
One Too Many Coffees? CrawCrafts BeastiesMaybe we’d better make him order a chamomile tea next time around!

Of course, our “Drinks Beasties” feature today wouldn’t be complete without a Pint Beastie…
A New Red Ale Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesI equipped this Barróg* Beastie (those are the ones made out of 100% Irish wool) with one of my new-style pints, to see if the method worked with other types of beer… How about a nice red ale?

[*“Barróg” is the Irish word for “hug”, by the way!]
Red Ale Beastie's Pint, by CrawCrafts BeastiesLooking good – I’d almost drink this myself! Sláinte!

Have you a favourite tipple that you’d like to see recreated in Beastie-size? Let me know in the comments!

The Recipe for a Monster Day Out!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Market Stall - CrawCrafts BeastiesHere at Beastie Towers we like nothing better than heading out together for a fun day at one of our local markets. And even though the weather here was less than stellar on Saturday morning, we still managed to have a good time at the Ha’Penny market – it’s definitely worth a look if you ever find yourself in Dublin!

A few of our group even went home with new human friends – first to go was Cookie Beastie…
Cookie Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties …who was snapped up by Ali from A Little Idea, one of our stall neighbours on the day!

Many of the other Beasties who ventured off to pastures new have featured on the BeastieBlog before. But one of my recent additions found a new home too! It’s been a while since I last made a Chef Beastie – perhaps two years – so I really enjoyed cracking out my old templates and making some subtle adjustments to the design. The basic formula is the same – Chef Beasties always need a classic tall white chef’s hat and an apron…
Chef Beastie's Outfit - CrawCrafts Beasties…And I still get a chuckle out of making “useful” things to put in the apron pocket!
Chef Beastie's Useful Accessories - CrawCrafts BeastiesPut it all together, and you get…
Chef Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties…And perhaps you can see the BeastiEvolution which has taken place since I made my very first Chef Beastie!Evolution of Chef Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesWho knows where they’ll go from here? Hmmm…

I have more new Beasties for you to meet, but I’m going to save ’em for next week. In the meantime, Paddy and Plunkett will be back to entertain you with more travellers’ tales on Friday. See you then!

Plunkett at Samphire Hoe - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

White Cliffs and Teeny Trains

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Knitted Beasties, Paddy and Plunkett

White Cliffs at Samphire Hoe - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesPaddy and Plunkett’s tour of the southeast of England continues! Today they’re down by the famous White Cliffs of Dover, which are shining brightly in the sunshine. In fact, Plunkett seems to be quite dazzled by them!
Plunkett at Samphire Hoe - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesWhile they were here, the boys decided to have a look around Samphire Hoe Country Park. It’s a relatively new attraction in these parts – when work on the Channel Tunnel began in the 1980s, this area was given the (questionable) honour of being the dumping ground for all the chalk they dug out of the sea bed. The soil was used to reclaim 30 hectares of land from the sea, and a wall was built offshore to create an artificial lagoon. Then Mother Nature was left to recolonise the park as she saw fit!
Habitats at Samphire Hoe - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThere are a variety of different habitats to explore, and the lads even met a sunbathing adder on their travels – unfortunately they just weren’t quick enough with the camera to get a picture!

Then in the afternoon, it was time for something completely different!
At the Model Railway - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesOooh, look at that lovely old train! But all is not as it seems…
Paddy Watches the Trains Go By - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesWelcome to New Romney station, on the Romney, Hythe and Dimchurch heritage railway line – home of Britain’s largest model railway! Even Paddy and Plunkett felt like giants among these miniature landscapes!
At the New Romney Model Railway - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThey especially liked this part – well, who wouldn’t want to enjoy a monster day out for all the family?
Triassic Park! H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesBut what really got Paddy’s attention was waiting just outside – real trains, scaled down to one third their usual size! Perfect for a little woolly monster… Let’s just hope Plunkett managed to stop him from taking one for a test drive!
Paddy Plans to Borrow a Train - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesWe’ll be back on Tuesday with more monster antics! In the meantime, have a super weekend… and please get in touch immediately if a small green monster in an Aran sweater careens past you in what looks like a stolen miniature train!

What's this Beastie up to? CrawCrafts Beasties

Getting Down to the Knitty-Gritty…

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties

What's this Beastie up to? CrawCrafts BeastiesWell, this has been a long time coming.
Knitter Barróg Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesWho would have thought that I had never considered making a knitting Beastie until one of my diligent readers suggested it a couple of months back? But in between commissions, I found a spare minute to make some felt knitting needles (with needle-felted ends), and set this little monster on the road to the same yarn-based addiction that I myself suffer from discovering the joys of knitting!
What are you knitting, Beastie? CrawCrafts BeastiesThis Beastie has clearly got the hang of garter stitch already… but then, I suppose knitting is in his genes! I wonder what he’s making? Only time will tell, I suppose…
Barróg Beastie, Knitting! CrawCrafts Beasties… But knitting is a great way to pass the time on long journeys. And this Beastie has in fact headed off on a top-secret mission! I’ll let you know how he’s getting on as soon as he reports back!

Speaking of long journeys, I had another Barróg Beastie (those are the ones made from 100% Irish wool) leave Beastie Towers this week. Hurling Beastie is on his way to the USA!Hurling Barróg Beastie, by CrawCrafts BeastiesThanks to Kerry for finding him on our Etsy shop, and offering him a brand new home!

Anyway, time for me to get going – I have some Beasties here clamouring for new outfits. I’ll be sharing the results next Tuesday, but don’t forget to pop back on Friday to see Explorer Beastie’s holiday snaps from our recent “staycation”!

Have a great week!

The Beastie’s Tale

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

Paddy and Plunkett, Wandering Beasties - CrawCrafts Beasties

“Yes, we’re still on holiday! See if you can guess where we are today…”

Paddy and Plunkett started their tour by getting lost in this Beastie-sized lavender labyrinth. Mazes like these used to be laid out in tiles in front of the city’s cathedrals, and walking the paths supposedly helped you to rack up extra “pilgrim points”,  which would fast-track you to the good parts of heaven.
A Pilgrim's Labyrinth - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThis place really was a hotspot for pilgrims back in the day… people came from all over Britain, and even further afield, to visit the shrine of Thomas Becket. In fact, although it’s is now one of England’s smallest cities, in pre-Plague times it fell just inside the top ten largest, and was known throughout Europe as the “home town” of a number of recently-canonised saints of the era. The flood of pilgrims making this journey even inspired one of the earliest examples of real English literature, at a time when most literary works were in French or Latin.

Did you figure it out yet?

We’re in Canterbury! Here are the boys posing in front of Canterbury Cathedral, their first port of call after Plunkett managed to extract Paddy from the maze…
Paddy and Plunkett at Canterbury Cathedral - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesCanterbury Cathedral was founded in 597, and is now part of a UNESCO World Heritage site. The city itself dates right back to Paelolithic times, and contains landmarks left behind by a pick’n’mix of past residents – it seems like everyone from the Romans to the Normans made their mark on Canterbury!

While the cathedral is mostly a hive of activity, where a pair of Beasties risk getting trampled underfoot, there are quiet spots nearby where they can spend time exploring and posing for the camera. This shady herb garden has been planted in the old dormitory of the Cathedral – perfect for a picnic lunch!
Paddy and Plunkett in the Cathedral Herb Garden - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesAnd then they took a stroll to help settle down their hearty meal of… salad leaves. Well, if you want to spend the entire summer travelling, it’s important to save money where you can!

Plunkett spotted eight of these incredible lumpy plane trees as they wandered around the city.
Plane Tree in Canterbury - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesHe wanted to photograph all of them, but someone kept getting in the way…
Paddy Photobombs - AGAIN! H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesNow boys, no fighting please!

Hopefully they’ll be back next Friday, with the next instalment of their magical monster mystery tour. And I’ll have more new Beasties to share on Tuesday too!

Enjoy your weekend!

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Paddy and Plunkett Reach Beachy Head - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Life is Beachy for Paddy and Plunkett!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

Paddy and Plunkett Hit The Beach - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesIt’s back to Blighty on the BeastieBlog today! As it turns out, Paddy and Plunkett are still in beautiful Sussex, and they’re finding plenty there to keep them entertained. We’ll join them on the beach in a minute, but first they wanted to share a couple of photos from the village of East Dean, which they passed through on the way… Check out the famous former “resident” of this picturesque cottage!
Sherlock Holmes Lived Here - H CrawfordCrawCrafts BeastiesA little further along the road, the boys came to Birling Gap, where they got their first glimpse of the stunning white cliffs known as the Seven Sisters.
First Glimpse of the Seven Sisters, East Sussex - H Crawfor/CrawCrafts BeastiesAnd they really are WHITE! Plunkett was kicking himself for not thinking to pack his sunglasses!
Plunkett Being Dazzled at the Seven Sisters - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThe cliffs maintain their shiny brightness thanks to natural erosion – the soft chalk rock is constantly being nibbled away by the sea, which means that plants and lichens never really get a chance to take over the pristine white surface. Because of this, the Seven Sisters are often used as a stand-in for the more famous White Cliffs of Dover in films and TV… The Dover cliffs are so close to the huge international port that they’re no longer allowed to erode naturally, so they’re a little less white than they used to be!

Let’s follow the boys down onto the beach!
Paddy and Plunkett Among the Pebbles - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesWith all those white pebbles lying around, it would be quite easy to lose them down here – they’re surprisingly well camouflaged!

After a few games of hide and seek among the stones, the lads decided to spend the afternoon strolling along the clifftop path which links Birling Gap with Beachy Head. On the way, they passed the wonderfully-named Belle Toute lighthouse… Although it was never considered a particularly good lighthouse (according to Wikipedia, its position on the clifftop meant that sea mists often obscured the light, and those people who most needed to be able to see it – sailors venturing too close to the rocky shore – had their view blocked by the cliffs), it is a well-known local landmark, and it’s even appeared on the silver screen a couple of times! And it’s lucky that it’s so popular – in 1999, the cliffs Belle Toute stands on threatened to crumble away from under it and drop it into the sea, so the whole lighthouse was picked up and moved inland! It’s now enjoying a comfortable retirement as a B&B, safe from the ravages of the tides, and its job has been taken over by a much younger, better positioned lighthouse.

Here it is – Beachy Head Lighthouse, which greeted the boys at the end of their wander!
Paddy and Plunkett Reach Beachy Head - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesWhere will you be spending this weekend? Be sure to share your adventures with us in the comments!

A Pint of Plain is Your Only Man!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Ideas, Knitted Beasties

A New Barróg Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties

Happy Tuesday, everyone!

Well, I promised you a new Beastie today, and here he is – another Barróg (that’s the Irish word for “hug”, if you haven’t seen it before) Beastie, proudly holding a pint of the very finest felt porter!

Some of you might be thinking, “Big deal! We’ve seen Pint Beasties before!”… But let’s take a closer look at that pint, shall we?
Pint Barróg Beastie by CrawCrafts BeastiesHere at Beastie Towers, we’re always on the lookout for new ways to make some of the Beasties’ favourite accessories! So I decided to put my recent obsession with needle felting to good use, and rework my existing pint design. You can see one of the old-style ones in this photo…
Groom Beastie's Pint - CrawCrafts Beasties
The stitched head on the pint has a tendency to pop up a little bit once everything is sewn together – fine for Eastern European lagers or some Belgian-style ales, but if your pint of Guinness looks like that when it’s served, you should probably send it back. Being something of a perfectionist/masochist/certifiable basket case, especially when it comes to the accurate portrayal of fine ales, I’ve been working on seeking out the perfect Beastie-sized pint. And that’s where the needle felting came in.
Pint Collage - CrawCrafts Beasties
Behold! Smoother sides! A flatter top! And a texture that more closely resembles the creamy surface of a freshly-poured pint of the black stuff!

All that adds up to a better pint – and a happier Barróg Beastie! Cheers!
I'll drink to that! Happy Barróg Beastie, by CrawCrafts Beasties
In fact, he’s so delighted that he’d like to share one of his favourite books with you… Now you’ll see where we got the title of this post from!
Pint Beastie Meets Flann OBrien - CrawCrafts Beasties
As for me, I’m looking forward to brewing some more reworked Beastie pints soon – I might try a nice red ale next, or perhaps a summery Weissbier. Any requests? Let me know in the comments!

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Paddy, Plunkett and the Sundials - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Kings of the Castle!

Posted on by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

Paddy and Plunkett at Arundel Castle - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesHmmm, who’s that lurking in the undergrowth outside Arundel Castle? Paddy and Plunkett picked the perfect day to explore this mediaeval castle in West Sussex – just look at that sunshine! Let’s join them as they take a trip around this incredible place, which has been the home of the Dukes of Norfolk (and their predecessors) for nearly a thousand years!

Given the most un-British weather that day, it made sense for them to start in the rose garden…
Paddy, Plunkett and the Sundials - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThere were a only a few roses out, but the boys found a sundial to keep themselves entertained! That said, it wasn’t long before they were overcome with curiosity… Time to explore the castle! Let’s go!
Climbing the Stairs to the Keep - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesPaddy Gawps at Arundel Castle - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesArundel Castle is a bit of an architectural hodge-podge – the oldest parts were built in the late 11th century and subsequent generations left their mark on the building, both inside and out. In the late 16th-early 17th century, the 14th Earl of Arundel (nicknamed “the Collector Earl”) went on a bit of an interiors shopping spree, and many of his purchases can still be found in the castle today! Although the castle was damaged in the English Civil War, repairs were eventually carried out in the early and late 1700s, and a further round of restoration, completed in 1900, produced the remarkable building that stands today.

All this means that architecture buff Plunkett is in seventh heaven! However, Paddy maybe isn’t the most willing audience for his musings…
Very Different Beasties - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties…Not when he can hang out with the man-at-arms and his cat, anyway!
Paddy, Man-at-Arms in Training - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesAt least it’s given Plunkett a chance to brush up on his Latin.
Plunkett and Monk, Latin Enthusiasts - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThey also met a former castle resident in the private chapel – well, kind of.
Paddy, Plunkett and the Duchess - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesBut the bright sunshine soon lured the lads back outside. It would be a shame to miss the opportunity to see the gardens in all their glory! First stop was this formal garden, created as a memorial to the “Collector Earl”, which was full to bursting with beautiful tulips. Then they headed to the Stumpery – a novel concept garden where native woodland plants are encouraged to grow over the stumps of felled trees. This creates a really unusual and artistic display… and a great habitat for local wildlife!
Arundel Castle Gardens - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesThe boys also encountered a few curiosities on their travels… A whole family of scarecrows, and a rather unusual sign!
Arundel Garden Curiosities - H Crawford/CrawCrafts BeastiesPaddy thought it might have been the first cryptic clue in a treasure hunt… He spent the rest of the day trying to figure out what it meant. Perhaps he’ll have something to show for his mental exertions next time we catch up with these two!

What have you all got planned for the weekend? For any yarn-lovin’ folks out there, don’t forget that tomorrow is World Wide Knit In Public Day – what better excuse to grab your needles and make a start on a fun new project?

Enjoy!