Aaaah, the new year! It’s a time when many of us think about taking on a new interest, or learning a new skill… And perhaps more than a few of you are considering trying your hand at a little DIY.
Well, the Beasties are WAAAAAY ahead of you on that one! Meet Spencer Beastie, a practical little monster who lives for building, creating and fixing things.
Spencer Beastie was requested by our good buddy Melissa at Knitting the Stash, as a gift for her husband. And he’ll have to be VERY on the ball to keep up with Human Spencer, who is always working away at something cool. In fact, Human Spencer’s latest oeuvre is a complete renovation of an old prison bus… It’s amazing! You can catch up with the project on his YouTube channel, or keep an eye on his progress on Instagram, here.
So, I thought a good starting point would be to make sure that Spencer Beastie can pull his weight when there’s work to be done. Go go magic magnetic paws!
Not only can he now hold things, he can also “hang out” on metal surfaces in the prison bus!
Then with Melissa’s guidance, I was able to copy Human Spencer’s tattoo…
… Glasses…
… Favourite hat…
… And trademark bandana handkerchief!
Now, what’s that? A backpack?
I think we all know what that means… Let’s see what’s inside!
Aha! Everything a Beastie needs to tackle a serious refit project – a Beastie-sized torch, pocket knife and hammer!
And of course, each piece contains a magnet so that Spencer Beastie can hold them by himself!
Finally, for those of you who are suckers for the teeniest of tiny details, the torch contains a glass bead “bulb”…
… And the blade of the pocket knife really folds out!
Well, I think you’re ready to help out in the workshop, Spencer Beastie! Better get packed up and make the journey Stateside…
And the best bit is, you can see him settling in to his new home! Melissa very kindly featured Spencer Beastie in the latest episode of her podcast series… Check it out here!
It gets Beastie-ful at 15 minutes, but I so enjoy Melissa’s engaging, interesting shows that I’d recommend watching from the start. Who knows, it might inspire you to pick up the needles and get knitting this year!
And that’s all from me this week… But I’ll be back next Tuesday with more of the Beasties who found new homes during the festive season! Hope to see you then!
If you’re in any way craftily inclined, you’ll find so much to love on Melissa’s blog… Although her enthusiasm for all things woolly and yarny is really quite infectious, so even if you don’t know your knit from your purl, you might find yourself getting sucked in! What makes Melissa different from so many other craft bloggers out there is that she takes a look beyond her own works in progress, and taps into the growing community of people involved in producing the wool she knits and spins. This takes in everything from visiting farms (and getting involved in the sheep shearing!) to meeting indie dyers and pattern designers. One of my favourite recent posts was her interview with 
I love checking in with Shirley’s blog. I think it has a lot to do with the way she writes – her calm, warm voice just puts you at ease, and it’s like you’re meeting a good friend for coffee and a catchup. Shirley is another person who is all about handmade, and her posts are mostly about what she’s got on the go at the moment – she knits, weaves and is a super-talented illustrator. She also loves to read around her interests, and I’ve so enjoyed sharing in her library finds (or special orders)… Especially when she comes across something with a crafty theme! Lately, I’ve been avidly following her first foray into working with reclaimed yarn (
