monster – Page 13 – Beastie HQ

Beast-Skis!

Posted on January 29, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

It’s been a while since we’ve checked in with Garcia Beastie… so I couldn’t have been happier to get a (virtual) postcard from his post-Christmas ski trip, complete with photos!

This little monster loves an adventure in the great outdoors – it’s the perfect chance to take a break from the hectic life he leads in London. So, let’s hit the slopes!

One of the best things about being a Beastie is that it’s easy to hitch a lift to wherever you need to go.

But maybe you should rent some gear of your own, Garcia Beastie.

“Um, you wouldn’t have any Beastie-sized skis, would you?”

Much better.

Wheeeeeeee! Time to show those humans how it’s done…

… Or not.

Still, dinner will help him to thaw out…

…And then there’s the après ski to look forward to!

Oh, and at the end of the night, you can take a sparkly reindeer taxi home. It’s lucky someone was there to take a photo – this is the kind of story people don’t believe when you tell them the next day…

All in all, a successful trip! Thanks to Suzanne for sharing the photos!

What are you up to for the weekend? Let us know in the comments! We’ll be back next week with more new Beasties on Tuesday, and another day out with Explorer Beastie on Friday… see you then!

Beastie Burgers!

Posted on January 22, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Explorer Beastie's Dublin

Happy Friday, everybody! And Explorer Beastie is back to share another of our favourite Dublin haunts with you all! Today, we’re going in search of Dublin’s best burger… A quest that has been an ongoing preoccupation of mine for the last couple of years.

Now, after countless hours of research, we can reveal that the burger that has most tickled our tastebuds (for at least the last twelve months) is made by… Bunsen!

But why? First of all, I appreciate the simplicity of their menu. Here it is.

So unfussy that it fits on a single side of a standard business card, this menu means that the chef can’t hide burger deficiencies behind fancy toppings or a crazy selection of different styles of bun. It HAS to be good. You will get a say in how your burger is cooked, though (I always go for well-done, but they entertain my friend Mike’s preference for ultra-pink insides as well) and you can take as many or as few of the toppings as you like.

Oh, and I have to get a chocolate milkshake. Sometimes I’ll even consider sharing it…

Hooray! The burgers are here! Unfortunately, excitement got the better of me and I ate half of mine before I remembered that I was supposed to be taking a picture of it.

For much better food photography than a hungry Beastiemaker can manage, I recommend visiting Bunsen’s own website or Facebook page. I’m afraid I couldn’t wait to put my camera away and polish off the second half of the burger! Oh, and I am absolutely one of those people who has to loudly slurp up the very last dregs of my milkshake…

I’m already looking forward to my next visit! And if you want to go yourself, Bunsen have two restaurants in Dublin city centre to choose from – the original one on Wexford Street is my local, and they added a second branch in Essex St East in Temple Bar last year. Both open at high noon (1pm on Sundays) and serve up burger deliciousness until 9.30 pm (Monday-Wednesday and Sunday) or 10.30pm Thursday-Saturday.

By the way, all opinions expressed here are 100% my own – no sneaky sponsorship deals afoot! Although if Bunsen were to offer me free burgers for life, I wouldn’t exactly turn them down! I also want to give Jo’Burger and Bobo’s a special honorary mention – especially since I realise that Bunsen is a little light on vegetarian options!

Explorer Beastie will be back with another Dublin gem in two weeks. In the meantime, don’t forget to enter our Great January Begone Giveaway! Oh, and to anyone who was good enough to click the “Share on Facebook” button at the end of my last post, could you please let me know so I can log your entry? Unfortunately WordPress has no way of telling me who you are! Thanks 🙂

A Real Little Cutie… Plus a Monster Giveaway!

Posted on January 19, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Info, Knitted Beasties

If it’s Tuesday, it must be new Beastie time! So, everybody say a big hello to Charlie Beastie!

Charlie Beastie was commissioned as a keepsake gift for a recently-arrived baby girl. I was asked to use as much pink as possible!

She also has her name embroidered on the front of her romper suit…

…Plus a couple of cheeky nods to her Irish/Australian origins, as suggested by the person who requested her!

Apparently this Beastie made it safely to her new home Down Under just in time for Christmas! I’m sure she’s enjoying sunnier days and higher temperatures than the rest of us here in Beastie Towers!

And that leads me on neatly to the other half of this post. It seems that morale is generally low here in the Blogiverse, especially amongst those of us “enjoying” a cold, rainy start to the year in the northern hemisphere. Add to that the fact that this January has already deprived us of David Bowie and Alan Rickman, AND that we had to face into 2016 having bid farewell to Lemmy from Motorhead, it’s a miracle we’re able to drag ourselves out of bed at all.

Now, I realise that there is no freebie on earth that could miraculously fix all this, but some freebies are definitely better than no freebies at all. So, let the Great January Begone Giveaway begin! I have 5 of my remaining Beastie calendars to give away to 5 lucky BeastieBuddies…

As you can see, Explorer Beastie is doing a great job of demonstrating how a Beastie calendar can be an important part of any thriving craft empire.

Oh, and one of the winners will also get a surprise MiniBeastie in their prize parcel!

MiniBeasties are incredibly rare, and there may be as few as ten of these teeny critters in the whole world! This one is made from cheerful blue sock yarn, and I used a small-batch merino wool yarn that I was given by some visiting knitters from Colorado to create his awesome technicolour dream-pants!

So, how do you get your mitts on these, and make your January instantly 150% better? Take your pick from:

Blog Buddies – Follow the BeastieBlog (if you aren’t already!) and leave a comment on this post saying which month you’re most looking forward to this year and why
Facebook Friends – Like the Beasties’ Facebook page and share it with your friends (and all those people you’re Facebook friends with, but have no idea how, or if, you even know them in real life)
Instagram Addicts – Find the Beasties on Instagram (@crawcraftsbeasties), follow us and leave a comment on any picture so I know that you’re a real person and not a “Get more Instagram followers NOW” spambot!
Each of these barely-challenging challenges will earn you an extra entry in the draw, so by doing all three you’ll triple your chances of winning! I’ll be picking the winners at random at high noon (Irish time) on the 31st of January. Good luck!

Live and Let Dive

Posted on January 12, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Time for another new Beastie! Can anyone guess what type of woolly monster we’re meeting today?

Ta-daaaaaah! It’s more than a year since I made my first Diver Beastie, and it seems he made quite the impression on a fellow traveller when he visited Iceland and Greenland a few months ago! It was so exciting to get a commission like this out of the blue, and thanks to some expert guidance, I was able to tailor this Beastie to match her new dive buddy’s gear as closely as possible! Let’s take a look, shall we?

Like all Diver Beasties, this one lives in her wetsuit! She’s also got a weight belt, which goes on before all her scuba gear…

…And the rest of her underwater wardrobe!

This includes her dive hood…
…Computer…

…And, of course, her fins!

Then it’s time to put on her breathing apparatus, which includes a tank, BCD (buoyancy control device), two regulators (one as a backup, just in case), air gauge and mask!

Ready to go!

Unfortunately, diving opportunities are few and far between in central Dublin in the dead of winter… so rather than have Diver Beastie all dressed up with nowhere to go, I set her down in front of an episode of “The Blue Planet”. Hopefully this will tide her over until her first real dive!

I’ll have another new Beastie friend for you next week – and don’t forget to stop by on Friday to find out where Grim Reaper Beastie spent Christmas!

A Sunny Stroll by the Grand Canal

Posted on January 8, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie's Dublin

New year, new feature… Welcome to the first instalment of Explorer Beastie’s Dublin!

Explorer Beastie had a bit of a quiet year in 2015…

… So we thought that it would be fun for both of us to get out a little more, and show you the hidden corners of our city from a Beastie’s-eye point of view!

Yesterday was a beautiful sunny day, so we scrapped our original plans for an indoor adventure and made for the canal instead. There are two canals in Dublin’s city centre, the Grand Canal in the south and the Royal Canal in the north, and both canals eventually link up with the River Shannon in the west, via a whole string of towns and villages throughout Ireland’s midlands. The Grand Canal is nearer Beastie Towers though, so that’s where we headed.

The first part of our route was along the side of a busy road (boooo!) but once you pass the top of Clanbrassil Street Upper there’s a pedestrian path along one side of the canal, which makes for a much more peaceful walk… and better photos!

There’s plenty of wildlife to see along the canal banks – we spotted mallard ducks, mute swans, moorhens and a couple of different species of gulls.

Explorer Beastie even tried to make friends with one of the swans…

… With limited success.

Never mind, there’s much more to see…

… And sunny streets to explore!

This canal is still in use, and the working lock gates along the way break the waterway into smaller sections, each with its own distinct character!

This stretch beside The Barge pub is especially popular – it looks quiet now, but you should see it in the summer! On a warm evening, you’d think half the city had turned out to enjoy a pint by the water’s edge!

And further along, this wall usually has some interesting graffiti to look at…

We carried on past the top of Leeson Street, right in the city centre. A perfect chance to sit on an old bench and admire the view…

…Before heading to one of our favourite cafés for a sandwich and a warming cup of tea!

Remind us to take you there sometime…

We’ll be back with another slice of Dublin life in a couple of weeks. In the meantime, you can find out more about the Grand Canal here – this site lists all kinds of interesting canal-based activities, including walking tours, food markets and dinner cruises. Or if there’s anywhere you think we should visit, let us know in the comments!

Paddy and the Crocodile - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett’s Spa Weekend

Posted on December 1, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Sometimes you just need to get away from it all – even if you’re an adventurous little woolly monster! So when Paddy and Plunkett were offered the chance to spend a weekend in Leamington Spa, they thought it would be a super opportunity to catch up on a little R&R. And how better to start their break than with a sedate stroll around Jephson Gardens?

Aaaaah, that’s better! Jephson Gardens are named in honour of Dr Henry Jephson, a local doctor and philanthropist who did much to promote the healing properties of the town’s spa waters. As a result, the small town of Leamington Priors (as it was then known) boomed, and became known as Leamington Spa. The final flourish was the granting of a “Royal” prefix by Queen Victoria in 1838, and now Royal Leamington Spa is apparently one of the best places in Britain to spend your retirement!

So, after a wander around the duckpond, a visit to some of the park’s busier residents…

… And a look at the sculpture garden…

…The boys were feeling pretty chilled out!

But they can never stay out of trouble for long… Um, is that really a good idea, Paddy?

“Of course! I’m being very caref… AAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRGH!”

Oh no! PADDY!!

But thankfully, help came along in the nick of time – thank you, friendly passing elephant!

Maybe that’s enough “peace and quiet” for one day! Time to hop on a boat home, I reckon.

See you next week!

Victorian Explorer Beastie With Hippo - CrawCrafts Beasties

Beastie SOS!

Posted on November 17, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Have you seen this Beastie?

Victorian Explorer Beastie has been a pretty regular contributor to the BeastieBlog over the years. You might remember the trip we took to Bray, Co Wicklow last Spring…

… Or have fond memories of our visit to the Natural History Museum, where he fitted right in with the old-fashioned diplay cases and hand-typed information cards. I know I do!

This Beastie’s thirst for adventure led him to be adopted by a fellow globetrotter, and it wasn’t long before he jetted off on the journey of a lifetime… to see South America!

Here he is in Argentina, enjoying Christmas dinner southern-hemisphere-style, accompanied by Explorer Girl Beastie!

Unfortunately, this is the last known photograph of Victorian Explorer Beastie. One day, while out on the road, he took advantage of the long journey to catch forty winks in his travelling companion’s backpack, which was stolen while he dozed inside!

So, fellow travellers, I’d like to ask a favour. Please keep an eye out for Victorian Explorer Beastie as you jetset around the world… and if you do spot him, be sure to share a photo! Or, if he looks like he’s in need of rescuing, pick him up and bring him home with you. He can be treated for any injuries in my Beastie Hospital, and then he (or another Beastie of your choosing) will be yours to keep.

Thank you all, and good hunting!

PS WordPress tells me that the Beasties and I have been hanging out on the BeastieBlog for TWO WHOLE YEARS now! Thanks to all of you who read, like and comment on my tales of monster mayhem… you make this blog a really fun place to be!

Reader Beastie… Or Cowboy Beastie?

Posted on November 13, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

It’s widely assumed that bookworms tend to be stay-at-home types, who like nothing more than curling up on the sofa and losing themselves in a good story. Not so for Reader Beastie! Since moving to Canada earlier in the year, he’s really flung himself into the life of a ranch hand… although as you can see from the photo above, he’s yet to find a proper pair of cowboy boots in his size!

However, there are other ways for a Beastie to get about…

…And it looks like he’s waaaaay better at horseriding than I ever was, too!

We’ve just caught him on his way out to the community pasture, where he’ll be checking up on the livestock. This huge stretch of land (around 6000 acres) is owned by the Saskatchewan government and is leased by a group of local farmers every summer. It’s a great opportunity for the cattle to stretch their legs and raise their calves in the great outdoors! Everything seems to be in order here, anyway…

…And it’s also fun to catch up with all the gossip at the water cooler.

You never know who else you might meet out here… Hey there, baby hawks!

Reader Beastie decided not to hang around until mum came back, though. He figured it was probably safer to take a break a little further down the road, where his buddy the cowdog could keep sketch…

…While he took a weight off in the sagebrush…

…And enjoyed the view!

All in a day’s work for this intrepid little monster… at this rate, he’ll be able to write his own book!

Thanks to Nicole for sending me pictures from Reader Beastie’s latest adventure. I love to see what the Beasties get up to once they leave Beastie Towers, so keep those photos coming!

Have a great weekend, everybody!

Pirate Beastie Full Length - CrawCrafts Beasties

Postcard From Pirate Beastie

Posted on November 6, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family

Diligent BeastieBlog readers will surely remember this cheeky little ruffian! Pirate Beastie has been an important part of the crew here at Beastie Towers for a while, and I was wondering if he’d ever get a chance to set sail and see the wider world. But while I was on my holidays, I got a message on Etsy from Noémie at FocalHeart… Turns out her son is quite the pirate enthusiast, and he couldn’t wait to welcome Pirate Beastie aboard! Piggy banks were frantically raided, and Pirate Beastie was dispatched that very same day… Then last week I received a message in a bottle (an online bottle) to say he’d arrived safely, and it included PHOTOS!

It seems that Pirate Beastie has really landed on his feet – he’d barely arrived before he started gathering up treasure!

A lot of treasure.

He also got a new custom-built pirate ship, carefully constructed by his new shipmate!

And that’s not all – a couple of days later, he was invited to a pirate party!

Another great opportunity to gather up a few pieces of eight…

… Rub shoulders with famous scurvy sea dogs, like Captain Jack Sparrow…

…And have a swig of grog with some mysterious maidens!

Yaaaaaarrrrrr!

Thanks so much to Noémie and Thom for giving Pirate Beastie such a good home, and a new name! He now answers to James – Captain James to us landlubbers, I’m sure. And I’ve been super-impressed by Thom’s photography skills… he’s responsible for a lot of the pictures I’ve used in this post, so thank you for letting me use them!

You can read the full story of James the Pirate Beastie’s arrival (including unboxing video!) and big Hallowe’en night out on Noémie’s own blog. And make sure you stick around to check out her awesome handknits and paintings!

Oooookaaaay, time for me to head below decks and get ready for my market tomorrow! Have a super weekend, everybody!

The Post-Holidays Post

Posted on November 3, 2015June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Explorer Beastie, Info

Hello everybody! After a couple of weeks away (which seemed to vanish in the blink of an eye, by the way), we’re back in Beastie Towers and ready for more woolly monster fun! Our “holidays” actually ended up being pretty action-packed, so I’ll have lots to share with you over the next few posts.

First of all, let’s do the shameless plug… My first craft fair of the Christmas season is coming up this weekend! I’ve been busy assembling an elite squad of Beasties to bring along, and there will be some other new characters joining them at my stall as well. So if you should happen to be in Dublin, we’d love to see you… be sure to drop in and say hi!
And of course, the Beasties and I couldn’t let Hallowe’en pass without celebrating a little…

And with spookily apt timing, look who came to join the party…

Hey there, Gizmo! He was happy to strike a pose for the camera, as long as I made him an honorary Beastie for the day.

Later on, Explorer Beastie and I were looking for somewhere interesting to take a few seasonal photos. So Boyfriend suggested we take a trip to Lissonuffy Cemetery – perfect!

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Beasties and I spend all our time hanging out in graveyards, but Lissonuffy is really worth a look.

It’s small, and you could almost say it’s a close-knit community in its own right. You’ll see the same family names cropping up time and again on the headstones, and some of the grave markers are really, really old. I wonder what this one used to say?

It’s also incredibly peaceful out here, since the graveyard is surrounded on all sides by farmland.

There’s also a ruined church in the centre of Lissonuffy, which has some interesting tombs in its walls…

…Some of them perfectly suited to this time of year!

Then there was time for a quick break under the yew tree before we headed home to carve the pumpkin!

Hope you all had a super Hallowe’en! We’ll be back on Friday with news from Pirate Beastie, who set sail from Beastie Towers a couple of weeks ago in search of adventure. See you then!

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