Monsters – Page 16

Getting Around to Knit!

Posted on March 7, 2017June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Crafting, Knitted Beasties

Well lookee here! It’s Tuesday again, and in keeping with BeastieBlog tradition, I’ve some new Beasties for you to meet today – although I think a few of you might already have caught these two little lady monsters on social media over the weekend…
… But this is your chance to get a proper, close-up look at them! As you can see, they are both keen knitters – and even though they’re working on quite different projects, they like nothing better than meeting up and comparing knit notes!
This pair have gone to live with a pair of fellow enthusiasts of all things yarny – Deirdre and Lora, from Irish craft magazine Olann And!

Lora and Deirdre - Image borrowed from www.olannand.ie — (Image borrowed from http://www.olannand.ie)

Deirdre thought it might be fun to have a pair of Beastie counterparts to share the work of writing and editing this quarterly magazine… So let’s meet her new monster friend first!
Her favourite colour is pink, so of course Deirdre Beastie had to be pink too… and she’s working away on a rather lovely bubblegum-coloured chunky knit there as well! Also, her cosy cowl is modelled on one of Deirdre’s own recent projects…
… And a quick scan of some of Olann And’s recent podcasts helped me to design her sweet little polka-dot dress!
As for Lora… Well, she’s more into her blue. As you can probably tell!
Her new Beastie friend is also sporting miniature versions of her trademark tortoiseshell glasses and Madonna piercing!
And Deirdre Beastie isn’t the only one to be wearing one of her latest knitted masterpieces! Check out Lora Beastie’s glorious cherry-red cardigan, inspired by one of human Lora’s recent makes…
But the best part of this project was watching Deirdre and Lora meet their Beasties for the first time… And fortunately, they caught it on camera! Here’s the link to Episode 10 of the Olann And Podcast, in case you missed it!

(For the sake of my non-crafty readers, I’ve set the video to start from the beginning of the Beastie segment. But I’d recommend my fellow knitters, sewists and crocheters to ping it back and watch the whole thing – you’ll find lots to enjoy and inspire you here!)

I can’t wait to see what yarny adventures await these two Beasties in their new homes! And be sure to tune back in next week to meet another new monster friend… In the meantime, why not check out Olann And’s latest issue? This time around, they’re featuring some awesome (and FREE!) patterns, sharing some locally-made goodies and dipping a toe into the world of embroidery – all on their spiffy new-look website!

Have a great week, everybody!

Beastie-Sized Photo Studio! CrawCrafts Beasties

What’s Goin’ On?

Posted on February 28, 2017June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Phew! It feels like it’s been another busy old month here in Beastie Towers… but when I looked into my “Ready” box earlier, there didn’t seem to be a whole lot of little monsters living in there yet. So much for my master plan of getting ALL my Christmas market stock made in the first 2 months of the year, eh?

That left me wondering what on earth I’d been up to, so I thought it was high time I offered another sneaky peek into life as a maker of monsters – hopefully it will help us all to solve the oh-so-intriguing Mystery of the Vanishing February!

First off, I ventured Northwards… And many of you will already have seen the photos Explorer Beastie and I took of our whistle-stop tour of Donegal.
(If you haven’t, catch up with Part 1 and Part 2 now!)

But that wasn’t the only reason for my trip. I was also planning to catch up with my buddy Julie from Juleco, so that she could teach me some new skills! Loyal BeastieBlog readers might remember the super revamping she did on the humble Beastie Passport last year…
… So I thought she might be able to help me figure out a better way to do my commission sketches as well. I spend a HEEEEUUUUUGE amount of time on these – time I’d really rather use for knitting! With Julie’s help, I’ve been taking my first steps with computer illustration using Adobe Illustrator, in the hope that I’ll be able to re-use elements across numerous sketches, colour-match better with the yarns from my stash and (best of all) colour in with a single click! I already feel that I’m making progress – I just hope I can get the basics down before my free trial runs out. I’ll keep you posted!

I’ve also been having fun playing with the new toy I mentioned in last week’s post. Ever since I went to an Etsy product photography evening last spring, I’ve been meaning to make a lightbox for myself… It’s so easy, and yet I never seemed to be able to scrape together the 20-odd minutes it would have taken to throw one together. I was tormented by questions of where on earth I was going to keep the thing once I’d made it, and how I would extricate it from its hiding place when I needed to use it. Fortunately for me, Boyfriend was taking notes – and look what showed up in my Christmas stocking!
It’s a Beastie-sized photography studio! It came complete with daylight lamps, backgrounds in 4 different colours and a tripod… And the best bit is that it folds down into an entirely portable (and stowable) 42cm square carry case. Now even the gloomiest winter mornings can be photoshoot days… I can’t wait to share my new-style pictures with you all, starting next week! I’ve had a few commissions on the go over the last while, and before each Beastie shipped out, they all got a little time in the studio.

In fact, commissions are probably what’s been munching up most of the month – they really do take time! And sometimes they demand a little bit of extra focus. So a couple of weekends ago, I did something that I haven’t done in… eeek, I don’t know how long! I unhooked myself from the internet. It helped that Boyfriend and I were heading off to the farm for a couple of days – in my mind, it makes a lot more sense to be offline when surrounded by wild countryside. As I made my way to the bus station on Friday evening, I caught up with all the notifications on my phone and then switched off data and WiFi for two whole days. I didn’t even take any pictures… Apart from the odd one down at the lake.
It was just the break I needed. Much as I love being part of this vast online community and meeting people I’d never have encountered otherwise, it was nice to spend time talking, reading and crafting without the distraction of a steady stream of beeps and flashing lights. I also couldn’t get over how much longer my battery lasted! It was like being back in 2005!

And when I switched my phone back on the following Monday morning, it didn’t explode with a sudden influx of unread notifications – catching up didn’t take that long at all, and I was excited to see what everyone had been up to while I’d been away. The world didn’t end because I tuned it out for a couple of days, and I didn’t miss out on a massive order, a life-changing opportunity or a genuine email from an exiled prince who needed me to hold onto his fortune for a short time in exchange for serious ca$h mon€y. In fact, I might be tempted to do this more often!
How about you? Do you reckon you could go on an internet crash diet? Let me know in the comments! And normal service resumes next week, with another new Beastie for you to meet. See you then!

A Monster Family, by CrawCrafts Beasties

It’s a Family Thing

Posted on February 21, 2017June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Commissions, Knitted Beasties

Isn’t this year flying in already? I can’t believe it’s been nearly two months since I was putting the finishing touches on the new Beasties I’ll be introducing to you today!

So before another month zips by, let’s catch up with the last Beasties of 2016 – a happy little monster family!
These Beastie parents are justifiably proud of their sweet new arrival, who I made sure to wrap up in a toasty merino wool blanket, to keep those December chills at bay!
And just look at Mama Beastie… She’s so stylish in her checked shirt and satin bomber jacket!
Of course, Beastie Dad is no slouch in the style stakes either! He’s a bit of a Manchester United fan (or maybe that’s Monschester United?) so he pretty much lives in his favourite football shirt…
… Although since it was the middle of winter when he left Beastie Towers, it would have been irresponsible of me to let him out without a jacket. So I made him a classic felt parka, complete with a fur-lined hood!
This look might have been a little inspired by his favourite band… So I kitted him out with a copy of Oasis’s breakthrough album “Definitely Maybe” to keep him and his new family entertained. If you look closely, you’ll see that this is a super-rare Beastie-fied special edition!
The album cover is as close a replica of the real thing as I could recreate in felt and teeny embroidery. Yikes! Remind me to start this kind of work in the summer, and not leave it until the very darkest days of December like I did last year!

OK Beasties, I think that’s everything you need. Time to head off and meet your new family!
The best bit is that they arrived just as their human counterparts dashed to the hospital to welcome their own little person into the world – what are the chances? I couldn’t have planned that better if I’d tried!

Phew! Now that we’re almost up to date with new Beasties, next week I’ll be sharing some of the latest news from Beastie Towers… including my new photography toy and why it’s nice to be incommunicado every once in a while. See you then!

Strangers in a Strange Land

Posted on February 7, 2017June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

It’s been a while since we heard from intrepid globetrotting Beasties Paddy and Plunkett, hasn’t it? And now I’m beginning to think there might be a good reason for that… Take a look at their most recent set of holiday snaps and you’ll see what I mean!

What a weird, alien landscape… Are they even still on Earth?
“Paddy, look at these – they go on for miles!”
Of course, Plunkett was in his element – a field full of precariously-balanced rock towers? YES PLEASE!
But then Paddy spotted something else off in the distance, and he just had to climb down for a closer peek.
“Hey! Plunkett! Check it out…”
“…ROCK POOLS!”
And they were absolutely teeming with wildlife…
…Including this sea anemone, hermit crabs and one rather luxuriant sea slug!
Paddy could quite happily have watched this fellow grazing away on the rich pastures of underwater algae all day, but Plunkett was a little less keen…
Sorry, Plunkett! I promise we’ll stick to rocks next time!

What’s the strangest creature you’ve ever found at the beach? Let us know in the comments!

Oh, and be sure to join us again on Friday… I’m doing an extra bonus post this week to share photos from the day trip Explorer Beastie and I took to Ireland’s northernmost point! See you then!

Plan Your Life the Monster Way - CrawCrafts Beasties

Ch-Ch-Changes!

Posted on January 17, 2017June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Crafting, Life at Beastie Towers

Hey there everybody! It’s great to be back!

We hope you all enjoyed the holiday season and that 2017 is treating you nicely so far. I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I’m ready for another year as eventful as 2016 was!

Anyway, after rather a lot of this…
… We’re excited to get back to reality!

But, as you might have guessed from the title of this post, some things are gonna change around here, and I’ve spent the last couple of weeks having a big ol’ think about the past year and where to go next. Overall, I reckon 2016 was generally Beastie-friendly – for starters, I’m still reeling from our success at the Dublin Christmas Flea!
In 2016, I also enjoyed meeting and collaborating with other craftspeople…
…Seeing the world through the eyes of Beasties who had left home…
…And getting to write for the Olann And Blog!

My Featured Craftspeople! CrawCrafts Beasties — My Featured Crafters! Clockwise from left: Dinah’s Dolls, Guadalupe Creations, Niki Collier Design.

And outside of my Beastie-making activities, I also landed a new job – one which I’m really enjoying, and which I hope will better complement my hectic monster manufacturing schedule!

So, if everything’s so rosy, what am I going to be changing? Well, I felt I spent most of last year lurching from one panic to the next – it seemed like there was always a deadline looming, and time just zipped by! I’m still trying to figure out what happened to April, July and September… Oh, and then the last quarter of the year hit, and somehow I found myself with hardly any market stock, and several commissions whose trickiest elements I had sensibly decided to leave until the darkest days of the year. GAAAAAAH! By Christmas Eve I was totally frazzled, and badly in need of a few days R&R&MW (rest and relaxation and mulled wine) with my family.
But with that (and a few healthy portions of Christmas dinner) under my belt, I was ready to start scheming for the year ahead. It’s the first time I’ve really taken the time to sit down and plan what I want to do and how I might get there, and I was surprised by how much it felt like time well spent! So, without further ado, here’s what I’ll be doing differently in 2017.

Make more, more often! Last year it seemed like I spent more time talking about making than I did actually making. This year I want to get back to what I love most – making monsters!
Prepare for Christmas, starting NOW. I’m planning to start assembling a crack squad of Beasties throughout the year, so we can take the Christmas markets by storm, AND save more of those precious December daylight hours for creating special bespoke monsters for anyone looking for a seasonal commission.
Set a stricter timeframe for commissions. I’ll be making myself stick to a 4-week turnaround time from first sketching to completed monster masterpiece! I’m also going to be learning some new skills to help speed up some of the parts of the process that I find trickiest… more on that soon!

And finally, this might raise a few eyebrows – but I’ve decided to cut back my posting on the BeastieBlog to Tuesdays only, at least for the foreseeable future. I’m hoping this will free up more time to actually keep up with all YOUR blogs, and feed my Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts more frequently!

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How about you? Are you doing anything differently this year? Tell us all about it in the comments!

Beasties at the Flea - CrawCrafts Beasties

Festive Flea Market Fun!

Posted on December 13, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties, Life at Beastie Towers

Woweeee! It really has been all systems go here at Beastie Towers lately – and in between getting Christmas commissions ready and starting a new job, I haven’t been able to go to half as many of the festive markets as I would have liked. Fortunately, I booked my spot at the Dublin Christmas Flea at the end of October, and I decided that come hell, high water or complete sleep deprivation I was going to be there!

It’s one of the markets I’ve been hoping to go to since I first became a Maker of Monsters, and this year they annexed an extra space in the Point Village in Dublin’s Docklands to make it their biggest event yet. So many stalls of crafty goodness… Plus some excellent vintage and food sellers as well!

Oh yeah, and the Beasties and I were there too!
Here we are, all set up and ready for Day One… And then a few more Beasties and beanies arrived throughout the weekend…
…Then it was all paws on deck come Sunday! Hallowe’en Beasties don’t usually hang out at Christmas markets, but the prospect of new friends and a new home was too good to miss…
By the time 6pm rolled around on Sunday, almost every one of my little monsters had toddled off with their new family!

Thanks so much to everybody who stopped in to visit us over the weekend – it was lovely to meet you all, especially those of you I already know a bit from your blogs, or from Instagram and Facebook! And a big thumbs up for the Dublin Flea team as well, who put in an immense amount of work to beautify the venue and let all of Dublin know that the market was happening. Best of all, they gave me a spot right next to the tea stall! You guys are the best!

Right, I’m off to start getting ready for next year’s market now… And for anyone who left the Christmas Flea with a new monster friend in tow, please feel free to share photos of your Beastie’s adventures with us back here at Beastie Towers! You can post to Facebook, share your Instagram pics with the hashtag #beastiesofinstagram, or email photos to crawcraftsbeasties@gmail.com to feature in a blog post in the new year!

Paddy Scales the Walls - H Crawford/CrawCrafts Beasties

Paddy and Plunkett Rock Out!

Posted on November 29, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

All the leaves are brown… and the sky certainly is grey here in Dublin today! But it seems like not all Beasties are reaching for their hats and scarves, or bedding down on the sofa to rewatch “The Muppet Christmas Carol”.

Not Paddy and Plunkett, anyway… They’re still on holiday in Lanzarote!
Today, their wandering paws have brought them to a part of the island that’s all rocks. Paddy’s not impressed – he had his fuzzy little heart set on building sandcastles. But Plunkett is in his element!
These local rocks are ideal for making stone walls, and Plunkett is determined to examine all of them!
This is starting to remind Paddy a lot of their trip to Arundel Castle, back in the summer!

Some of these walls even deserve a closer look…
…And at least that’s something Paddy can enjoy!
By the end of the day, I reckon he’d even forgotten about those sandcastles!
Where would you like to be spending this wintry Tuesday? Let us know in the comments!

Aaaaand don’t forget to pick up your Beastie calendar, while they’re still hot! A mere €12 each, with free postage within Ireland, or €3 to anywhere else*. Get in touch to reserve yours!

*These rates are for one calendar – larger orders might cost a little more!

Theeeey’re Heeeeere!

Posted on November 22, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties, Life at Beastie Towers

2017 Beastie calendars, that is!
This year’s calendar features all-new photos – for those of you who are proud owners of the 2016 version, there won’t be any repeats in the coming year! Explorer Beastie is hogging the limelight as usual…
…But I snuck in a few of my favourite Beastie friends from the last 12 months as well!
I’ve chosen a slightly different layout this time, which I think looks clearer and allows more space to write in the details of your busy life. Now all you have to do is decide how to spend your year!
If you’d like a Beastie calendar to call your very own, head to the Contact page and drop me a line, or PM me through Facebook, Twitter or Instagram!

The Science Bit…
A single calendar will set you back a mere €12, and postage anywhere on the island of Ireland is free! If you live elsewhere, P&P will be an extra €3 for one calendar… Or if you’d like a few, I’ll calculate the postage based on the total weight of the parcel. Ping me over payment by PayPal, and your calendar(s) will be in the post that same day (Post Office opening hours permitting, of course)!

Oh, and get your order in soon – I’m only doing one batch this year!

And while we’re on the subject of time management and busy lives, Silly Season is now officially in full swing! So much crafting to do… and since most of my latest Beasties are destined to spend a little time under the Christmas tree before meeting their new families, it’ll be New Year before I’m able to share their photos with you. With that in mind, the BeastieBlog will be scaling back to just Tuesday posts for the time being. Normal service will resume in 2017!

Seasonal Market Set-Up - CrawCrafts Beasties

Jumping on the Festive Bandwagon!

Posted on November 15, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Knitted Beasties, Life at Beastie Towers

Uh-oh! Try as you might to ignore it, there’s no denying that it’s beginning to feel a lot like Christmas! And while I’m already preparing to be haunted by my least favourite seasonal song (“Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time”) as I wander around Dublin’s city centre over the next couple of months, the ever-earlier arrival of the festive season has its advantages too… Top of the list being CHRISTMAS MARKETS!
I do enjoy going to markets – obviously there’s a Beastie adoption motive underpinning every one I attend, but I also really like the buzz of market day. Not only is it a super way to catch up with other craftspeople (and probably, let’s face it, leave a substantial chunk of your earnings at their stalls), I also love meeting my own customers face to face! For a crafter, markets are a great (and non-creepy) way to get to know the people who admire your work, and to see which aspects of what you do appeal to them most.

This past weekend, I spent Saturday and Sunday at my first Christmas market of 2016 – the Creative Collective Ireland Craft Fair, which is held annually in the Multidenominational School in Ranelagh, one of Dublin’s most charming suburbs.
The Ranelagh Fair is always a special one for me… BeastieBlog veterans may dimly remember my first market update back in 2013, when I launched my Beastie-making career at this very market! And although my stock and setup have changed a bit since then, it was nice to see to see some familiar faces, both behind the stalls and among the punters!

I also thought it was time to crack out the party season finery for my stall… My spooky Hallowe’en setup has made way for bright red felt and cheerful fairy lights on my (only slightly Scrooge-y) black Christmas tree!
There were a couple of festive special guests at the table too, of course…
… And on day 2, I managed to get my banner up behind the stall as well!
By the end of the weekend, we’d found new homes for some Beasties… And a whole lot of cuddly beans!
Hopefully they’ll stay in touch, and share their adventures with us in the new year!

We’ll be doing more markets as Christmas draws closer… Be sure to follow us on Facebook to see where we’ll be popping up next! And don’t forget to call back on Friday, when we’ll be doing some wintry countryside rambling with Explorer Beastie. See you then!

Paddy and Plunkett, Livin’ it up in Lanzarote!

Posted on November 11, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Paddy and Plunkett

After last week’s post, some eagle-eyed readers were able to figure out that Paddy and Plunkett are currently enjoying a bit of winter (or late autumn!) sun in Lanzarote, one of the Canary Islands. Lucky them! Shall we see where their wandering paws have taken them this week?

It seems like they’ve been making friends with some more of the locals, for starters!
Having spent a lot of the early part of their stay enjoying the delights of the hotel they’d snuck into, this week they decided to venture further afield.

“Come on Plunkett, let’s head for the hills!”
Paddy – full of beans as usual – was keen to see the island from the top of this mountain. All the more so after he found out that it used to be…
…A VOLCANO!

Plunkett was a little less enthused at the prospect of encountering pyroclastic flow and rivers of red-hot lava – he hid behind the sofa when we were checking out Grim Reaper Beastie’s last set of travel pics – but once we’d confirmed that it’s a looooong time since this volcano last erupted, he was happy enough to continue with the climb.

Well, as long as there were frequent stops to admire the view, of course…
“Are we nearly there yet, Paddy?”

“Almost… Just around the next corner!”
“Woooooooah! Look at that!”

Mind you, it was pretty breezy on the edge of the crater, so the boys didn’t stay long. On their way back down to sea level, Paddy spotted their next destination – he was all for making tracks to visit that lighthouse, way off in the distance!
However, Plunkett put his paw down.

“We’re supposed to be on holiday!”
And it turns out that it was surprisingly easy to win Paddy over to catching a few late-afternoon rays!

We’ll be back with more monster madness on Tuesday. In the meantime, have a great weekend… And Dubliners, don’t forget that you can catch us at the Creative Collective Ireland Craft Fair in Ranelagh this Saturday and Sunday!

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