News – Beastie HQ

Postponed!

Posted on September 10, 2022September 10, 2022 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Oh dear. After my own-trumpet-blowing post this past Wednesday, the recent passing of Queen Elizabeth in the UK has changed the planned lineup and I’ll be staying in bed on Monday morning instead of gracing Ireland’s television sets.

But there is a sunny side to this story – apparently they’re still keen to allow a Beastie invasion in the Ireland AM studio! So hopefully I’ll have an update for you in the not-too-distant future.

In the meantime, enjoy your weekend and I’ll chat to you all again soon!

Sleepy Explorer Beastie - CrawCrafts Beasties

Monster Maker M.I.A.

Posted on August 20, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Ooopsie!

In a change to the advertised programming here on the BeastieBlog, there will not be a new Beastie post this week… Or, unfortunately, for a couple more weeks, either. Between a growing heap of commissions, the reopening of knitting classes, a looming tax return deadline and a few new projects that have been bubbling away on the back burner, I’ve been finding myself spread a little thinly these past few weeks.

Explorer Beastie has too, apparently.

So, we’re going to take a short late summer break, get back on top of things, and return replenished with stories to share in the autumn!

Take care and see you then!

Helen and the Beasties x

Monster Online Sale!

Posted on June 15, 2021June 22, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Hello there everyone! Well, I’ve got some news for you all this week… We’re having a Beastie sale!

Yes, you read that correctly!

You see, some of the Beasties I have here in Beastie Towers have developed a serious case of lockdown cabin fever. They want (or perhaps more correctly, NEED) to stretch their little stripey legs and see more of the world. Normally I’d be taking them out to markets through the year, and that would quiet their yearning for adventure for a while. But with no big market days in sight just yet, this seemed like the best possible substitute.

Here are some of the lil’ woolly monsters who are eager to break out and explore pastures new!

And if you fancy a quick Beastie fix, and since we’re now halfway through the year, our printable Beastie 2021 calendar is now FREE!

Beastie Calendar Sale - CrawCrafts Beasties

But you’d better be quick!

The sale is running from now until this coming Saturday – that’s the 19th of June – and it will end at 6pm Irish time.

After that, I’ll be making some changes to Beastie HQ… The most significant being that there will no longer be an online store on the Beasties’ website. Over the past year, the number of Beasties finding new homes through the website has remained the same, but the amount of commission requests I’ve been getting has leapt up… And those commissions are becoming ever more complex, too! So it makes sense for me to focus on that side of things, at least for the moment.

For anyone who appreciates the simplicity of an Aran or Cookie Beastie though, don’t despair! I’m still happy to make these perennial favourites… Just drop me a line. You’ll even be able to add a more personal touch by selecting your preferred colour scheme and winsome monster smile style!

And finally…

Website updates always bring the potential for ~~disaster~~ interesting and unforeseen developments, so I’ll be skipping next week’s post to weed out any potential gremlins in the works. You can still keep up with the Beasties and their antics on Instagram, Twitter and Facebook in the meantime, though… And we’ll see you again in a couple of weeks!

Paddy Plunkett Daffodils - Spring Break - CrawCrafts Beasties

Springing Back into Action!

Posted on April 9, 2019June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Life at Beastie Towers

Hey look! I’M BACK!

No, I haven’t been hiding out in the daffodil patch with Paddy and Plunkett for the last month… Although I bet that would be a party!

I’ve been keeping busy with knitting classes, plus a little non-Beastie-based work. It’s always a good idea to keep food on the table, and yarn in the stash! I’ve also been spending a heap of time in my new studio, where Ophelia is making sure I don’t slack off.
Since we last spoke, I’ve been gradually moving more of my crafting kit out of Beastie Towers and into the studio… One blue IKEA bag at a time! Honestly, what did craftspeople use to transport their gear around before?! I’ve also picked up a few things to make my little workspace a bit more “Beastie”, and I’ll be sure to give you the new and improved photo tour in a future post.

So, what’s coming up over the next couple of weeks? Well, I’ve some new Beasties to share…
…Plus a couple to finish up and add to my online store (AT LAST)!

And once the April showers ease off a little, I know I won’t be able to stop certain little monsters from hitting the road! Expect to see Explorer Beastie and Paddy and Plunkett setting out to seek adventure again soon.
And what about you? What have you been up to since we last saw each other? Be sure to tell us all your latest news in the comments!

We’ll be back next week with a new Beastie for you all to meet. Get ready… She has so many accessories!

See you then!

Sunday Morning in the Park - CrawCrafts Beasties

Saturday Slip-Up #1

Posted on May 19, 2018 by crawcraftsbeasties in Life at Beastie Towers

OOOOOOPS!

Oh, it’s been a busy old week here in Beastie Towers! In fact, it’s been a busy month… And yesterday I kinda ran out of hours in the day, and kinda didn’t have time to post anything.
Ah well, sometimes these things happen. And the upside of all this frenzied activity is that you can expect to see HEAPS of new Beasties over the coming weeks, as well as pictures of some of the fun stuff I’ve been doing over the last while. All that, and Paddy and Plunkett are still touring around Devon and Cornwall! So June on the BeastieBlog should be a party… As long as I can find the odd spare minute to write it all down!

And now that I’ve said my piece, I’m off to enjoy the last of today’s sunshine!
Enjoy the rest of the weekend, wherever you are, and I’ll be back on Tuesday with more from Paddy and Plunkett!
(I promise)

The Best-Laid Plans of Mice and Monster-Makers…

Posted on September 13, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Life at Beastie Towers

Oh dear. Ever just have one of those days?Yes, I know I promised new Beasties galore today, and I even have a couple of little monsters who are oh-so-keen to meet you all! But alas, they’re just not quite ready yet… A small matter of one accessory that is refusing to coooperate. However, the good news is that I think I’m finally close to breaking its spirit and bending it to my will, so you’ll definitely be able to meet them all next week!

You’ll also surely be reassured to learn that I haven’t spent the whole weekend cussing at tiny pieces of felt. It’s been a busy one here at Beastie Towers! There have been commission sketches to prepare…

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A post shared by CrawCrafts Beasties (@crawcraftsbeasties)

… And, in case you missed my all-over-all-the-social-media-announcement last week, I did a guest post for local crafty magazine Olann And!

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

It was great to have a chance to introduce their readers to some of my favourite Dublin craftspeople – two of whom (Niki Collier and Ann from Dinah’s Dolls) are also fellow WordPress bloggers. So do stop by their blogs if you get a second, they’re some seriously talented ladies!

And if that wasn’t enough to keep me out of mischief, I’m also gearing up to head to the Ha’Penny Market at The Grand Social again this Saturday!

We had such a great time on our last visit, and this is the first Saturday we’ve had free since then, so we’re really looking forward to it! As always, feel free to pop in and say hi – we’d love to see you!
Alrighty, time to recommence battle with those accessories! We’ll be back on Friday, with photos from the day trip Explorer Beastie and I took last Saturday. See you then!

May in Beastie Towers

Posted on June 14, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Beastie Family, Info, Knitted Beasties

Wow, May was a busy month for us this year! It feels like the Beasties and I were on the go all the time, taking full advantage of all the fun and games that the crafting and blogging communities have to offer! So, today I’ve decided to follow the lead of Jem Arrowsmith Knits and Claireabelle Makes, and do a roundup of everything we got up to last month. I’d like to relive every moment in glorious technicolour – and hopefully it will keep you all entertained until I can share the top secret projects I’ve been working on lately behind the scenes!

First up, new arrivals! May saw the addition of two new Beasties to our worldwide monster family – another Diver Beastie and a sweet little Fairy Princess Beastie!
We also got updates from a few Beasties abroad – Antonello and Tiziana Beastie headed to Perugia with their Beastiekitty in tow, MiniBeastie discovered some appropriately teeny alpine plants at Wisley Gardens, and Finn McSpool settled into his new home in Portland, Oregon!
Oh, and of course Paddy and Plunkett were out and about!
But for once, they weren’t the only ones living the high life! Explorer Beastie and I ventured out of the Beastie Towers craft lab and learned about taking better photos, met some fellow bloggers over dinner and took some time out in the countryside!
We also enjoyed meeting up with some of our crafty colleagues – it’s always fun for me to talk shop with other people who find wool and fabric as compelling as I do, and Explorer Beastie likes making new friends too! Here he is hanging out chez Guadalupe Creations, and getting up close and personal with some felt viruses at Niki Collier‘s studio!
You’d think after that little lot, we’d be ready for a rest… but no! Here’s a taster of one of the Beastie projects we have in the pipeline for the coming months…
…AAAAAND I’m really excited to announce that, for the summer at least, I’ll be cutting back on the amount of time I spend in Other Work to focus more on all things Beastie! As well as working through my latest batch of commissions, I’m hoping to convert some of this extra free time into market appearances, testing out some new designs and, dare I say it, starting to get ready for Christmas! That, and we might finally squeeze in a holiday somewhere!

(I wish… :D)

We’ll be back on Friday with more monster shenanigans! See you then!

Save

Beastie Boom!

Posted on March 22, 2016June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Crafting, Info, Knitted Beasties

Look at this! A bunch of new arrivals!

I’m delighted to announce that a whole herd of brand new Barróg Beasties – special little monsters made with 100% Irish wool – have invaded Beastie Towers! Earlier today they emerged from the box where they had been hiding…
… Assembled the tools they thought I might need…
… And only got a little distracted by some shiny things!
They also made a start on deciding which colours I should use.
And now they’re sitting back and waiting patiently for me to make them the accessories they want! I’m sure a few of them will be looking for old favourites, like books and mugs of tea, but I have a feeling that there might be some requests for new, never-made-before items too. So with that in mind, I’m going to be taking a bit of a “spring break” from blogging over the next couple of weeks, and slow my postings down to once a week – at least until we get these guys sorted out, anyway!

In the meantime, you can keep up with the whirlwind of monster activity here in Beastie Towers by joining us on Facebook and Instagram!

See you again next week!

Been a while…

Posted on June 26, 2014June 19, 2021 by crawcraftsbeasties in Info, Knitted Beasties

Holy moly! Where has the last month gone?!

Well, for starters, I’ve been taking a few steps towards making my largely sofa-based cottage (or, more accurately, apartment) industry into a more business-shaped concern. I’ve started keeping proper accounts, declared myself to the taxman and put together a Beastie information leaflet, so I can share their stories with even more people without having to leave the house!

Unfortunately, while these things are significant, they don’t make for particularly interesting reading. I’m also reasonably confident that my readers would soon tire of photos of me sitting in front of my computer. So, that takes care of the first couple of weeks of my absence.

The OTHER reason I’ve been away is…
…We have a new shop!

This beautiful, quirky little gallery space in Dalkey, South Dublin was offered to Creative Collective Ireland in the middle of this month. They very kindly invited the Beasties to take up residence there, alongside an all-star cast of gorgeous jewellery, fashion and homewares. Of course, we all jumped at the opportunity! After a hectic few days of painting, furniture moving and shelf installation, we opened our doors to the public at the weekend. And the best part is that we’re here for the summer! The shop will be open every weekend (Friday-Sunday) until the end of August. So if you happen to find yourself in Dublin, drop in and pay us a visit! Even if you can’t make it, you can still find out more about Creative Collective and the shop on our Facebook page.

Of course, a new shop means new Beasties! I decided to put together a couple more All-Irish Beasties to get the ball rolling…

I couldn’t resist making one with a pint! And I also took the opportunity to break out some classic book-based puns…

I also brought along one of my super-cuddly Big Beasties, just to look after the smaller ones…

I’ll be sending more Beasties down to Dalkey to join these guys soon! Stay tuned for pictures…

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