Fingerpuppets (again) ...

This is what I have been doing for the last five days or so - eight fingerpuppets for neuart.

Neuart is a knitter herself and makes very detailed dolls clothes for Blythe doll.

Fairtrade Fortnight 2008

Buy fairtrade and help producers in developing countries to earn a fair income!

"What is Fairtrade?

Fairtrade is about better prices, decent working conditions, local sustainability, and fair terms of trade for farmers and workers in the developing world. By requiring companies to pay sustainable prices (which must never fall lower than the market price), Fairtrade addresses the injustices of conventional trade, which traditionally discriminates against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. against the poorest, weakest producers. It enables them to improve their position and have more control over their lives. "
http://www.fairtrade.org.uk/

The fairtrade fortnight takes place from 25 February - 9 March 2008.
Look out for stalls on markets, in churches and in your local shops and supermarkets.

The Co-op is particularly good for selling fairtrade goods. Look out for those chocolates!!! Yum!

No sympathy ...

Today I found out that my first run in 4 months yesterday was rather too much for my little legsies ... I have been hardly able to walk down the stairs.

I have also learned that I receive precious little sympathy from my husband for my running-related pain. According to him it is entirely self-inflicted (which is true) and just as pointless and avoidable as having a hang-over!
So I am left to suffer in silence ...

Fingerpuppets

http://www.etsy.com/view_listing.php?listing_id=6961558

These little rabbits are crocheted to my own pattern.

I have just had a request for 8 of them - so I will be busy.

They are ideal for Easter (or any other time of year), and perfect for little hands as well as adult ones ...

They are operated by either using fingers to move arms and head, or to move the legs. They are also just the right size to hold a small chocolate egg.

First run this year ...

Well, not so much a run, but a gentle jog ...

I have not run since November last year, and today it suddenly took my fancy to go out there.


I had forgotten how much I enjoy just getting out of the house, forgetting the daily grind and just get running!


Time to look, time to think, time to be with myself.

Not wanting to push myself too much, I alternated between running for 4 minutes and walking for one. That seemed to work out fine. I lasted for 45 minutes (although I was dragging my feet for the last 5 or 10 minutes), and I covered 6K.


Not bad for a first attempt ... although my legs are aching now, despite stretching.

My run took me along the river Great Ouse, one of my favourite places.
Hopefully I'll get my running shoes on again soon ...!

Lent

We are now almost half-way into Lent.
People participate in Lent for different reasons. For some it is a way to test their willpower, for others an annual tradition, for others still a way to prepare mentally and spiritually for Easter.

This year I was particularly struck by the call of the Methodist Church of Great Britain to "Buy Less (and) Live More"
http://www.methodist.org.uk/index.cfm?fuseaction=opentogod.content&cmid=1944

Carrying their card in my purse is certainly prompting me to put things into perspective, and to consider what I really need to buy vs what I just fancy ...
So far I have managed to stay clear of shop-bought lunches and snacks - and I am planning to give the money I have saved in doing so to charity.

I saw this charity in The Independent the other day, and it really touched me so much that I may make it my chosen charity for this Lent:
http://www.smiletrain.org/site/PageServer
100% of all donations go to repair cleft palates. Often cleft palates are not just a cosmetic issue, but are connected to other medical and health problems.

Just look at these two pictures of Angelica:

Before ...

And after ...

On the beach

Although Butlins was great, one of the best times was a visit with my son to the deserted beach.

Not another soul in sight! Just a few seagulls in the distance.

Perhaps you can tell just by looking at the pictures, how cold and blowy it was!

We briefly considered having a dip in the water ... but neither of us really meant it.

Our Butlins experience

We have just returned from our halfterm break in Butlins, Skegness.
Having never 'done' Butlins before, it was certainly a new experience - but we enjoyed the hussle and bussle, the ever-smiling Redcoats, the indoor swimming pool, the variety of food in the restaurant etc, etc.
The accommodation was clean and comfortable, and not having a TV at home we endulged in a little day-time TV!

Unfortunately we all came down with a bad cold, and I could have done with hedgewitch's Elderflower tea: http://earth-and-tree.blogspot.com/

New baby blanket for Cuddles

This is my latest baby blanket for Cuddles .

I love knitting those delicate baby items, and I always keep them for times when I am relaxed enough to knit without hurry. These blankets are precious for those who have just lost their baby - often one of the very few items the parents have to take home and to remember their baby by. So I try to put much thought and prayer into it whilst I knit.

And here is a close-up of the horseshoe pattern.

Happy non-Valentines Day!

This year, as every year, I am boycotting Valentines Day.
My husband and I have been together for 22 years (yay!), and have never exchanged Valentines gifts or cards ...

Relationships need to be worked on every day.
Of course we need to look out for each other's needs, spend time together, show our love for each other with words, with gifts and with actions ... but why do it because somebody somewhere has set a certain day aside for it?

Why buy into the hype and the consumerism that surrounds Valentines Day?

For us, today will just be another day. No rings, no champagne, no cards, not even chocolates!
As it happens we are both at home today, and the children are at school ... so the possibilities of how to spend the day are endless!

Signs of spring ...

What a beautiful day it was today.

This afternoon, after I was back from church and the boys had returned from football, we went for a walk along the Great River Ouse.

The sun was quite warm, the sky lovely and blue, and the first signs of spring are truly out ...

The pictures were taken by my 13-year-old daughter, who is quite a photographer in the making ...

Egg cosy mania

Just five weeks from Easter, now must be the right time to start knitting egg cosies.
I sat up until late last night doing just that ...

Meet duckling, chicken, rabbit and ladybird.

What else would invite itself to keep a breakfast egg warm, I wonder? Any suggestions are welcome!

I remember that I once made a goldfish egg cosy for my daughter, and an octopus one for my son - so clearly the possibilities are endless ...

My first post!

So here I am, having created my very own blog! Now I am having to write ...

Welcome to the Nutty Knitter's blog! Please spend some time and take a look around.
As my blog title suggests, I am hoping to use this blog to record my knitting endeavours.

I knit for fun, for charity and for sale!
My knitting charities can be found here:

Cuddles - sends little blankets and tiny burial gowns to hospital for stillborn babies, who are too tiny to be dressed in anything.
http://cuddles-uk.org/

Feed the Children - sends jumpers to children in developing countries
http://www.feedthechildren.org.uk/pages/resources_knitting.shtml


My online Etsy knitting shop can be found here:
http://www.thenuttyknitter.etsy.com/

Now I am feeling quite proud to have made a start ... more later!