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Category Archives: knitting

Craftivism to Build a Better World Together

Over the years I have knitted, crocheted and sewn for all sorts of causes / charities.  The following is taken from the Craftivism Manifesto which you can see in full at the end.
“Your craft is your voice. Craftivism is about raising consciousness, creating a better world stitch by stitch, and things made by hand, by a person. Craftivism is about creating wider conversations about uncomfortable social issues. A craftivist is anyone who uses their craft to help the greater good or in resistance to a greater societal ill. A single individual crafting can make a difference. Or they can craft together and benefit from the fellowship of other crafters.”

At the moment I am knitting 5″ squares in red, green and white for Fariha whose words follow:

“We are looking for people to sew, crochet, knit or embroider squares for a project called Stolen lives, Stolen Futures. Gaza’s children remembered. Each square represents 10 children murdered by Israel. We are looking for 5” squares in black, red, white, green or a combination of these colours. Each square is precious like the children it represents. Please DM for details of where to post squares.

Fariha has kindly given me permission to share her photo and words. If you would like to make a square, I can pass you the address.

My squares so far

 

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Quirky Bits in Amsterdam

There were shops all over Amsterdam selling plastic ducks. After passing several , I went in to one to ask ‘Why?” It seems they are simply a retail opportunity to attract tourists!

One of the Duck shops

Information re ducks

I loved the decoration outside a shop selling children’s clothes, the decoration comprising of painted bicycle parts and enormous knitted strawberries!

On the corner of the street near our hotel, Roemers Hotel, was a house beautifully decorated with blue and white tiles near the top of the building. Lower down was a plaque to Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher. She is described by her friends mentioned below as  “attractive, musically talented, and a skilled translator and commentator from French and Italian.They also praised her skill at singing, painting, carving, glass engraving and tapestry work.” From Wikipedia.  

Here’s a translation for you:

If Tesselschade is unfamiliar to you, then you may know
That she was a friend of Roemer Visscher,

That she sat in the circle of singers
And with her stylus wrote wittily on the glass
And if you wish to find more merit and gifts
Speak to Huygens, Hooft and Vondel, her friends

PIETER HUISINGA BAKKER
Maria Tesselschade Roemers Visscher 1594 – 1649 poet

 

Waves, Topper and A Planter

There were waves on the Penryn River driven by the wild winds we have at the moment. We have lovely sunshine and beautiful blue skies and gusts of wind up to 40mph. I tried to make a video to capture the singing of the masts as the wind played them but sadly the wind was too noisy.

The newest topper on our local post box is a beauty, a family of hedgehogs.

Nearby there’s an unusual planter full of brightly coloured  pansies.

For Ark:
Thought you’d like to know – from the Wildlife Trust post: “We’re delighted that Cornwall Council has voted to delay the planned reintroduction of glyphosate based weedkillers.
Councillors voted 61 to seven to challenge the decision, following public protests, concerns raised by organisations including Cornwall Wildlife Trust, and more than 13,000 petition signatures from Cornish residents.
We’re hopeful this extended timeframe will now allow for proper public engagement and exploration of safer alternatives.”
Good news indeed! 🙂

 

Carnations, Seeds and Snollygoster

There are just a couple of white roses and two beautiful carnations left from the bouquet the family gave me on my birthday over three weeks ago. .

Our gardening magazine arrived with a free packet of seeds. They suggest we plant them along with Cosmos which I love so we’ll try that. Watch this space in the summer!

Regular readers will know that I love words and here’s one I found today in a wonderful book, The Horologicon by Mark Forsyth, snollygoster. The O.E.D. defines snollygoster as  ‘A shrewd, unprincipled person, esp a politician.’ It was defined in the 1890s by an American journalist thus:

I just love the phrase ‘Monumental talknophical assumnacy!”   A number of people come to mind!

I was just checking which words I have used before from Mark Forsyth’s book and came across a post from 2012 which has lots of photos of my knitting of that year! I was amazed to see everything I’d created in those 12 months! https://mybeautfulthings.com/2013/01/04/weekly-photo-challenge-my-2012-in-pictures-a-year-of-knitting/

 

SallyBoots, Fun and Storm Warning

I haven’t made SallyBoots for quite a while but started knitting today having heard of a new arrival yesterday. Mutual friends will be visiting this weekend so I had to get busy and here they are.  I’ve made the second size this time as the last baby I knitted for grew out of the little ones so quickly!

Here is our lovely friend, the new Father,  in 2012 in the Blue Bar, Porthtowan, with LiveWire no 2 who is now 17, playing together with the froth on the top of a hot chocolate.  Photo taken from the blog of that day.

Yet another storm is coming and our sailor’s barometer is overflowing again and splashing the tiles.

 

Little Book, Tips and Earrings

I have a delightful little book for knitters that gives some really useful advice.   I need to share it with the young friend I am helping to learn the craft.

This page amuses me.

I recently rediscovered some lovely handmade earrings that I bought in South Africa many years ago.

 

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Christmas Topper

Just want to say what brilliant treatment we had from our surgery today. My lovely Mr S was not fit to go to see a Dr so the surgery arranged for a paramedic to come to check him out. S spent 30 mins with us and made sure all was well and left  a prescription with us. Hoping now that a corner will be turned.

 

Party, Knitting and Supper

Today is the 90th birthday of my very good friend and singing mentor whom I met in 2008 when I first joined The Ingleheart Singers. She took me under her wing then and has kept me there ever since! Her Family arranged a secret party this afternoon and asked for the choir to turn up as a surprise and to sing for her ,so of course we did! It was a delightful afternoon.

Jean’s beautiful cake, wish I could credit the maker.

Another friend from choir spotted a knitted crib earlier this week and sent me the next photo, knowing how much I would like it. I love the smile on Mary’s face and have to wonder why one of the shepherds is up on the roof!

A simple meal was called for this evening, Macaroni Cheese, comfort food at its best.

 

Scarf, Gloves and A Poem

I’ve made myself a beautiful scarf and matching fingerless gloves for singing at outdoor gigs over the winter months.

Fingerless so I can still turn pages if I need to.

I can’t remember where I found this poem but saved it to share sometime so here is is now. I especially love the last three lines.

 
 

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Remembrance Day, Peace and A Poem

Our very talented, local knitter has been busy again and made a wonderful topper for today.

We wear white poppies in remembrance of all victims of war – the wars happening now, the civilians and the refugees  and as a commitment to peace. The white poppy is also worn to challenge militarism and any attempt to glorify or celebrate war.  I was pleased to see a white poppy included in the topper.

I found a poem about Peace for today and first found this one attributed to Mary Oliver. Here it says that was wrong, it is a poem by Judyth Hill. Thank you for this.

 

Wage Peace

By Judyth Hill*

Wage peace with your breath.
Breathe in firemen and rubble,
breathe out whole buildings
and flocks of redwing blackbirds.

Breathe in terrorists and breathe out sleeping children
and freshly mown fields.
Breathe in confusion and breathe out maple trees.
Breathe in the fallen
and breathe out lifelong friendships intact.

Wage peace with your listening:
hearing sirens, pray loud.
Remember your tools:
flower seeds, clothes pins, clean rivers.

Make soup.
Play music, learn the word for thank you in three languages.
Learn to knit, and make a hat.
Think of chaos as dancing raspberries,
imagine grief as the outbreath of beauty
or the gesture of fish.
Swim for the other side.
Wage peace.

Never has the world seemed so fresh and precious.
have a cup of tea and rejoice.
Act as if armistice has already arrived.
Celebrate today.

* Sometimes mistakenly attributed to Mary Oliver

 
 

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