{ Monthly Archives }
February 2007
10oz 21 weeker
I have mixed feelings about this. The reporters make it sound so wonderful and that the little girl will have a perfect life. Sadly micropreemies have so many issues. Just knowing what we have gone through with T and we *still* don’t know what sort of long-term effects he will have. Will GMA be there in 4 or 5 years when she’s having difficulties? There is so much which will not be known for months and years. She might defy the odds… but have the parents been made aware of what the issues might be? And GMA is doing a great disservice to preemies with issues- since the general public will think that being a preemie is no worse then being full term. I don’t even think about what life would have been like if T was full term, it would have been a lot easier that is for sure. I’m angry and sad at the piece.
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Woolly jumpers for oiled penguins
BBC NEWS | UK | England | Wear | Woolly jumpers for oiled penguins
A group of knitting grandmothers are doing their bit to help endangered penguins p-p-p pick up a pullover.
The group, from Seaham, County Durham, hope the tiny garments will help to save the lives of stricken penguins.
Miriam Whittington, with friends Jen Evans and Evelyn
Nichols, have spent weeks knitting the woollen jumpers for endangered
Australian fairy penguins.
The birds are at risk from oil slicks and the garments protect them from the cold as they re-oil their feathers.
Between them Mrs Whittington, 79, Mrs Evans, 84, Mrs
Nichols, 76, who are all members of the St Helen’s Church Group, have
created almost 50 jumpers which will be sent to the Penguin Rescue Fund
in Hampstead and then on to Tasmania.
‘Good cause’
Mrs Whittington said she was made aware of the birds’ plight by a young relative of one of her friends.
She said: “It has been great fun and it’s all for a good cause so we were happy to help.”
They used a special knitting pattern provided by the Tasmania Conservation Trust, which means the jumpers will be a perfect fit.
The jumpers are only 15.5 in (40cm) high to fit the tiny birds – also known as little blue penguins.
The penguins, which are indigenous to Australia, live on
a small set of islands near a shipping route and are often hit by oil
slicks.
In addition to keeping the penguins warm the jumpers
stop the birds preening themselves and swallowing the toxic oil, before
their feathers get washed.
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Updating
So, updated my wordpress to the latest version. Only problem now is that my Coppermine plug in no long works. So expect some ugliness while I make stuff pretty again.
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On Pins and Needles, but Not Missing a Stitch
By MICHELLE SLATALLA
Published: February 1, 2007
I NEVER expected to have fond memories of the fringed throw pillow that I had to sew to pass Home Economics.
In fact I never expected to have any sort of voluntary memory of my early sewing class experiences after spending so many years trying to repress recollections of being in that last wave of girls, in the ’70s, who were expected to master the domestic arts in school. (Hence, the ill-fitting corduroy wrap skirt I made after finishing the pillow.)
Then I swore off sewing. Forever. So three decades later, as sewing has become a trendy hobby among younger enthusiasts who never were subjected to the tyranny of Home Ec, I’m surprised to find myself among those who are taking it up.
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Knitted breasts help new mothers
Knitted breasts help new mothers
A hospital needing a cheaper alternative to fake breasts has begun knitting its own.
The woolly breasts are being used at Liverpool Women’s
Hospital to show new mothers how to breastfeed and how to express milk
if necessary.
Kate McFadden, the hospital’s infant feeding
co-ordinator, has already knitted several and has called in the
services of her mother, a keen knitter.
The breasts are produced in a variety of skin shades.
They are used by community midwife teams to demonstrate
how milk should be expressed, particularly for premature babies being
kept in hospital.
Ms McFadden told BBC News: “We have a regional neo-natal
unit and we encourage new mothers to express milk to help the small and
sick babies.
Expensive models
“When we first put an e-mail appeal out to everyone in the trust, there were a fair few messages being sent back.
“But they are vital to us and are a low-cost, simple teaching tool.”
Ms McFadden sourced the breast pattern from the Lactation Consultants’ Association.
She said: “You can buy model breasts, but they cost around £35 each, which is quite prohibitive, as we need about 50.”
Although community groups, including the official
friends of the hospital association, have pitched in, more knitters are
needed.
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