Elderly: reading, knitting, & other mental activities may delay memory loss

Speaking of knitting (as I was in my previous post), I think it's fascinating to learn of new research from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota about how a mental workout such as knitting may be able to delay memory loss: Knitting 'can delay' memory loss Engaging in a hobby like reading a book, making a patchwork quilt or even playing computer games can delay the onset of dementia, a US study suggests. (link via BBC News) This is very encouraging news about getting old. If the results of this study prove to be true, than memory loss should not be accepted as inevitable in the elderly. It also helps to highlight how unhealthy it is to watch a lot of TV and more importantly how wrong it is for elderly to end up in nursing homes where their major "activity" might be watching TV rather than participating in cognitive exercise (exercising their brains). I hope that since I'm a voracious reader and I also enjoy knitting, that I am protecting myself from the onset of dementia!

Free knitting pattern for a police car tea cosy*

Once again, I am amazed by the cool stuff one can find on the internet. I enjoy knitting and I was just searching for some free patterns via Google and clicked on a link to one of my favourite money-saving sites, MoneySavingExpert.com where there is a thread on the Freebies section of the forum, called Free knitting patterns, and included in the useful replies, there is a link to a free knitting pattern to make a Police car Tea cosy via a blog called Motorparks New and Used Cars. How cool is that pattern?! I love it. If you don't know how to knit you can purchase the hand crafted Police Car Tea cosy from Tea Cosy Folk via this link: http://www.teacosyfolk.co.uk/show.php?id=39 By the way, I had to stop and think about the spelling of the word, cosy. It's yet another example of the spelling differences between American English and British English: *cosy [UK] = cozy [US]

Rescued chickens kitted out with handknit jumpers (sweaters)

This is a sweet story about how a Norfolk woman who rescued 1,500 balding battery chickens has had a woolly jumper knitted for each of them to protect them from the cold. many stressed out battery farm birds lose their plumage so Mrs Eglen turned to her local community in December asking for people willing to knit jumpers for the bedraggled birds. (link via telegraph.co.uk) If you would like to help out by knitting a jumper (pattern is on their website) or information about adopting a hen: Little Hen Rescue Centre See video of chickens in knitted jumpers Related post from my blog: Buffy the well dressed chicken

Help knit the World's Biggest Tea Cosy!

Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation are attempting to set a world record for the biggest ever hand knitted Tea Cosy and we need your help.

We are asking you to knit a 6” width strip, as long as you like of any colour or pattern you like and send to our friends at “I knit London” who will make your knitted strip part of the world’s biggest tea cosy. The wool can be any colour you like and you make your strip as long as you can manage, all we ask is that it is 6” in width (approx 28 stitches), double knit yarn, and 4mm needles.

Please send your knitting by 21st November to: I knit London Worlds Biggest Tea Cosy 106 Lower Marsh Waterloo London SE1 7AB

This is for a great cause: The Wallace & Gromit’s Children’s Foundation which raises funds to help improve the quality of life of sick children in hospitals and hospices across the UK.

Knit a Poppy campaign

Knit a Poppy for Remembrance Day knitonthenet is proud to announce the return of our Knit a Poppy campaign in support of The Poppy Appeal. You can download the poppy brooch pattern by making a donation of £2.00 to The Royal British Legion Poppy Appeal. After making your donation, click the Download button and your pattern will be supplied as a PDF document. Donations are made using PayPal, however a PayPal account is not necessary as all major credit cards are accepted. The poppy pattern is only available until midnight on Tuesday, 11th November, 2008 The Poppy Appeal - supporting the Royal British Legion

Handy Halloween Links

It's nearly Halloween (Oct. 31) so here are some handy links to help you prepare for the fun: Video: How To Carve a Pumpkin How to make Toffee apples Party Games and Recipes! Make Your Own Costume - Simple Costume Instructions Halloween Crafts & Activities (for young children) Halloween Crafts - Free projects/ideas Halloween Hang-Ups Free knitting pattern for The Curly Purly Pumpkin Jean Greenhowe's Halloween Ghosties - free pattern

Free knitting classes offered to stressed staff

People who enjoy knitting (as I do) know that it helps you to relax and de-stress but it's difficult to persuade non-knitters of this benefit. Perhaps this news will help to convince them: COUNCIL employees who had an average of almost ten days off sick last year are being offered free knitting classes to combat stress. It really does help! If you are feeling stressed (and that seems to be just about everyone these days) then I suggest you take up knitting. It's fun, and creative as well as relaxing and it's very popular. Knitting is the new cool hobby! Here are some useful knitting links: Learn how to knit with free knitting videos! The UK Hand Knitting Association Download handy step-by-step guide to knitting techniques (Knitting Institute) Free Patterns from Knitting Magazine Coats Crafts UK Knitting Projects - free patterns! About. com - Free Knitting Patterns

Free knitting pattern from BBC Radio 4 designed by Lise-Lotte Lystrup

Knit one, purl from the BBC Radio 4 Today programme is about the increasing popularity of knitting and offers a FREE knitting pattern for a jumper (sweater): Radio 4 Logo Jumper designed by Lise-Lotte Lystrup You may also be interested in a previous post I made, about an offer (from The Sunday Telegraph) for five free vintage patterns by the same designer.

Free vintage knitting patterns

If you like knitting and also enjoy the new trend for vintage fashion, you will appreciate a new book called Vintage Knitwear for Modern Knitters by Lise-Lotte Lystrup. Today, in Stella Magazine free with The Sunday Telegraph there is an article called, Vintage Knitwear for Modern Knitters: five free patterns to download with a (pdf) link to download five free patterns (Jacket with Frog Fasteners, V-Striped Scarf, Small Jacket, Cardigan with First-Class Tailoring, and an Angora Bolero) from the book.

Knit with Mazz, The Rebel Knitter

In May, I posted about a knitter who got in trouble with the BBC for posting knitting patterns for Doctor Who characters. Today, an article, The rebel within, in The Guardian is about the (infamous) rebel knitter known in the blogosphere as Mazzmatazz, or Mazz. Her real name is revealed to be Marisa Turmaine and she has created 12 patterns for all sorts of weird and wonderful, practical and silly things. for The rebel knitter's guide. The patterns are FREE and there is a handy guide with more information about knittng for those of you new to knitting. Try it! Knitting is a fun and relaxing hobby.

World Wide Knit in Public Day

World Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) Day: June 14, 2008

Select the country you want to find a KIP in by using this search engine from the World Wide Knit in Public (WWKIP) Day website. I'm a knitter and I completely forgot about today's event, which is a shame because the event I would have joined started at noon and finished at 2:30. Hopefully, some of my readers will have been out with their knitting or will be going out later today. I think it's a fun idea - anything to encourage people to knit more! It's a fun (and relaxing) hobby.

The BBC vs. a blogger's free knitting patterns for Doctor Who characters

I think the news that a knitter and Doctor Who fan who posted knitting patterns inspired by Doctor Who characters on the internet has had them exterminated by the BBC's own Daleks in the form of a copyright infringement notice is slightly amusing but mostly it's rather sad. How mean-spirited and petty can the BBC get? Also as the article points out with several links, there are still other Dr Who craft patterns posted on the net. Will the BBC go after all of them? (link via NEWS.com.au) This is the site that the BBC demanded the patterns to be removed from: Mazzmatazz