A Handy Hobby
For many kids, these adorable creations turn a scary experience into a happy one
When my sister, Helen Maclean, lived in Hensall, Ont., many years ago, the Kippen East Women’s Institute decided to knit finger puppets for boys and girls having blood tests in the hospital. The gift of a puppet turned a scary experience into a happy one. A pattern was acquired and the institute ladies got busy and began knitting. The puppets were created in many dierent colours and each one was given a special facial expression. These finger puppets were sent to a hospital in London, Ont., for many years.
Puppets were sent to other countries as well, such as Guyana in South America, usually via people who were heading there for work or on vacation.
For many of the children in some of these foreign countries, these were often the first toys that they’d ever received.
After a few years, interest in making the knitted puppets waned in the group, and it was discontinued for a time.
Some years later, when Helen retired and had moved to St. Catharines, Ont., she heard about the IWK Children’s Hospital in Halifax, who were eager to receive some knitted finger puppets. Helen began knitting them again, and each one had its own specially coloured outfit and facial expression. As Helen finished each one, she would talk to it and tell it that soon it would belong to some nice girl or boy—sometimes she even gave it a name. She has received a thank you letter from the hospital in Halifax, so she knows that her creations are welcome and appreciated. The letter read in part:
“You have no idea the wonderful impact it has for some of the children, to receive a finger puppet. It has been known that some have kept it for a lifetime, as a good luck charm.”
In 2018, Helen moved to Harbour Hill, an assisted living home in Goderich, Ont. She continues to knit puppets that are sent to the Halifax hospital. When her nieces and nephews come to visit Ontario from Nova Scotia, she sends her newly knitted creations to Halifax with them.
She has lost track of how many hundreds of puppets she has made over the years, but right now, she has 100 more ready and waiting to send with her niece, who will be visiting soon.
When people see the finger puppets, they want to buy some for their grandchildren, but Helen is not interested in taking money for them, she just wants to bring joy to boys and girls.