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Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

300 followers 280 following 590 posts

I was born in a water moon…

Since then I've paid an inordinate amount of attention to politics, and made lots of things with yarn. Queer, disabled, democratic communist, one half of Mary James

maryjamesauthor.wordpress.com

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Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Y'all. Private healthcare is Something Else.

On an off white wall, a large ornate golden frame with a large white card borders a very large blown up publicity photo. The photo is of a deep red room with panelling painted raspberry pink. A woman sits on a dentist's chair to the left of the image, in a deep blue gown fit for the Oscars red carpet. She is holding a green cocktail and laughing at someone out of the scene to the right, on the other side of the wash station and mouth spotlight. The overall effect is intensely weird

August 4, 2025 at 3:56 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

The world is terrifying so I'm turning merino fluff into string

A side view of an electric spinning wheel in front of a dark green wall. You can just see a lava lamp behind the wheel. Because relaxation is important, as is interesting lighting, especially when you have light sensitive MECFS eyes.

August 2, 2025 at 11:18 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Good.

Screenshot of Guardian headline: Green party trying to purge gender-critical voices, claims expelled former spokesperson

June 18, 2025 at 10:23 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

This is why I think @zackpolanski.bsky.social could change the UK. There are so many people looking for change, any change, just _anything_ new.

Polanski has the chops to challenge Farage on story telling, and give us a chance to make that change to the left instead of the right.

archive.ph/cuZAM

"These economic doldrums are surely a significant reason why so many people keep voting for everything to be turned on its head, whether via Brexit, Jeremy Corbyn, the Greens or Reform. The sheer speed at which voters are shifting their allegiances from red to blue to Farage or whoever reveals a profound unhappiness. The state is struggling to balance its books while taxes are at their highest level since the Second World War and public services are falling apart. Things have clearly gone wrong. (Remainder highlighted by me) My hunch is that people will keep voting for radical change — of any stripe — until they get it."

“Gen Z and millennials have a reputation for valuing purpose-driven work,” says a Deloitte survey. Some 86 per cent of Gen Z and 89 per cent of millennials say that social purpose is important in their choice of career. They are more willing than their parents to turn down employers who exacerbate inequality or damage the environment. Big Oil firms regularly lament that they have a “millennial problem” because young people don’t want to work for them, despite the fat salaries

June 10, 2025 at 12:51 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

So my MP @gillfurnissmp.bsky.social is a backbencher and hasn't made many waves nationally. She generally votes with the party, and I was worried that she'd go with them on trans issues too

BUT NO!

Turns out, she do got a spine on this!

Screenshot of email, 1 of 3

Dear Charlie,

Thank you for taking the time to write to me about the Data (Use and Access) Bill, that recently had its third reading in the House of Commons.

I am pleased that the Government voted against amendment 21 during the debate on the Data (Use and Access) Bill, which would have mandated the collection of sex data strictly based on “biological sex” or “sex at birth.” I was not in Parliament that day due to an authorised absence, but I assure you that I would have voted against the amendment if present.

Screenshot of email, 2 of 3

More broadly, I strongly believe trans people deserve safety and respect and must be able to live their lives free from discrimination and harassment. I appreciate that some of the rhetoric being used in the wake of the supreme court verdict, including on government benches, is deeply upsetting to many people, especially those from the trans and broader LGBTQ+ community. It is not rhetoric that I would use, nor is it rhetoric that I agree with, and I am concerned that the implication of this verdict has been wilfully misunderstood by those seeking to further their agenda.

I will be feeding into the forthcoming EHRC consultation when it opens and will share the details of that with you in due course.

Screenshot of email, 3 of 3

I am also conscious that our healthcare system is struggling after years of austerity, and trans people have been particularly affected by this. I am determined to make care for all trans people easy to access and of high quality.

Once again, thank you for taking the time to contact me.

Kind regards,

Gill Furniss MP
Member of Parliament for Sheffield Brightside and Hillsborough

May 23, 2025 at 4:32 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Here's today's reason to join the Green Party and vote for @zackpolanski.bsky.social as leader. It's time for a 1% tax on the 1%!

Wealthy Britons avoiding more tax than thought, spending watchdog says www.theguardian.com/business/202...

Screenshot of headline from The Guardian

Tax avoidance
Wealthy Britons avoiding more tax than thought, spending watchdog says
NAO says tax gap for wealthy individuals may be much more than £1.9bn and urges ministers to redouble efforts

Richard Partington Senior economics correspondent
Fri 16 May 2025 00.01 BST

May 16, 2025 at 8:58 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Waiting for the diabetes nurse with my #ChaffProject pin and some wildflowers I picked from the verge on my way here. After another 9 days stuck with an out of order lift, it's good to be out in the fresh air! 👨🏻‍🦼🌼🥰

May 14, 2025 at 1:25 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

😭😭😭

No orgy for Charlie today

Screenshot from the Visible energy management app showing my Morning Stability score today is 2 of 5: "Out of Balance, Your body is out of balance. You may want to plan a quieter day today"

May 8, 2025 at 9:20 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Dressing up in trans colours for the trans protest today at Sheffield Town Hall. See y'all there at 2pm!

A white woman with pink hair is wearing a white top with black stars, a pair of light pink dungarees, and a blue sleeveless cardigan.

April 19, 2025 at 11:59 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Here in the UK, disabled people are facing different pressures, but the danger of eugenics is just as present. The combination of benefits cuts for disabled people and the assisted dying bill are going to create horrific pressure on people to kill ourselves or die from neglect

#AssistedDying

Please write to your MP and list these concerns. This is what the committee has added as amendments to the bill going through parliament at this current time
This bill is for England and Wales
The bill is now at report stage through Parliament

Alt text the graphic text says

Some of the problems with the Assisted Dying Bill after it left Committee:

People can qualify for Assisted Dying if:
· Doctors presume capacity – 51% certainty is ok
· They have learning difficulties or a mental illness
· Are depressed or suicidal
· Feel they are “a burden” to others
· Live in an area where good palliative care is not available
· Refuse treatment to qualify
· Voluntarily stop eating and drinking and suffer malnutrition as a result
· Alcohol misuse alters their thinking

Family are excluded
· Families will not be notified and may not find out until after the death
· They will have no route to raise concerns (i.e. of coercion or abuse)

Any doctor can raise Assisted Dying
· No training required before raising
· Can raise with under-18s – who qualify once they’re 18
· Can raise with those with Downs Syndrome or learning disabilities

Assessment process
· If a doctor says someone doesn’t qualify for Assisted Death, that person can “shop around” for another doctor
· A proxy who doesn’t know the person can sign their Assisted Death application
· Patients will have a right to Assisted Death but no equal right to having good palliative care
· The Doctor must make further enquiries only if they think it ‘appropriate’
· No requirement to specify uncertainties of diagnosis & prognosis
· No requirement to spell out risk of complications from the lethal drugs

Hospices and care homes under threat
· Hospices and care homes cannot opt out from having Assisted Dying carried out on their premises
· The Bill does not prevent the Government financially penalising hospices if they refuse to let Assisted Deaths happen on their premises

High Court downgrad…

April 10, 2025 at 1:24 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

All weekend my parents have been asking me if I wanted leaded or unleaded coffee and I thought they were just being cute, and they are, but also

Two kenko jars sit side by side on a kitchen counter, their labels long since soaked off. The one on the right has a red lid with the letters Pb written in permanent marker. On the left, a dark green lid has the letters Pb crossed out.

Additional bonus context for alt text readers - my dad is a big fan of both classic cars and environmentalism. He supported ending the sale of leaded petrol, but also I remember being taught exactly how much lead supplement to add to my fuel tank in my first car - a Morris Minor we restored together - so that it would protect the engine while producing minimal lead emissions.

This leads to the very distant yet still technically possible situation of the non decaf coffee actually containing lead supplement but my parents being evil geniuses who can't be prosecuted because technically speaking, they did say it contained lead!

March 31, 2025 at 8:37 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Ah if only I had the audacity to ask Tom to take a day off work on no notice and drive all the way to Durham for a tiny bottle of 28 tablets

Screenshot of pharmacy stock checker dot com searching for Concerta XL 36mg with a single green pin near Durham

Another pharmacy stock checker dot com search, this time to show where Concerta XL 36mg is out of stock. This one has literally HUNDREDS of red pins

December 23, 2024 at 10:00 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Name a non-LOTR character that could resist the One Ring

Steven from Steven Universe. He is mid jump with his shield and has a big Steven smile!

December 22, 2024 at 6:25 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

In case you were wondering how much the ADHD meds shortage is continuing to fuck over your ND friends, last month I had Concerta, and this month I don't, and that's a pretty big drop in functional capacity

A healthy person has a Functional Capacity of 6.0, and this screenshot from Visible, my health tracking app, shows that last month my number was 2.5, where this month it's a flat 2

December 14, 2024 at 12:16 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

When you have enough energy for a shower, but not enough for a shower and hosting a stitch and bitch

A no rinse shampoo cap and pack of bed bath wipes on a bed. There's a load of stuff in the background but let's just ignore that, yeah?

November 28, 2024 at 5:39 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

"Yeah, we don't need the Oxford comma. Never seen the need for it"

Really‽ 😳

Headline from the London Evening Standard: "Who is Hamish Badenoch? Banker, husband and father of Tory leader Kemi"

November 3, 2024 at 4:33 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Listening to a podcast on ME/CFS and the guest says they were really bad for a while, down to an average 2000 steps a day for 18 months.

Oh you amateur. I've been here for 12 years. I sincerely hope you never join me.

Screenshot showing that so far this year I average out to 569 steps a day

September 26, 2024 at 12:36 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

So, umm, @jackalpants.bsky.social and I have literally written that book.

Post by Chris Scheetz: Okay, I have a question. How did the movie Groundhog Day finally shift to the next day for Bill Murray? Have we tried that yet?

Reply by Shelley Delayne: He breaks the cycle when he shifts his focus from himself to devoting himself to helping others. And yes, that's EXACTLY how we get out of this. All of this.

June 11, 2024 at 10:28 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Attacked, I tell you!

Fabric design: cartoon rainbow gems on a white background

Fabric design: rainbow unicorns and stars on a black background

Fabric design: a bright 6 stripe rainbow plaid / tartan on a black background

Fabric design: rainbow stars, planets, and constellations on a black background that seem to be actively saying 'Charlie! Buy us! You know you want to! We'd make such a good top! Just think about a casual playsuit in this print, it'd be amazing!'

June 5, 2024 at 9:36 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

I started this top about 24 hours ago, and it's got French seams and everything! I prewashed the fabric! I used an iron on all the seams as I went! I made those trousers as well, starting on Sunday!

I am on FIRE!

April 24, 2024 at 9:15 PM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Fat Femme Friday! Hello 🤗

A fat white woman sitting in front of a sky blue wall. She it's smiling, has short pink hair, and is wearing a Barbie pink top with a round neckline

April 19, 2024 at 11:09 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

Of course the models don't work right yet. Representative agent models have had decades to be developed, and for the best variables and formulae to be worked out. Factoring in inequality properly will take time. Still worth doing!

Screenshot of part of the article.

Augmenting macroeconomists’ models to make them reflect the richness of household differences sounds good. So why hasn’t Hank taken over yet? Despite big technological advances, they are still tough to handle technically. The European Central Bank recently acknowledged that further work was needed before euro-area statistics can be plugged in and results spat out.
Despite including more detail, there are still areas where such models don’t seem to meet a reality check. They don’t capture the fact that individual spending can take a while to respond to an interest rate change. And worryingly, a staff report from the New York Federal Reserve found that a prominent Hank model was “much worse” at forecasting consumption than its predecessor

April 12, 2024 at 6:05 AM

Charlie

@fearlessknits.bsky.social

It's happening! How To Be Free; an introduction to democratic communism, is coming, after 4 years of work. More info to come, but we're pressing the live button on 8 January 2024.

@jackalpants.bsky.social wrote a book! And you'll soon be able to read it! Woohoo!