Knitting up Good Deeds

Local knitters are putting their needles to work for a worthy cause; making scores of tiny hats and jumpers for babies born in poverty-stricken areas of Uganda.

Hobbysew Orange’s Patricia Cole said it all began one night when she saw a member of her knitting groups making one.

“I asked her for the pattern, so I could knit one and now people have seen me knitting one and have contributed too,” said Patricia.

“One lady has knitted 23, I've knitted about 20 and another lady has done 13 — so they just bring them in!”

Patricia has already sent off 58 jumper and hat sets and now has an even larger pile ready for shipping.

“I haven't counted them of late, but there are heaps more there than last time,” she said. “I knit them going to and from work, I knit them in the car, I think I could knit them in the dark if I had too!”

Patricia said about ten members of her group have been busy knitting the jumpers, with other donating wool to help them.

“It is just a basic little pattern… it is just something you can do and it gives you a bit of satisfaction to think you can help somebody out, especially when they are so poor, some of these mums go to the hospital with nothing,” she said.

“They always need them; there will always be more babies than what we can ever knit for, so we just keep going.”

And it is not the only good cause Patricia and her knitting group have turned their attention to.

“I've knitted preemie baby hats, I've knitted trauma teddies, we've done quilts for Ronald McDonald House so we've done a pile of things,” she said.

“I have another lady here who knits beanies for the homeless in Orange, she knitted a great big garbage bag of beanies last winter… and I've got another lady knitting little tops for penguins, the ones that get covered in oil.”

If anyone out there wants to help, Patricia is more than happy to share pattern and get them started.

“Come get a pattern or they can donate wool and the ladies here will knit it up.”