Thames Civic Centre’s conference room was stuffed full of cosy woollen goods on July 5-6, hand-crafted by knitters and crocheters across Hauraki and the Thames Valley.
The display is Operation Cover Up Thames’ annual showcase of donated items which will soon be joining other donations from across the country, in two forty-foot shipping containers destined for Eastern Europe.
Carol Wilkes, who coordinates the knitting effort in Thames, said the donations would be especially welcome this year.
“I keep saying to people, look at this and you see a room full of love,” Carol said.
“And it’s heading overseas to the ones who are worse off than us. We’ve been hearing that a lot of children from Ukraine are heading to Romania. [There’s] just so much need there.”
Carol said they were always on the lookout for new knitters, and she was especially keen to draw in some younger people.
“We’ve got a great bunch of ladies here and they’re just helping out so much, [but] it would be nice just to get that next generation to come in,” she said.
“It does your heart good.”
Frances Harrison, of Karangakahe, was in Thames to see the display and drop off some knitted squares. She said it was easy to get involved.
“It’s not a big commitment. And it’s great for the mind,” she said.
“I prefer to knit the squares to go into blankets, because knitting the little garments is lovely and pretty, but the kids grow out of them so quickly.”
It’s simply a matter of knitting a few squares here and there between other projects, Frances said.
“And then I deliver them to the… wool shop. my pile will add to somebody else’s pile, and then somebody will crochet them together.”
Operation Cover Up is an initiative by Christian charity Mission Without Borders NZ.
