Knit for Peace is a charity that matches knitters with good causes. We know that once people have the knitting habit they want to keep going : not just for the health and wellbeing benefits, but also because they enjoy creating beautiful knitted items. It’s easy for an enthusiastic knitter to run out of people to give their knitting to, so Knit for Peace takes in donations of knitted items and then sends them out to where they are really needed. There are hats for premature babies, dressing gowns for old people plus knitted clothing and toys for women and children in women’s refuges.
Combining these two great initiatives seems to make sense! Knit for Peace relies on voluntary effort and they have recently celebrated that with Volunteers Week. One of their volunteers, Thea Scott, is holding a Knit for Peace Knit in Public Day event in Broadstairs. She has linked this to the Dickens festival by looking out knitting references from his works such as the Little Dorritt row counter and Betty Higden recycling knitted items as a social enterprise. ‘Dickensians’ in costume are planning to join the knitting group, the event is also a celebration of Thea’s 70th birthday – and there will be cake!
The hub and meeting place for the event is the Methodist Church, York Street, Broadstairs, CT10 1PB from 1.30 to 3.30pm on 13th June. Full info is here: http://www.wwkipday.com/broadstairs-kip-peace/
They hope others will be inspired to make their Knit in Public Day event one that benefits Knit for Peace and the website has a number of patterns, many of which are suitable for those just beginning to knit and for expert knitters. Some, such as the Twiddlemuff or fast Teddy Bear will be achievable in a day. If there isn’t an event set up nearby, knitters could just get a group of friends together in a café, a park (if the weather holds) or any public place and start knitting together.
