A request for Peggy squares from premature baby charity the Premmie Knitting Club sparked the imagination of knitters at William Sanders Village in Auckland, who challenged themselves to knit an ambitious 400 squares.
Group members Patsy Davies and Shannon Coleman scoured local op shops for knitting needles, and thanks to generous donations of wool – along with funds to buy more, including a kick-start contribution from village management - the needles were soon clicking away.
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There was a range of ability within the group. Serviced apartment resident Olive Smith knitted up to six squares a day, happily using up everyone’s odds and ends to make colourful, stripey squares.
Meanwhile Glynne Cockerton needed a refresher on how to cast on, having not picked up needles for 50 years.
There was a personal motivation for Glynne, whose first child Sarah was born two months’ premature.
“That’s what triggered it for me,” she says. “I thought, if someone had given me a little blanket I would have loved that, it’s something that’s so personal and beautiful.”
The group quickly surpassed their target, with an incredible 880 handed over to the Premmie Knitting Club founder Courtney Bennett.
“I couldn’t walk through the village without people handing me more squares!” laughs Patsy. “People have been so, so generous.”
After the campaign was featured on TVNZ’s Seven Sharp, the programme returned to capture a follow-up story, with journalist Erin Conroy joining residents and Courtney at the official handover event.
Courtney was blown away by the final tally, saying it was enough to make 43 blankets.
“This is just incredible, and is certainly the largest amount of squares that we’ve received from a single group.”
“We’ve far exceeded our original goal - we now have enough squares to make more than 500 blankets - and we couldn’t have done it without people like these Ryman residents.”
Keen to stay involved, the craft group also offered to help stitch the squares together and is already exploring ways to support the charity again next year.