Knitted with love for orphans around the world

By Thom Kennedy, Cumberland News
Last updated 05:18, Friday, 31 July 2009

THOUSANDS of children around the world will go to bed with a warm jumper on tonight –thanks to one woman from Carlisle.
Margaret Chamberlin, 76, has spent the last two-and-a-half decades giving her time hand-knitting jumpers and cardigans for poverty stricken children in orphanages and hospitals in Third World countries.
She currently has a box full of 200 hats, cardigans and jumpers to sent to young people in destinations such as Romania and Kenya.
And it is just one of dozens of boxes she has knitted herself and sent out over the last 27 years through the Scottish Christian care charity Blythswood Care.
Mrs Chamberlin, who lives in Clift Street, off Newtown Road, said: “I never knit two the same. Every one is different and flashily coloured as I think children relate to colours and can identify their own jumpers.
“I can do a jumper or cardigan in two nights, and including hats I can do about 300 or 400 a year. It’s just a case of how often I sit down and knit, and how much I do at a time.
“I’m sure I’ve sent thousands of items, but I’m glad I can’t count the exact amount. I was asked to go out to Romania once but I couldn’t go. I’m too soft-hearted anyway, I don’t think I would want to go into those hospitals. It must be heart-breaking to see. You do the best you can but you can’t do everything.”
She used to use a knitting machine, but an accident stopped her using it – so she sent it to Kenya.
Now all her jumpers, hats and cardigans are made by hand. As well as her knitting, Mrs Chamberlin makes cot blankets out of old materials, which are also sent to the countries.
Because her achievements have become so well known among friends, Mrs Chamberlin rarely buys wool or material.
She said: “I never need to go and buy wool, as different people bring it to me.
“It’s surprising how many people call up saying things like ‘I’m changing my bed, do you want a duvet?’ and I can cut it up and make it into a cot blanket.”
A van from the charity comes to Carlisle every month to pick up goods donated by members of the public, including medical supplies and clothes collected by other people in Carlisle, and throughout the north west and Scotland.

Newcastle knitter takes her craft to new heights

Jun 21 2009 by Katy Simpson, Sunday Sun

"A KNITTER from Newcastle will be taking her craft to new heights atop Trafalgar Square’s empty plinth.

Knitting and crochet tutor Anne Makepeace, 51, from Gosforth, has travelled from Scotland to Sussex giving wool workshops.

But she has never taken her passion anywhere as exciting as the square’s fourth plinth, where she is heading next month as part of Anthony Gormley’s One and Other project.

The Angel of the North creator is enabling different people to make the plinth their own, every hour, 24 hours a day, for 100 days without a break.

And Anne is one of the 2400 people who will climb up to the space normally reserved for Kings and Generals, but which is being handed over instead to people of all walks of life.

The mum-of-two is planning to spend her hour of fame showing people how much fun knitting can be, surrounded by woolly flowers.

She is appealing for people to knit flowers for her to take on to the plinth, which will later be sold for charity.

Anne is the second North East participant to be revealed as taking part in the human artwork project in London.

More than 200 people from the region applied to take part. Northumberland student Helen Pringle from Allendale will be celebrating her 20th birthday with her appearance on the plinth.

Each of the participants have been chosen at random by computer from thousands of entrants.

They are allowed to do anything they want, as long as it is within the law, from entertaining the tourists below to educating people about a message of importance to them. Anne said: "I applied because I thought it was a chance to do something different.

"It’s supposed to be a representation of people all around the UK, so I thought it would be good to take my knitting up there, as people often think knitting is just for grannies, and it’s not at all.

"I will never get an opportunity like that to show off what I can do, and show that knitting is fun. My favourite thing is to knit is socks, but you wouldn’t be able to see what I’m doing. It’s got to be something big, bold and bright that can be seen from below, so I’m going to do a big scarf.

"I’m hoping to get friends from around the world to knit me flowers to take up there. I’d appreciate any donations from anyone who would like to get involved."

Anne will take up her place on the plinth on July 26 at 5pm.

Among the tourists in Trafalgar Square, there will also be Anne’s husband Andrew, daughter Sarah, 13, son Euan, 21, and their grandparents.

Anne said: "It’s going to be a big family day out. Because of the workshops I do, I’m quite used to knitting in front of people.

"But with is being a Sunday in the summer, I suspect it’s not going to be quiet.

"It’s one of those things you don’t think you’ll ever get. It’s quite high and I’m actually not that good with heights.

"I was quite pleased that somebody from Newcastle got picked because everyone knows the Angel of the North."

Donations of knitted flowers should be sent to Anne via her business address at 58 Low Friar Street, Newcastle, NE1 5UE."

Knitting Marathon

The following article appeared in the Scarborough Evening News on May 26th, 2009

By Laura Crothers

A TEAM of Mother's Union members showed stamina and determination as they endured a marathon of the woolly kind.

Six keen knitters spun the yarn around the clock as they took part in a 24-hour knitting marathon as part of the Sailors' Society's annual Woolly Hat Campaign.

The marathon started at noon on Friday at St John's Church in Filey, and continued until Saturday lunchtime, with other knitters joining the group throughout the course of the day to show their support.

Jenny Jordan, of the Mother's Union, said: "We had six knitters who came from all over the East Riding who endured the full 24 hours. A lot of other people came at various times over the 24 hours and joined in the knitting which was a huge help.

She added: "It was actually a lot easier than we thought. We had a lot of fun and ate a lot to keep us going. I can't even count the number of cups of tea we had.

"Overall the event went really well. We managed to stay awake, and fortunately our fingers weren't too sore at the end of it."

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