Angela Williams just loves knitting and a story on TV One’s Good Sorts segment got her thinking about how she could put her knack for knitting to good use.
Aired four months ago, the story about Craft Angels a group knitting, crocheting and sewing items for babies of families in need struck a chord with Ange and she has been creating lovely little booties since.
Semi-retired and working from home, the avid knitter enjoys putting her hands to good use in her downtime and has knitted more than 100 booties since she was inspired by the Craft Angels group.
The group is part of Little Sprouts a volunteer-run charitable trust which gives away hundreds of baby packs every year to more than 70 charities across New Zealand.“I think it is lovely for a vulnerable family to have a handcrafted item for their baby,” Ange says.
Ange knitted her first item – a jumper – when she was eight under the guidance of her mother.
“My mother was wonderful she would tell me how many stitches to cast on and what to do next – it was all in her head.”
She entered her first item at an A&P competition as a 10-year-old and reckons she only got third prize because she was so young.
Since those first stitches as a youngster, Ange has always had a knitting or crochet project on the go.
A founding member of the Raglan Chamber of Commerce, Ange is keen to support local and buys all her wool for the booties from the Raglan Book and Gift Centre.
“I can get six pairs of booties from one ball of wool,” she says.
Ange will also talk to her sister-in-law who is a retired nurse about the needs of families at Waikato Hospital’s neonatal intensive care unit and selling them at a charity shop where she volunteers.
For more information about Little Sprouts and Good Sorts visit littlesproutsnz.org or check out their Facebook page @LittleSproutsCraftAngels.
Janine Jackson
