But there’s a warehouse in Alexandria where a group of volunteers, under the Wrap with Love banner, are working to provide warm blankets to whom their founder, Sonia Gidley King, called “cold humanity” in all parts of the world, including Australia. Areas of need are identified by various agencies, such as World Vision, Mission without Borders, MongoliAid and Rotary International, who take on the very important task of making sure wraps reach the people they are meant for.
This is by no means a one-way street, because the men, women and children who make individual 25cm squares or wraps (made up of 28 x 25cm squares), find that they have much to gain. Some work at home on their own; some join regular groups in private homes, libraries, schools and retirement villages. Friendships are made, and there is satisfaction in working together for such a worthwhile cause. Knitting has been found to be one of the most relaxing activities we can indulge in, and a number of hospitals have found it helpful to provide yarn and needles for patients or carers.
Squares and completed wraps are posted in or delivered individually to the Alexandria warehouse, or they are trucked in from the various collection points identified across the country. At Alexandria, all contributions are checked for quality. Volunteers sort squares into bags of 28, ready for collection by people who like to sew up rather than to knit. Completed wraps are packed into large yellow plastic bags, 10 into each, ready for pick-up.
Originally wraps were to be knitted in 28 squares but now crochet and quilting are also welcome, provided they are the right size, and warm! Some of the wraps are works of art, a joy to the volunteers and hopefully to the recipient, as a bonus. Practicality is what counts.
You may have heard of Wrap with Love though the ABC, who for 10 years ran the very popular “Knit-in” at its studios in Ultimo. Last year was the first without an ABC Knit-in, but people gathered together at about 50 locations around the country to run their own. This helped to boost last year’s output to more than 32,000 wraps.
