Editor’s letter

“I did this scene in Lars and the Real Girl where I was in a room full of old ladies who were knitting, and it was an all-day scene, so they showed me how. It was one of the most relaxing days of my life.”– Ryan Gosling

SO FAR IT has been the perfect winter for knitting. Lovely and cold, lots of rain outside and therefore the perfect excuse for curling up in front of the fire with some wool and needles and creating something amazing. Not that my knitting projects ever end up amazing. I’m a great one for starting a knitting project every winter then never finishing it. So my knitting box in the sunroom is filled to the brim with half-finished socks, baby singlets, scarves, hats and gloves, and a vast array of different coloured wools, lots of loose knitting needles and the odd pattern.

Some of the team on The Australian Women’s Weekly can knit so we were having a natter about our various projects when India Hendrikse, who actually works downstairs but is like one of the team, said that she had just discovered knitting and loved it. At 23 years old India is a lot younger than us and is a selfconfessed extrovert, so we were intrigued by this turn of events and suggested she wrote us a story about it.

And so we now know that knitting is a great form of therapy for anxiety and depression, and I can see why. Just sitting and concentrating on something which is quite repetitive has an amazing effect on me, similar to meditation. I love sitting in my sunroom on a sunny winter’s afternoon with our two dogs and clicking those needles together.

This year I have taken on the rather daunting task of knitting a jumper for my husband Paul in 4-ply black alpaca wool on size 12 needles. It’s not happening very quickly, but I’m nearly finished the back, so that’s something. I’ve told my team that when it comes to the neck, I’m going to have to bring it into work for some help, because the last time I knitted a whole jumper was about 35 years ago! India has told me to try YouTube for an instructional video.

I hope you enjoy India’s story on page 163 – we’ve also included a lovely simple baby blanket knitting pattern from The Woven, which I thought might encourage a few people to dig out those needles and wool and have a go this winter. And if you’re a dab hand at knitting baby garments and blankets, why not donate some to Middlemore Hospital in Auckland. Every winter many South Auckland babies and children are admitted to Kidz First Children’s Hospital with respiratory illnesses. Cold and overcrowded housing can transform a mild cold into a serious illness that requires hospital care, so with your help the hospital staff can send these little ones home with warm clothing. Have a look at www.middlemorefoundation.org.nz/wool-programme.html for more information or send your wool baby clothes to Middlemore Foundation, C Floor, Bray Building, Middlemore Hospital, Otahuhu, Auckland 1640.