Loving and busy hands have seamlessly come together to spread across the world.
From an idea dreamed up in Kelty, a charity crafting circle has spread knitted, crocheted and sewn love like a giant, comforting blanket across the globe.
It was back in 2007, after she had helped at a volunteer knit-a-thon, that Fifer Lou Japp came up with the idea for Loving Hands.
She was astounded by the number of older knitters who had cupboards full of woollies they had created yet no-one to whom to gift the finished items.
Now, Loving Hands groups are springing up all over the country and the movement has around 8,000 members.
It unites crafters, whether they are handy with knitting pins, crochet hooks or threaded needles, with charities around the world and delivers much-needed items, like shawls for babies or warm clothing for the homeless.
It has worked with groups like Sands, Blytheswood Care, the Scottish SPCA and the Seaman’s Mission and is heavily involved in the Gloag Foundation.
“It is nice that we are here, doing something to help. When we see it reaching there, we are delighted,” Mary Sneddon said.
The group would welcome new members to its meetings in Kelty’s Moray Institute, and any donations of fabric and wool. See www.lovinghands.org.uk.A common threadI’ve been known to spin a good yarn or two in my time, writes Leeza Clark.
But it might be a stretch, even for me, to pretend I have all that much in common with stars of the silver screen Julia Roberts, Ryan Reynolds and Katherine Heigl.
No hilltop villa overlooking the Hollywood sign, no $10 million movie deals and no paparazzi following me (if you discount Courier snappers, that is).
But one thing is true, we seem to have a shared (P)interest in knitting.
There’s the stars who while away boring hours between takes rustling up the most darling of woollens and there’s me, an official “enthusiastic amateur”, who can while away hours boring my mum, Elizabeth, with whines of dropped stitches and moans which regularly start with: “muuuum, there’s something wrong ”
Her current project: a 2ply, gossamer-fine feather and fan jumper. Mine: patchwork squares for a cat blanket (although my pride in knitting my own pouffe oh yes is unbounded).
Once viewed as old-fashioned and the preserve of grannies everywhere, now knitting is high fashion, with designers like Debbie Bliss and Kaffe Fassett leading the way.
There’s a resurgence of interest in unique, hand-crafted woollens.
Well, maybe not as “unique” as mine turn out.