By Jamie Furness
The Forest Lake Crochet and Knitting Group is now in their tenth year of creating and providing charity items to those in need made from yarn donated by our generous Forest Lake community.
Every Thursday, 38 senior volunteers get together from 9am-12pm at the Durack-Inala Bowls club to create crocheted and knitted goods which are given to people in need.
Group coordinator Sue Gibbens said the Forest Lake community had shown great support by donating yarn in the donation box located outside Woolworths at the Forest Lake Shopping Centre.
“There hasn’t been a week gone by where we haven’t gotten something out of that box,” she said.
“I’ve even had people contacting me saying ‘I’ve got too much wool to put in the box, can I drop it off at your place?’”
For nearly a decade the group has made a variety of knitted and crocheted items, including rugs, beanies, mittens, pillows, scarves and clothes for babies, children, and adults.
These are then sent off to charities who distribute them where they are needed.
This year, the club made rugs and clothes for children up to age 12 for Baby Give Back, trauma teddies for the police, mittens, rugs and scarves for Bikers Making a Difference, items for palliative care patients at Conossa Private Hospital, red poppies for the Forest Lake RSL, possum pods and pouches for wild animals needing rehabilitation, animal rugs for the Animal Welfare League, and more.
“We make whatever we can,” Sue said.
“When we have yarn that we can’t use for humans, we use that yarn to make possum pods and pouches.”
The crochet group has also supported other local charity and community organisations by selling handmade items to raise funds. These include donating rugs and baby items for the Forest Lake Rotary Club and rugs for Bowls Club raffles to raise money for the local schools.
Twice a year, the group run stalls at community events, where they sell pre-made crocheted and knitted items to raise money for charities.
In 2022 they held a stall at the Forest Lake Community Festival in September this year, and will be running another stall at the Christmas Markets in Forestdale on December 4.
Sue said all community donations of yarn provided in the donation box outside Woolworths have been and will continue to be greatly appreciated.
For information about joining the Forest Lake Crocheting and Knitting Group, contact Sue Gibbens on 07 3279 9561.
