KNITTING FOR PEACE
A good yarn
Knitters love to knit – but what happens when you run out of people to wear your jumpers and hats? We visit a charity taking in thousands of beautifully crafted garments every year and sending them to people who need them most
by REBECCA NORRIS
‘It’s important to keep people knitting because it has all sorts of health benefits’
photography LYDIA EVANS
Down a cobbled lane in north London, there’s a warehouse with mountains of yarn, a hoard of knitting needles, and a stack of just-delivered parcels.
Hilde Nakkash, 71, is opening the post. She unwraps knitted scarves with zig-zag edging, patchwork blankets, a pair of rainbow socks. There are always lots of socks.
Hilde is a volunteer at Knit for Peace, a charity that links prolific knitters with worthy causes: baby clothes might be sent to hospitals, teddies to children’s charities and handmade jumpers and socks to homeless shelters. Hilde is particularly passionate about socks. ‘If it’s cold, they are the first thing you put on to warm up,’ she says. She also works at a local food bank, where people often come in without them: ‘It’s painful to see.’ Hilde knits all her own socks, as well as extra pairs for food bank regulars.
Knit for Peace was founded by Dame Hilary Blume, 79, a dedicated problem solver who has spent her life working in the voluntary sector. ‘It’s important to keep people knitting because it has all sorts of health benefits,’ she says. ‘The problem is: who do you knit for?’ There are only so many outfits you can gift to ungrateful relatives, only so many newborns you know in want of a baby blanket. ‘All we had to do was find people who needed these things,’ says Dame Hilary. ‘And look what’s happened.’