Wynberg Girls recovered somewhat from its knitting fever on Friday August 19 when the sixth the Wool for Wonders campaign came to an end.
Although, according to the school, it never really ends because knitted goods are donated throughout the year.
The Wynberg Old Girls’ Union (WOGU) challenged junior school pupils to make 5 000 knitted goods for its charity campaign. The school accepted the challenge and surpassed it by setting the goal that the whole school should learn to knit – so even Leaveil Jarvis, the school’s only male teacher, was seen sitting in the quad with his Grade 5 class, knitting squares.
Kneedles went a clacking everywhere at the school. Even little Grade 1s gave it a go by helping their grannies to knit while they waited for their older sisters after school.
At its end, on Friday August 19, the junior school had collected 5 773 squares, which will be made into blankets. It had also collected more than 700 jerseys, beanies and other knitted items, including toys. Wynberg Girls’ High School collected 897 jerseys and 359 beanies.
Junior school principal Dee Cawcutt said one pupil had told her parents’ friends overseas about the challenge.
“And so they sent 36 jerseys, all the way from England,” she said.
Eighty-two of the knitted goods were donated by the Cape Community Newspapers (CCN), which prints the Constantiaberg Bulletin and 14 other titles. CCN provided the wool and several staff members used the pattern designed by WOGU to make jerseys and matching beanies. Those who couldn’t knit roped their grannies in to help.
Ms Cawcutt congratulated the girls on the achievement and jokingly reminded them that they had it easier than in her day.
“When I was a little girl we had to learn how to knit and sew at school. We even had to learn how to put in a zipper. And we had to pass knitting and sewing. All you have to learn is maths,” Ms Cawcutt joked. “It’s much easier.”
The Old Girls will distribute the jerseys to various charities.
“All it takes is for you to learn to knit so that when you watch TV you can also do something for somebody else,” Ms Cawcutt said.
