Every Tuesday, a group of Esperance ladies meet to knit and crochet blankets and beanies for premature babies throughout the State.
Esperance Mechanical Restoration Group member Liz Plecas said the group donated the fruits of their labour to Esperance Health Campus, King Edward Memorial Hospital’s foundation, Perth Children’s Hospital’s foundation and Armadale hospital.
She also said they sent some items to the Quadriplegic Centre once a year, and thanked Jean Reimers for co-ordinating the free transport through Esperance Freight Lines and keeping the supply of wool turning over.
“Probably 13, 14 or 15 years ago, one of our ladies used to knit beanies for the King Edward hospital in Perth and she asked if anybody else would like to, and a group of us just started doing it,” Ms Plecas said.
She said the women had so far made 18,000 beanies and 2000 blankets since they started operating, with 12 ladies consistently coming to the sessions every week.
“We do just over 1000 (beanies) a year and probably 110 or 120 blankets a year . . . it’s just grown from one lady making beanies to a group of us,” Ms Plecas said.
With knitting and crocheting now “a dying art”, she said some women now came to the meeting as their grandchildren were all grown up and they had no one to knit for, and the group gave them a renewed sense of purpose.
Ms Plecas said the group regularly received letters from the hospitals and foundations thanking them for their hard work.
“The hospitals just can’t get enough of the blankets and beanies because they go to all different areas,” she said.
“I’ve actually had people find me on the internet, and have been recipients of the beanies in Perth and have found somehow found me and sent little thank-yous and how much they appreciated it.”
Ms Plecas said the group was “quite proud” of their “little” project, and they were always open to donations of wool to continue their creations.
“It’s really special when you’re in a little cafe or something, and you see a little baby with one of the blankets that have been made by the girls. It’s lovely,” she said.