Armed with two needles and a ball of wool, some senior citizens set out on a mission to do good and decided to knit warm beanies that were donated to the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA).
It was about two months ago, when the women, all from the Summerley Court Retirement Village, in Kenilworth, decided they wanted to knit for a good cause, choosing Cansa as the beneficiary for the colourful beanies.
Pat MacMillan’s needles were the first to get going, and pretty soon, other seniors were on board, helping to make 55 beanies. “I slowly started with one beanie, and then I moved onto the next and another, and that is how it started. Along the way, more people joined in, until we eventually all started knitting for this great cause,” she said.
It took five hours of her day to complete a beanie, but the thought of how many people would benefit from the beanies fuelled her enthusiasm.
“It’s an opportunity to show how much we care. This project gave us time to reflect, because we (Summerley Court residents) are very lucky to be in this position, but we must remember that everybody is not so lucky. So we all need to do our part and give back, because there really are people out there who need all the help they can get,” Ms MacMillan said.
She has been living at Summerley Court since it opened its doors in September last year.
Another resident who has been there from the start and who joined the knitting project is Sybille von Mellenthin, who admitted that she might not be as advanced as Ms MacMillan when it came to knitting, but loved the idea of being part of something that gave back to the community.
“There was a certain spirit that was created while all of us were knitting for this great cause. You could feel that we set out to make a difference, and I really hope that the people receiving these beanies will enjoy them, because they were made with love,” she said.
Ms Von Mellenthin said the women had all been inspired by Ms MacMillan, and the amount of effort she had put into the project, even if it had been hard to keep up with her at times.
“It all started with us wanting to do good for the community, and it never changed. We can really feel proud of the fact that we put in the effort for a good cause,” she said, smiling gracefully at Ms MacMillan as she showed off their work.
The women have already started planning their next project, which is to create a baby wear line for the underprivileged.
Ms MacMillan said the women were already brainstorming ideas and the knitting was set to start soon.
“These sorts of projects help the community and we are doing what we can to assist,” she said.
