Amesbury knitters hope to lend a helping hand

Jimmy Carroll

June 13, 2007 02:50 pm

— Not only will new members be able to come and practice their skills with others; the fruits of their labor will benefit those in need.
Starting this month, Amesbury librarian Margie Walker will facilitate a summer knitting club whose main purpose will be making hats and blankets for young children in Africa. Walker, a resident of Southern New Hampshire, hopes to make "as many as possible" for the kids.
In January, the library sponsored a program for Amesbury for Africa and after viewing the presentation, Walker got the idea to see if they were interested in helping her with it.
Amesbury for Africa is a 20-year-old community development partnership that has a sister city relationship with the village of Esabalu in western Kenya.
The idea of knitting items came as a result of her involvement in knitting for cancer victims and their families. "My mother died of cancer three years ago and a friend of mine made a prayer shawl for her," Walker said. "I thought it would be nice to give to other people to comfort them."
Walker, who has been knitting since she has was a child, said that knowing how to knit is not required to be a member of the summer group.
"I can teach anyone who wants to come how to knit. The more people we have, the better," Walker said.
The Summer Knitting Club, which Walker is "hoping there will be a lot of interest in," begins Tuesday, June 26, at 2 p.m. at the teen room in the Amesbury Library. After the initial meeting, the group will meet on Wednesdays from 2 to 4 p.m. in the same room. The program ends on Aug. 22.
For information, contact Margie Walker at the Amesbury Public Library 978 388-8148, ext. 2.

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