Knit a square..show you care!

Following on from the very successful Tribute Triangles Project, Ballymoney Borough Council is now leading on a local charity project to help knit blankets for children in South Africa who have been orphaned as a result of AIDS (pictured right).

Local schools, groups and individuals are invited to join Ballymoney’s Big Knit project for the next six weeks and knit 6in/15cm squares to be sewn into blankets for orphans in South Africa where Ballymoney born K.K. McArthur (Marathon Mac) emigrated all those years ago.

Knitting a square takes little time, costs little but makes a big difference. Their goal is 2,012 squares from the Ballymoney Borough by Friday 12 October.

Wool and needles can be purchased from Sue’s Wools in Church St and A Stitch in Time in Castlecroft.

The squares will then be sewn into blankets and sent to South Africa via our South African visitors who joined Ballymoney during the Marathon Mac celebrations.

A simple pattern is available to download from www.ballymoney.gov.uk or email your request to [email protected]

Simple Knitting Pattern for 6inch/15cm squares

For 6”/15 cms squares, you will need:

Double knit yarn from a 100 gram (3.5 oz) ball or scraps of yarn or wool

Ideally 4mm needles (if using 6mm needles you will only need 24 stitches)

1 Cast on 30 stitches (try to make your stitches neither too loose nor too tight to help ensure uniform squares)

2. Knit approximately 30 rows

3. To ensure you square is 6”/15cm either use a tape measure or form a triangle by folding one corner of your square over to meet the opposite corner as shown - if all sides are equal - then you have a square!

4. Cast off

Leave a one metre length of your yarn attached to your work after you have cast off. This will be used to join the squares together.

Local Stockists of Wool and Needles: Sue’s Wools, Church St, Ballymoney and A Stitch in Time, Castlecroft, Main St Ballymoney

More advanced patterns http://www.halfknits.com/knitting-6-inch-block-patterns/

Please return completed squares by Friday 12th October 2012 to: Ballymoney’s Big Knit, c/o Riada House, 14 Charles St,. Ballymoney BT53 6DZ

Thank you for your support of Ballymoney’s Big Knit!