Egg-ceptional Knitter

Anita Knagg is an egg-cellent example of an East Lancashire Hospice supporter.

For the past six years, Anita, 66, has been doing a cracking job by knitting chickens to sell at the hospice to raise funds.

Anita said: “I make five or six chickens every evening while I’m sat watching the television. Each one takes me around 20 minutes from start to finish. I find it very therapeutic.”

She has been knitting for over 60 years – since the age of five after picking it up from her mother. She started by stitching teddies, and by the time she was eight she was reading patterns.

Anita is part of the fun-raisers – a group of friends who raise money for the hospice while doing things they enjoy – consisting of Anita, Chris and daughter Sarah Knagg, Heather and Jim Wilson and daughter Kate and Alan Poyner

Anita said: “This is the sixth year I have been making chickens. The first year I made about 20, and then 100 the following year, 150 the year after and 200 for the last three years."

“The chickens are made from whatever colour yarn I have. Some are the traditional yellow chickens, and others are multi-coloured. I love them all!"

“I thoroughly enjoy knitting. I even knitted one of the chickens while walking down the prom at St Ann’s with the yarn in my pocket. I got a few strange looks.”

Anita said she starts knitting the Christmas puddings in September, and then when she’s finished she starts on the chickens. In between she knits the teddies.

“I think it’s brilliant. I’m entertaining myself in the evening, and the hospice is making money it didn’t have before. It’s a win-win scenario.”

Here’s a copy of Anita’s tried and tested chicken pattern. Now, get cracking!