Local Knitting Club Makes a Difference

kc dyer
7 days ago
2 min read

Donations to Under One Roof welcomed

Lions Bay group has a jingle of a time knitting up Christmas spirit.

Lions Bay knitters have added a little sparkle to Christmas for local women in need, with a donation of hand-quilted bags, jam-packed with treats and necessities for the season.

The Knitting Group, between eight and ten knitters strong, has met Wednesday mornings at Lions Bay Store for over a year.

"Since the Knit and Stitch shop in Dundarave closed, I asked Lynne Jacobs (manager of the store and cafe) if we could have a knitting group, and she immediately agreed," says Yanita Rowan, who also works at the store. "Lynne provides us with complimentary coffee and teas and we sit at a community table, knitting and chatting."

After a suggestion from Rowan, the group set to work on a project to help local women who find themselves unhoused over the holidays. Long-time Village resident Sharon Skibinski, who loves to quilt as well as knit, set to work and produced a dozen carry bags made from sturdy denim.

Rowan says group members each took a bag and "filled it to the brim with needed toiletries, socks, blankets and goodies."

"We had not spoken to anyone at Under One Roof until Sharon, her daughter and I delivered them last Wednesday," says Rowan, adding that the team at the shelter was thrilled with this donation.

Squamish Helping Hands, the society that oversees Under One Roof and the Squamish Food Bank, is currently collecting for their Christmas Shoebox Drive, and has added the Knitting Group's donations to their collection.

As of December 12, they had collected 34 shoebox gifts for their participants, with an aim to have 80 to 100 boxes by Christmas. More information about the program can be found HERE.

The Knitting Group welcome new knitters and quilters, and has made a good start on their next project of providing hand-made quilts for emergency beds. The first quilt is now complete, and Rowan says more are on the way.

Editor's Note: A reminder that The Watershed will deliver donations to Squamish Helping Hands year-round. Drop us an email, or leave a note below in the comments, and we will collect your donations from your door for delivery that week. If you are a knitter, newly knitted creations are welcome, too. You can also donate cash to the cause HERE.