67 Blankets to spread their blankets of love this April

With the winter ahead in full force, the “KnitWits for Madiba” are preparing to spread love and comfort to those in need on 23 April from 9am to 4pm.

The 67 Blankets will be hosting a Family Hook-up Day where KnitWits across the country will be spreading their blankets around various Nelson Mandela statues as a colourful reminder of Tata Madiba’s legacy.

The blankets will then be handed over and distributed to those in need across the country.

Founded three years ago by Carolyn Steyn in response to Zelda la Grange’s challenge to knit 67 blankets for Nelson Mandela Day, the NPO has grown from 67 blankets to 670 blankets, to a world record-breaking 27 000 blankets, which have all been donated to those in need.

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“Sixty-seven Blankets has changed my life and many lives. It has become my raison d’etre. What I have learned over the past three years is the importance of alliance, partnership, friendship and relationships embodying trust, respect, kindness and common purpose. None of what we have collectively achieved would have been remotely possible without these elements and together we have achieved some great things,” Steyn said.

In the process, 67 Blankets claimed the Guinness World Record title for the largest crocheted blanket in the world in 2015.

Although India made a bid for the title and briefly took it from South Africa’s hands, the organisation won it again in 2016 with a blanket measuring over 17 000 square meters.

Throughout the year, the initiative was supported by people from all walks of life including prisoners and school goers who were seen pouring care and compassion into their knitting.

In partnership with the Department of Correctional Services, 67 Blankets started the “Knitting Broken Lives and our Nation Together” initiative that gives inmates an opportunity to give back to communities who have been affected by crime and poverty. Knitting and crocheting blankets have given thousands of inmates, both men and women, a sense of industry and purpose, assisting them in their rehabilitation and providing skills development behind bars.

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Community members are encouraged to bring their families, their picnic baskets and their knitting to celebrate 67 Blankets’ remarkable achievement.

The Family Day Hook-up venues on 23 April are:

• Cape Town: Croquet lawn in front of the Springbok Museum at the Waterfront from 9am to 2pm
• Johannesburg: Nelson Mandela Square/Sandton City from 9am to 3pm

Nelson Mandela Foundation/Houghton from 9am to 2pm

• Pretoria: The Daily Coffee Café (Cnr Mackenzie & 13th Street, Menlo Park, Pretoria) – on 21 April 2017 from 2pm to 4pm (Please note date)
• The Union Buildings from 9am to 2pm
• Limpopo: Shambala Game Reserve, Waterberg, Mandela House from 9am to 11.30 am
• KwaZulu-Natal: Mandela Capture Site – Howick/Tweedie off-ramp (Make your way to the Truth Café) from 9am to 1pm
• Free State: Naval Hill from 9am to Noon
• East London: Heroes Park, across from the East London Aquarium from12.30pm to 2.30pm
• Port Elizabeth: Pearson Conservatory, St Georges Park from 2pm to 4pm
• UK: At the bust of Nelson Mandela, which is on the walkway between Hungerford Bridge and the south side of the Royal Festival Hall, Belvedere Road, London.
• USA: California – San Diego, Maine – Saco and Maryland – Ellicott City.
• India: Kochi, Kerala, India at 11am to Noon (Indian standard time).

Edited by Beryl Knipe