Knit-a-Square artwork

Knit-a-Square

39 episodes - English - Latest episode: about 2 years ago -

If you love to knit or crochet, and if you've ever wished you could do something to brighten up the lives of children affected by HIV-Aids and poverty in Africa, you've found the perfect podcast.


This is where you learn about Knit-a-Square, the non-profit organisation which is based in Johannesburg, South Africa and hear updates from 'the barn' where we sort squares and combine them into blankets for distribution to crèches and orphanages.


You can find show notes at www.knit-a-square.com/kas-podcast


While you're there, take a look around the KAS website to see how you can get involved in our work. Knit-a-Square is run entirely by volunteers. Everything we do, including this podcast, is in aid of warming vulnerable children in South Africa.


Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

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Episodes

Becoming a volunteer

March 26, 2022 14:58 - 29 minutes - 40.3 MB

We are blessed to have so many big-hearted people volunteering at the barn. In this episode, Norma shares with Leanne what first drew her to Knit-a-Square and what it was like to become a regular on opening days. We hear, too, how it felt for Norma when she got to go on her first distribution at the Lion Park informal settlement. This is the final episode of this short season, but look out for a bonus episode to follow. If you have not yet listened to earlier seasons of the podcast, be sur...

Rising to the occasion

March 15, 2022 06:00 - 40 minutes - 55.4 MB

Long-standing KAS members Pam Johnson and Elaine Jones share with Leanne the process they followed in setting up a Shropshire-based charity called “Knit for Life”. The charity makes it possible for them to send large quantities of squares to South Africa on behalf of dozens of local knitters. Recorded in October last year, this interview is jam-packed with great ideas and lots of laughter, a real tonic in an otherwise difficult period in world affairs. If you have similar inspirational sto...

Dancing children

March 01, 2022 06:00 - 32 minutes - 44.1 MB

The sounds and feel of Athelé’s visit to Perfuri near the northern tip of the Kruger National Park are captured in this episode as she chats to Leanne from her spot under a tree. We hear the excitement of the children who receive toys, and feel with Athelé her wish that more could be done to reach all the young ones in the community. The tiny toys that were distributed were specially selected from the hundreds that come into the barn because space in the car was so limited. Generally, the ...

Led by curiosity

February 15, 2022 06:00 - 33 minutes - 46.5 MB

In this episode, Leanne chats to Valerie Zalewski in France. Valerie has been a member of KAS since 2012 and is a keen crocheter, using her large stash of yarn to make squares and toys for the children. Of special interest is Valerie’s story of how she came to learn about Knit-a-Square in the first place. It is a reminder to us all that curiosity, nurtured and acted upon, can lead to life’s most rewarding discoveries. Show host: Leanne Hunt. Email address: [email protected] Th...

Doing what feels meaningful

February 01, 2022 06:00 - 35 minutes - 48.3 MB

Anna has been a volunteer at the Knit-a-Square barn for about three years and is passionate about compiling squares into blankets. In this episode, she chats to Leanne from a friendly coffee shop in the midst of her morning’s routines, explaining how she came to be involved and what motivates her to work so hard at what she does. The blankets that Anna and others bring into the barn are colourful and bright, guaranteed to put a smile on any child’s face. Be sure to visit the Blanket Room o...

Back for another season

January 18, 2022 06:00 - 18 minutes - 25.6 MB

It’s been a long break, but I’m back with another season of the Knit-a-Square podcast, sharing news and interviews with our wonderful members from South Africa and around the world. In this episode, I review some of the conversations I’ve had with members in previous seasons, then share some of my own news. Full disclosure, I’m rather out of practice with podcasting. It was necessary to edit out some splutters and bits where my sentences got too tangled up to make any sense. Time was also ...

Therapeutic benefits of knitting

September 07, 2021 06:00 - 30 minutes - 41.2 MB

Leanne’s daughter Tammy joins her on today’s podcast to chat about their morning at the barn. Tammy is a psychologist in training and has experience working with patients with anxiety. She shares some interesting findings regarding knitting, crocheting and other fibre arts. This is the final episode of season 2 of the Knit-a-Square podcast. You are welcome to go back and listen to previous episodes from seasons 1 and 2, and if you have any suggestions for future episodes, please get in tou...

The backbone of any blanket

August 24, 2021 06:00 - 33 minutes - 46.4 MB

Joy Evans is a keen knitter of PJ’s and is glad to know they are welcomed as the backdrop to beautiful picture squares contributed by other members. Speaking to Leanne from her home in Arkansas, she shares her passion for Knit-a-Square and the chance to let the children know that someone cares. In this episode you will also find details on the measurements of squares and how to prepare them for posting. Sometimes puzzling problems arise, such as when a square turns out much too large or a ...

Dangerous conditions

August 10, 2021 06:00 - 29 minutes - 40.5 MB

July is Mandela month in South Africa, but this year’s Mandela Day was marred by social unrest. Listen to what the volunteers at Knit-a-Square have to say about it, now that things are returning to normal, and experience some of the lively atmosphere in the barn as they open parcels, fold blankets and sort squares. Leanne welcomes feedback on the podcast and is always on the lookout for members who will come on as guests. We love to hear about the special interests of our members around th...

The world needs our help

July 27, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 50.1 MB

Grace Weir has been a member of Knit-a-Square for 11 years, and her friends in Dorchester, Dorset have helped her contribute many blankets and accessories for distribution. As she shares with Leanne her love of yarn, knitting, card-making and a range of other crafts, her enthusiasm for helping others is infectious. You are probably aware that a spate of violence and looting has engulfed KZN and Gauteng lately. This, in addition to the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, is putting enor...

Keeping it real

July 13, 2021 06:00 - 47 minutes - 64.8 MB

In this episode, Athelé tells us about three distributions that she and Estelle managed to do before the latest level four lockdown occurred. Blankets, beanies, hand warmers and toys were handed out to vulnerable children in the settlements of Hammanskraal and Lion Park on behalf of our generous knitters around the world. Much of the focus in the conversation is on what it feels like to be caught between one’s own comfortable lifestyle and the suffering of others. This is a “slice of life”...

Castles and picture squares

June 29, 2021 06:00 - 38 minutes - 53.2 MB

Marion Davies lives within sight of the historic Conwy Castle in North Wales and shares with us her passion for crocheting picture squares to incorporate into the beautiful blankets that get distributed to orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa. She also tells Leanne about an unfortunate craft-related injury she sustained and how she manages to avoid further disruptions in her crocheting of squares. We can all learn from her experience. To be unable to knit or crochet for an exte...

Blankets to keep out the winter chill

June 15, 2021 06:00 - 31 minutes - 43.3 MB

The term “informal settlement” is frequently used in describing where our vulnerable children live but the actual location, history and conditions relating to such settlements seldom get discussed in our reports. This episode goes a little deeper into the challenges our children face, both physical and developmental. Georgie Purdon from the Angels Care Centre in Howick, KwaZulu-Natal, chats to Leanne about a recent distribution of Knit-a-Square blankets to children under 5 years old. Toget...

Kindness in action

June 01, 2021 06:00 - 34 minutes - 47 MB

Knit-a-Square is an amazing community of caring people, brought together by our shared commitment to keep South Africa’s vulnerable and orphaned children warm. This episode of the podcast celebrates our connections at every level. Susanne Leverton was raised by her mother to think of others and spent her working life serving in the arid region of Central Australia as a remote nurse among indigenous people. Now in retirement, she lives on the coast and enjoys knitting picture squares and cr...

Volunteers at work

May 18, 2021 06:00 - 31 minutes - 42.7 MB

In this episode, Leanne chats to several of the volunteers at the barn. Ronda measures herself against a mountain of blankets, Sue bubbles over with wonder at the creativity of so many contributors, Wandi anticipates packaging up 90 bundles for distribution at two separate crèches, and Estelle shows off a pair of gorgeous crocheted blankets sent in by Patricia Underwood. May is the start of the chilly season in South Africa, so plans for getting blankets, beanies, hand warmers and toys int...

Celebrations to cheer the children

May 04, 2021 06:00 - 36 minutes - 50.7 MB

Amy Pettigrew is one of our most active moderators, keeping members up to date with various discussions on the Square Circle Forum and regularly overseeing Knit-a-Square’s monthly themes. In this episode she joins Leanne from her picturesque home in Houston, Texas to chat about crocheting and her busy online role. We hear about the first trip she made to South Africa and how it exposed her to the needs of the children. Memories of that trip continually serve to remind her of what she can d...

Where our blankets go

April 20, 2021 06:00 - 32 minutes - 44.6 MB

Squares sent in to Knit-a-Square get sewn into cosy blankets and distributed to vulnerable children at day care centres, crèches and informal settlements around Gauteng and beyond. In this episode, Leanne speaks with two of Vivienne’s contacts in the Northern Cape to discover more about their work at the Early Childhood Development Centres and what the blankets and toys meant for the little ones. We hear from Sienah Motshabi from the Tswelelopele Community Crèche and Lerato Kgadiete who us...

Friendships on the Knit-a-Square Forum

April 06, 2021 06:00 - 42 minutes - 58.5 MB

Gloria Grandy, editor of the KAS Snippets, joins Leanne on this week’s podcast to talk about the wonderful people she has met on the Square Circle Forum and how her life has been enriched as a result of helping South Africa’s vulnerable children. We hear about her deep friendship with Anne Powell and the origin story of the River John Square Knitters group. We also find out about Tunisian crochet, one of her special loves. Gloria’s family wrote and recorded the delightfully catchy Knit-a-S...

Reflections on a year like no other

March 23, 2021 06:00 - 40 minutes - 55.9 MB

Estelle has been at the forefront of operations at Knit-a-Square over the past year and chats to Leanne at length about what it was like, both at the barn and on distributions. We hear about some new volunteers who have joined the team and their impressions of opening days. If you like what you hear and would like to participate in the work of Knit-a-Square, please get in touch via the website. There are many ways to get involved, from volunteering at the barn to knitting, and from donatin...

The rewards of reaching out

March 09, 2021 06:00 - 41 minutes - 57.2 MB

Patricia Gribble shares with Leanne how her work with visually-impaired people led to a meeting with the Prime Minister and the establishment of the St Pancras Knitters in Plymouth. Her group has contributed 600 blankets to Knit-a-Square to date and formed strong relationships in the process which have sustained them through their year of lockdown. Trish also gives us a glimpse into her life in Devon, including family holidays to the Scilly Isles and France. She doesn’t go anywhere without...

A spell in the park

February 23, 2021 06:04 - 37 minutes - 52.1 MB

Ronda and her husband Peter contracted COVID while visiting family in the Cape over Christmas. In this episode of the podcast, she shares with Leanne how they managed to make the most of a bad situation and benefit from the extra time with loved ones. Ronda also reveals her deep passion for the bush as she describes their subsequent stay at Ngwenya Lodge on the Crocodile River near Kruger. We hear about her new home and garden, as well as news about the post, the volunteers from Soweto and ...

Finding freedom within limitation

February 09, 2021 06:00 - 22 minutes - 30.4 MB

Welcome to 2021, a very different start to the year from what we are used to. Everything is limited, from travel to access to yarn, and so we have to make adjustments. In this episode, Leanne takes the opportunity to share some thoughts from her own experience dealing with visual impairment. We hear about her latest knitting projects and ideas for connecting with friends. Even if your world has grown smaller, she tells us, it’s still possible to find wonderful ways of celebrating the things...

Crafting in good company

November 17, 2020 06:00 - 23 minutes - 32.1 MB

In the final podcast episode of the season, we get to hear the famous Knit-a-Square song, contributed by Gloria Grandy and members of her family. In addition, Leanne shares some of the feedback she's had from members about the Knit-a-Square podcast. She invites participation from other members in future episodes. If you wish to be a guest on the podcast next year, please get in touch by emailing [email protected]. Show host: Leanne Hunt. Email address: [email protected] ...

How to stay sane during a pandemic

November 03, 2020 06:00 - 42 minutes - 57.8 MB

Today's podcast guest is Liz Geldenhuis, a local volunteer whose passion is sorting squares and sewing them up into blankets. Liz shares how she came to be involved in charity work and then a member of Knit-a-Square. We hear how she keeps herself busy during lockdown and the role that Knit-a-Square plays in keeping her busy and sane in spite of social isolation. Please remember, if you are a new listener and want to know more about how to contribute to Knit-a-Square, you can find details ...

Clever tips for creative knitters

October 20, 2020 06:00 - 44 minutes - 61.2 MB

This week, Karen Gordon from the north-east of England chats to Leanne about the very important role that knitting has played in her life. Having had mobility problems from childhood, she learnt to make garments for herself then switched to knitting for charity. She describes how Knit-a-Square gives focus to her knitting and what it means to be able to help and encourage other members on the forum. Karen also shares some great tips on where to find new yarn and other extras at affordable pr...

A tough distribution

October 06, 2020 06:00 - 43 minutes - 59.8 MB

In this episode, Leanne chats with Athelé about her recent visit to one of the roughest and most dangerous "squatter camps" she has seen. We hear about the dreadful conditions in which orphaned and vulnerable children sometimes have to live and the amazing people who help the community at JikaJoe with food, medical care and other basics for survival. If you want to see photographs from the distribution, please visit the Square Circle Forum on the Knit-a-Square website or look up Athelé Oo...

A summer harvest

September 22, 2020 06:00 - 35 minutes - 49.2 MB

This episode features an interview with Mili Kus, a long-standing member of Knit-a-Square and an olive farmer on the coast of the Adriatic Sea. With charming grace, she describes her natural surroundings,, work in the olive grove, and passion for charity knitting. If you would like to participate on the podcast, please send me an email, telling me a bit about yourself and your involvement in Knit-a-Square. Our community is already strong, thanks to the Square Circle Forum on the website, a...

Celebrating our local volunteers.

September 08, 2020 06:00 - 27 minutes - 37.3 MB

In this episode, Leanne chats to Ronda and Estelle to get a detailed update on post from overseas, numbers of squares coming in, and numbers of blankets, beanies, hand-warmers and soft toys going out. We hear about Ronda's move to her new home, the local companies and knitting groups that have risen to the occasion to support Knit-a-Square during the pandemic, and Athelé's distribution at the Jika Joe settlement in Pietermaritzburg. If you enjoy the podcast, please take a moment to rate ...

Knitting yarns

August 25, 2020 06:00 - 53 minutes - 73.5 MB

In today's episode of the show, Leanne chats to Roger McDonald who has been involved with KAS from the start. As Sandy McDonald's husband and business partner, he helped conduct research for setting up the website and wrote poems that inspired and delighted members of the Square Circle Forum when it first began. Prepare to be entertained as Roger talks about his childhood with a grandmother who handled her needles like a magician and reads extracts from his as yet unpublished volume enti...

Twelve boxes of squares on their way!

August 11, 2020 06:00 - 39 minutes - 54 MB

In this week's episode, we hear from Cath Riley of Liverpool, a long-standing member of Knit-a-Square who has used her crocheting skills and community connections to send hundreds of blankets' worth of squares to South Africa. She chats about her choice of shipping method and describes the process of gathering the squares ahead of despatch. We also hear from Vivienne, a volunteer living in Soweto, who talks about her involvement with the children at a local community outreach project and h...

Mandela Day and the Soweto Gospel Choir

July 28, 2020 06:00 - 54 minutes - 75.5 MB

This is another bumper episode, full of news about the various ways in which our members continue to touch the lives of orphaned and vulnerable children in South Africa. In the first half, Leanne reports on the effect of COVID-19 in various areas around Gauteng. Ronda reports on six different Mandela Day activities that took place on 18 July. We hear about how the work is continuing during lockdown. In the second half, Sandy McDonald and Debbie Posmontier share their memories of Knit-a-S...

Fancy a bit of armchair travel?

July 14, 2020 06:00 - 37 minutes - 51.3 MB

As South Africa enters its fourth month of lockdown, the weather is turning bitterly cold. Regular distributions are out of the question but our volunteers at Knit-a-Square have found ways to hand out blankets, beanies, hand-warmers and toys to the children in spite of the restrictions. In this episode, Leanne interviews Bongi about her visit to an orphanage in central Johannesburg. Then she chats to Athelé ahead of her trip to Clarens in the Free State, and follows that up with a report o...

Meet the creator of the KAS website

June 30, 2020 06:00 - 53 minutes - 73.6 MB

This is a jam-packed episode guaranteed to warm your heart. Leanne introduces us to Ronda's niece, Sandy, whose early connection with knitting and interest in the internet inspired her to invite knitters around the world to contribute squares for blankets to warm vulnerable children in South Africa. Sandy recalls how the website brought people in from all over the world, and shares some of the wonderful ideas and projects that helped form our highly active and committed community. In the...

Explore the Square Circle Forum!

June 16, 2020 06:00 - 57 minutes - 79.6 MB

In the first half of the show, Leanne chats to Lindi, Knit-a-Square's longest-serving volunteer, who shares about life in Soweto during the lockdown and her work distributing blankets. In the second half, she chats to Andrea, one of our hard-working moderators, about the Square Circle Forum. This is our membership platform which is easy to join and full of interesting conversation threads. This is where you'll also find photos of completed blankets and distributions. Show host: Leanne Hu...

Keep making those squares!

June 02, 2020 06:00 - 41 minutes - 56.9 MB

In this episode, Leanne includes an interview with Amy Pettigrew who runs the Knit-a-Square Facebook page and is a moderator on the Square Circle Forum. She chats to Ronda and Estelle about their dauntless quest to find squares for our volunteers to sew together into blankets, and provides information about some knitting-related events to keep you all inspired and motivated. Theme music: "Mr. Sunny Face" by Wayne Jones. [Youtube Audio Library] © Creative Commons Licence. Production and e...

Join us for a knit-along!

May 19, 2020 06:00 - 38 minutes - 52.6 MB

Hear from KAS board member Wandi what a typical distribution looks like, and how the generosity of our members across the world allowed volunteers to care for their extremely needy neighbours. Find out too about the KAS KAL as Rebecca Price explains how she came up with the idea for the knit-along and where to find instructions for the different types of squares the finished blanket will contain. Theme music: "Mr. Sunny Face" by Wayne Jones. [Youtube Audio Library] © Creative Commons Licenc...

These are the days of distancing and face-masks

May 05, 2020 06:00 - 33 minutes - 38.5 MB

Like you, we have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, but to date it has mostly been on the level of operations. Under the lockdown regulations, we have been prevented from gathering at the Knit-a-Square barn to proceed with sorting and distribution. All the volunteers are at home, either knitting and sewing up blankets or caring for family members. In this episode, Leanne reflects on how awareness of the virus and the need for social distancing have forced us to suspend operations temp...

Welcome to the barn

April 28, 2020 06:00 - 32 minutes - 45.1 MB

The Knit-a-Square barn is what we affectionately call our work space. Basically a large room with good light and ventilation, it has a long table where we unpack parcels, sort squares and pack blankets for distribution to vulnerable and orphaned children. Theme music: "Mr. Sunny Face" by Wayne Jones. [YouTube Audio Library] © Creative Commons Licence. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Pick up your needles!

April 14, 2020 11:44 - 11 minutes - 15.3 MB

Welcome to a brand-new podcast about charity knitting - A podcast for knitters and crocheters who love to share patterns and stories about how their craft impacts the lives of others. This episode introduces Leanne Hunt, your podcast host. "Mr. Sunny Face" by Wayne Jones. [Youtube Audio Library] © Creative Commons Licence Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.