In a cosy knitting circle, needles weave warmth and kindness, crafting small woollen treasures for Wakefield children to discover during the recent school holidays.
“These holidays I didn’t hide the woolly treasures all out at once, instead I put a few out every few days to keep the hunt going,” Julie Jermyn, the knitting mind behind the idea, says.
After the April school holidays, Julie was pleasantly surprised when she visited Wakefield Village Kindergarten, where many children had discovered hidden knitted treasures. Some even recognised her car.
“That’s the red car that brought them,” one observant child told Julie.
“I’ve had to become more creative now that they recognise my car, these holidays I gave them to friends and family to hide,” Julie remarks with a warm smile and a playful sparkle in her eye.
The Wakefield Craft Group has been knitting and creating together every Wednesday since 2010. Together they created the knitted woolly treasures for the children’s holiday hunt, a project they find enjoyable and fulfilling.
Nelson App interviewed a group of children hunting for hidden woolly treasures.
Among them, two expressed frustrations, feeling overwhelmed by the size of Wakefield.
“They could be anywhere, like anywhere in the whole of Wakefield. Do you know who can give us a clue?” asked one.
Theo Wilson, 13, felt excited as he discovered a long piece of wool tied to a tree at Wakefield School - a clear indicator that something woolly had been there, giving him some inspiration to continue hunting.
The woollen treasures were hidden in small bags to protect them from moisture, each with a handwritten note granting permission for the finder to keep the item or hide it again for the next person.
The group hinted at a pre-Christmas treasure hunt but kept details under wraps. Stay tuned, Wakefield.
If you discovered a woollen treasure in Wakefield during the school holidays, share a picture on the Nelson App or Waimea Weekly Facebook page—we’d love to see what you’ve found.
