PM’s Pregnancy Sparks Knitting Movement

New Zealander Heather McCracken, who is based in the United States, has kicked off the knitting movement #KnitForJacinda inspired by the news that Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern is pregnant.

Ardern recently announced that she and her partner Clarke Gayford are expecting their first child this June.

In response, McCracken called on Twitter for New Zealanders to #KnitForJacinda and donate their creations to charity.

The hashtag quickly spread online as people shared their knitwork.

McCracken told the BBC she had no idea that so many people would get behind her idea.

“I was just happy about the news and felt inspired to make a little gift. It was immediately followed by the idea that it would be more appreciated [by] a baby who was more in need,” she said.

People have been encouraged to send their knits to the children’s department at Middlemore Hospital in Auckland.

Original article by BBC, January 24, 2018.