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Alexandra Rose
Member Since May 2016
Which group do you belong to? Riverhead, but i've been MIA since having a baby
What made you want to get involved? I love crochet and Claire is just so inspiring. She captivated me and I wanted to be part of her dream.
What item have you made that you are most proud of/loved the most? My wedding dress, it was my greatest crochet challenge and i'm still shocked the image in my head came to life.
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally?My crochet was in a lag point when I moved to NZ, I left all my supplies in Canada and completely lost my ‘crojo’. MGL re-energised me and has inspired me to develop my skills further.
What else are you passionate about and what are your other hobbies? Hubby and I are big fans of cooking, we often host BBQs with friends. We also enjoy walking and trekking around, there are so many beautiful spots around Auckland. And of course travel, we actually met on an overseas holiday.
Malou Vermeer
Member Since Feb 2019
Which group do you belong to? I am part of the Auckland Central MGL group.
What made you want to get involved? I immigrated to New Zealand from The Netherlands, about 3 years ago. Because I don’t work, my social network is quite small. One day I read an interview in the AA magazine with Claire, and her story really resonated with me, because back in The Netherlands I went through a similar situation as she did. Since I was looking for something where I would meet other people to get out of my isolement, and I was already knitting every day, it seemed like the perfect combination! MGL connects people by sharing creativity to help others. Everybody wins. The world got a bit more beautiful.
What item have you made that you are most proud of/loved the most? I am quite happy with the sweater I knitted for my 1 year old son.
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally? It has been so good for me. Sometimes I felt quite lonely, far away from my family and friends. Starting a life in a new country is very exciting, but also very hard. To get to know new people, you really have to make an effort. My knitting group really helped in that way, because I got to know so many new people who are all so lovely! They make me feel at home and include me in their lives. I feel truly supported.
What else are you passionate about and what are your other hobbies? I love to travel. To be surrounded by nature makes me feel more connected. To learn about other cultures I find interesting and it can teach me a lot. I also very much enjoy practising yoga, playing the piano, reading books and, last but not least, cuddling with my little family.
Anita Zaveri
Member Since April 2019
Which group do you belong to? Howick
What made you want to get involved? I had to opportunity to meet with Becky over a cup of coffee and their ideas vibed with mine. Working with yarn through knitting or crochet is such a beautiful craft, I have been passionate about it since I was a child.
What item have you made that you are most proud of?
Misha... the first beanie to sell for MGL was a proud moment.
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally?
A feeling of belonging to a great supportive group and knowing that I in turn can support and help other people, be it someone who is part of the group or the one who receives the give away hat. I also feel that the items we make are put to good use, and sent out in the wider community, which has more impact as a group than going out and helping alone.
What else are you passionate about and what are your hobbies?I love to read both fiction and nonfiction books, and am passionate about crocheting!!! Cooking is my other go to.
Jess Bould
Member Since June 2018
Which group do you belong to?
I belong to the Christchurch group - which I help run :)
What made you want to get involved?
I really loved the idea of MGL and the positive impacts it has - through helping local community as well as creating a supportive friendly environment to expand and teach skills.
What item have you made that you are most proud of/loved the most?
I’m a self taught knitter so to date, my proudest achievement was learning to cable...self taught!
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally?
I feel privileged to be part of the MGL community and seeing the impact and joy something as simple as a knitted hat can bring to my community. My group are a creative bunch and I love seeing the fabulous designs they surprise me with week after week.
What else are you passionate about and what are your other hobbies?I’m very passionate about food...i love to try new recipes and am currently working my way through Vegful by Nadia Lim. I also love nature and hiking (the knitting comes along too) but can be tricky to get away as often as I would like!
Delia
Member Since 2016
Which group do you belong to? The Birkenhead group.
What made you want to get involved?
I was recovering from a bout of clinical depression at the time and off work on sick leave. My Occupational Therapist had asked me about activities I enjoyed growing up that I may like to get back into in a low stress environment. Knitting sprung to mind having been taught many years earlier by my Mother and Grandmother.
What item have you made that you are most proud of/loved the most? My very first hat which was a ‘Madison’. The fact that I had finished a project gave me a great sense of achievement after feeling like a ‘loser’ for so long. Many items later after my confidence grew
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally?
It has given me purpose, regular goals to achieve, a sense of belonging to my community, new friends, and most importantly led me to get in touch with my love of volunteering and helping others. I have loved all the opportunities to be involved in giving away hats, including beanies for Age Concern clients, face cloths for Age Concern’s Christmas gift bags, beanies for seniors in social housing villages, and a learn to knit session at the Refugee Resettlement Centre in South Auckland.
What else are you passionate about and what are your other hobbies? I am an outdoorsy person who also loves adventure. Hiking has been a big part of my recovery from depression. Getting out into nature is very therapeutic and sharing experiences with others. I recently walked the Camino de Santiago, an 800km pilgrimage route across Spain which was a massive achievement and so much fun, albeit painful at times!
Sheryl
Member Since 2016
What made you want to get involved?
I had just taken up knitting again and was excited about the thought of something I was making going to people who needed it.
What item have you made that you are most proud of/loved the most?
I love our Bobbi hats – they are made with chunky wool and I think they are really funky. One day I walked into one of our stockists to show a friend I was shopping with our hats, picked a Bobbi off the shelf, looked at the label and realised it was one I had knitted. That made me pretty proud.
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally?
I love being part of Make Give Live – I’ve met some amazing women, I’ve learned new skills and it’s opened the door to some incredible experiences. I got to hang out with Orange Sky giving hats to homeless people who were doing their laundry in a mobile van. I visited the Refugee Resettlement Centre in South Auckland and gained a small insight into what life is like for people starting their lives again in a little country halfway around the world. And I delivered hats to some delightful, funny senior citizens living in a community housing area.
What else are you passionate about and what are your other hobbies? I still play field hockey, very slowly! In summer I love going to the beach and away for weekends with friends.
Alison Voorburg
Member Since 2017
What made you want to get involved? I wanted to volunteer more to do good, and to meet like minded people in my community. And I love to knit and crochet!
What item have you made that you are most proud of/loved the most? I knitted an ‘Amy all over’ which involved faux-cabling all around the knit, whilst knitting in the round, and I didn’t have to undo any rows!
How has being a part of MGL made you feel and how has it impacted you personally? It makes me feel very connected to my community, empowered that I am doing good, and happy that the beauty of handmade items are valued.
What else are you passionate about and what are your other hobbies? Some would say I am obsessed, I say dedicated as I spend a lot of time training for runs or recovering from them! I run marathons, half marathons, and other distances, both on road and trail, and am just about to run my first Ultra.) I have been volunteering for Achilles International for about 5-years now, andam currently helping one athlete train for her first half marathon. I also enjoyreading, swimming. I knit and crochet my own projects (I always have many on the go). I love listening to music (a great mood booster if there ever was one) and play the flute, although not as often as I would like to.
