“We owe them”: The adorable initiative that’s helping our Aussie farmers
Rachel Allen, a sheep farmer based in Yass, NSW has been hand-feeding her sheep for over two months in an attempt to keep them alive throughout the worst drought in almost a hundred years. Now, she’s facing another problem – mothers are rejecting their newborn lambs due to low feed.
During droughts, mothers tend to reject their young, so they could look after their own survival. After having lost three lambs to the harsh weather conditions, Ms Allen ordered 10 hand-knitted jumpers for the babies in the hopes that it will keep them warm.
With the conditions deteriorating for our Aussie farmers, Ms Allen said she only had 10 bales of hay left, and to be able to afford costs, she sold three of her horses.
“It’s pretty bad,” she said. “We’re hand-feeding every two days to all our sheep and feeding horses twice a day. There’s just no grass for anything.”
With very little grass left, Ms Allen along with other farmers, are desperately hoping for rain. In the meantime, The Country Women’s Association (CWA) has asked knitters across Australia to come together and knit for a good cause.
The jumpers, which are knitted for lambs, are helping them stay warm and alive.
“The lambs are weakened from the extreme cold and the lack of feed available. The mothers have been rejecting the weakest lambs, so before the jumpers came I was keeping the weakest ones inside in a box next to the heater,” said Ms Allen.
The initiative was started by Marie Knight – a sheep farmer from Tannabar, a town south of Coonabarabran in NSW. Having launched the campaign through Facebook in late July, she now has the support of the CWA and is hoping to better the conditions after witnessing first-hand how the weather can affect lambs and farmers around the nation.
“Many farmers are stressed about how long this drought has been going, and a lot of ewes are having twins for some reason, so they are struggling to feed their babies,” says Ms Knight.
“The jumpers are very easy to make.
“You can save an animal’s life and put a smile on the face of a farmer – and they could really use that right now!”
Crafty Frog, a craft shop located in Canberra, is also sending woolly jumpers to farmers around NSW and surrounding regions of the ACT. Store owner Laura MacKinnon said that she gets countless requests each day from farmers requesting jumpers and quilts for their lambs.
“If farmers haven’t already requested the jumpers, we seek out farmers and offer them our knitting, crocheting and sewing services.
“These jumpers are helping to keep the lambs warm and alive,” Ms MacKinnon said.
“We owe them. It’s time to support our farmers and show them that we love and care for them and their livelihood”.
Have a go using the pattern below:
The jumper is knitted all in one.
Use ONLY 8 ply acrylic yarn (pure wool not suitable for conditions).
Women's Day Knitting Pattern
As a tension guide:
Size 5mm needles
(tight knitters)
Size 4.5mm needles
(loose knitter)
Cast on 44 stitches, work
18 rows in K2, P2 rib.
Work 30 rows in
stocking stitch.
To shape sleeves:
Cast on 12 stitches at beginning of next two rows, at the same time change to rib stitch for 22 more rows.
Shape neck:
First row rib 21, cast off
26 stitches, rib 21.
Next row rib 21, cast on
26 stitches, rib 21.
Work 22 rows in K2, P2 rib.
Work 30 rows in
stocking stitch.
Work 18 rows K2, P2 rib.
Cast off.
Please send your baby lamb jumpers to:
Coonabarabran Times
44 Dalgarno Street (PO Box 6)
Coonabarabran NSW 2357
If you’re wanting to lend a helping hand, then check out Crafty Frog Facebook page or the Lamb Jumpers “Helping Our Farmers” Facebook page for more information.