Donate a ball of wool

With each donation of $6.00 a 50g ball of 100% NZ wool/merino will be purchased for The Yarny Army so they can continue their work of keeping little ones warm with woolies!

About the Yarny Army

The Yarny Army was formed in May 2017 because of the growing number of newborns leaving the hospital without warm woollen clothing within the Hawke’s Bay region. Currently, it is estimated that more than 50%* of newborns do not have access to woollen clothing and live in homes that are cold and poorly insulated. 

Sue Stow – an avid knitter, who was knitting slippers for kids in Decile 1 schools saw a need and reached out to Sandra McNair, creator of YarnHB – which is a gathering for knitters and crocheters, old and new. Together they created the Yarny Army and co-ordinated local knitters to knit hats, vests and booties.  These were distributed, mostly, via Hawke’s Bay’s midwives. This army of knitters grew with the advent of the Yarny Army Facebook page, allowing others with a passion for the craft to join in this initiative from around New Zealand. Through the FB page events are shared where knitters can meet, swap patterns and make new friends.  We’ve grown from supplying only to midwives to now gifting woollen clothing and blankets to at least 10 local community groups.

We like to think of our woolens as ‘woolly hugs’. Letting our wee ones know their community cares.

The Yarny Army relies heavily on donations of wool and raises funds through raffles and the sale of woolen items. We have been fortunate to have received over the past two years, $1000 per annum from the Hawke’s Bay Airport (2019 & 2020)  The Yarny Army are currently working towards applying for charity status.