It is likely that if all the knitted garments gathered in by the Saddleworth Salvation Army Thrift Shop were laid end to end they would stretch for five kilometres.

Nimble fingers from the Clare and Gilbert Valley were joined with a team of knitters from Wollongong to produce 10,375 items in 18 months.

Knitters were thanked by a morning tea organised by Saddleworth Thrift Shop manager Norma McMillan and supported by Salvation Army representatives, community support services director and network director Margaret Davies and Envoy Mailee Ballam from the Gawler Corps.

Ms Davies gave some examples of the impact the gift of knitted garments had made to families and individuals.

“One family of eight children and we were able to completely outfit them, right down to the baby,” she said.

“They came in with no shoes, on a freezing cold day, and they went out with knitted jumpers. An eight year old boy said he would be telling everyone at school his grandmother had knitted the jumper for him.”

She said a homeless man in Adelaide received a knitted blanket, and although he was given the item because it was cold, it was significant because he knew someone cared enough to make it.

“At Bramwell House (supported accommodation for women) a woman and her four children who had left everything they owned behind, they received a very large knitted blanket among the goods they were given. It was made in lots of different colours and she said it meant the start of her new life.”

Although the smaller children’s knitted jumpers are not required at the moment, because there is a large stockpile, the Salvos are still keen to receive larger jumpers, scarves, beanies and squares for rugs.

The biggest issue for knitters is keeping up their supply of wool, and donations of eight-ply are still keenly sought.

Wool can be dropped off with local coordinator Julie Gibson in Clare or at the Saddleworth Salvos Thrift Shop.