A grandmother has brought festive cheer to her village by KNITTING a Christmas tree – which stands at over six feet tall and is made out of 200 patchwork squares.
Helen Knevett, 64, was struck by the idea after seeing a similar knitted tree on Pinterest at the beginning of this year.
And when lockdown began in March, grandmother-of-seven Helen saw it as the perfect opportunity to get a head-start on the festive knitting project.
And now, the completed patchwork tree has been displayed in the grounds of St Peter’s Church in Holton, Suffolk, just moments from where Helen lives with her husband Chris, 67.
The tree is made up of 200 knitted squares in varying shades of green, with most adorned with a Christmas-y decoration, such as a snowman, a star, or a little Santa face.
Helen said: “It was hard work, but it was good fun to do. I’m really quite chuffed with it, and I’ve certainly enjoyed making it.
“I had a team of about six or seven friends helping me out, knitting their own squares and dropping them off on my doorstep for me to use.
“It’s been a real community effort – one lady got in touch and said she can’t knit or crochet, but asked if she could make some origami stars, which have made a really nice addition to the tree.
“It’s been coming together since March, so it’s been a bit like Christmas in my house all year long,” Helen added.
The knitted tree has been quite a process, with Helen’s husband Chris creating a frame for the patchwork to be put over.
The frame underneath comprises of three metal rings, ranging from large at the bottom to small at the top, covered by a metal frame and mesh, with a garden membrane on top of that.
Then, just underneath the patchwork tree, Christmas lights are wound round the frame – with 200 individual bulbs providing a glowing backlight to the finished product.
Helen said: “I put it all together in my house whilst I was still knitting it, but then we had to take it all apart to carry it to the church, and then put it back together – which took about three hours.
“But I’ve had so many people message me since we put it outside the church saying that it has brought a smile to their faces.
“That’s what I was aiming for, really. It hasn’t been the easiest year, so I just wanted to do what I could to cheer people up.”
The tree will now remain outside St Peter’s Church until just after Christmas – and Helen hopes that she can keep hold of it, and keep displaying it there year after year.