Blending creative juices with those of the fermented variety must be right up there with history’s great ideas.
Add encouraging words, endless banter and more laughs than any belly can handle and you have an afternoon that is as perfect as they come.
The ladies attending the Yak ’n’ Yarn sessions at Sardinia Bay Golf & Wildlife Estate in Gqeberha certainly think so.
For two hours every month the recreation centre becomes a gathering place where imaginations run free, manifesting as beautifully crocheted or knitted blankets and garments.
Those blessed with the ability to skilfully guide a paintbrush on canvas are equally at home.
The icing on the cake is that some items produced at Yak ’n’ Yarn even benefit those in need.
One thing is a given – these afternoons are never quiet. Constant chatter fills the space while a collection of hands and fingers feverishly work away on a variety of projects.
These women, ranging from 21 to the septuagenarian bracket, are the first to tell you that without the yak, the yarn simply is not as much fun.
The wine flows as easily as the conversation, though no one frowns on those partial to a cuppa of earl grey or coffee. As founder Kathy van Onselen explains, there is no pressure on anyone.
Yak ’n’ Yarn was formally launched on January 8, 2024. Before then, Kathy hosted such sessions for her family.
When the realisation struck that there were many ladies on the estate with varying degrees of expertise in these and other crafts, there was no stopping her.
“There are so many talented people here,” she says.
“During lockdown people were swapping recipes and patterns, all sorts of things. And now it’s become quite a thing.”
She believes the monthly get-togethers can be even bigger if people are able to overcome their nervousness about displaying their work in front of others.
There is absolutely no expectation on anyone to be the next crochet queen, Kathy promises.
“You don’t want to sit alone at home and knit. So why not do it together?” she asks, rhetorically. “You can chat and get to see your friends as well.”
Her grandson received a beautiful heirloom blanket from fellow Yak ’n’ Yarner Lea Hanks.
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The latter’s kindness doesn’t only touch the lives of those at the rec either. She has produced care blankets for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy for years.
“I only use South African hand-dyed cotton for my blankets,” she says proudly.
“Words like ‘love’, ‘fight’, ‘care’ and ‘peace’ are woven into the material so that patients who wrap themselves in them can feel the words and remember that people are with them on their journey.”
Her blankets have had an unintended – though most welcome – knock-on effect, too.
For every one she makes, one of the members of her Making-A-Difference civic group, established to help people battling various social ills in Nelson Mandela Bay, donates R2 000 to a charity of his choosing.
Another regular, Kim Broedelet, admits that she loves the yakking and ‘wining’ more than the yarning.
That said, she is no slouch in the crocheting department. A woollen hooded coat with the face of a Springbok on the back bears testimony to her talent.
She created her first piece during lockdown after learning the basics on YouTube.
“Then I got hooked, if you’ll excuse the pun. Here you can show off what you’re busy with or, if you’re stuck with something, you can ask for advice.
“We learn from each other.”