Crofters Yarn Knitting on the Train return trip between Dunedin and Oamaru was held for the second time on Saturday, after a successful inaugural event in last year.
Crofters Yarn owner and train-ride organiser Jan Aitken said the day had been described by many fellow knitters as ‘‘magnificent’’, but also very noisy and very sociable.
‘‘I think the most amazing thing that’s come out for me is the amount of appreciation that we get when we put this event together.’’
When organising the trip, Ms Aitken told Dunedin Railways she had about 80 people interested, but Saturday’s attendance was over double that.
‘‘We got over 190 people to come — we had five full cabins of knitters,’’ Ms Aitken said.
‘‘I created Crofters Yarn as a community and this year it’s just absolutely exploded ... we’ve got so many more people coming through the door, so many more people joining us with our knitting groups and our classes — and this train just epitomises that people want to be out there socially knitting.’’
Knitter-in-training Ruth Tansley said it was her first year on the The Seasider and she was sitting with a contingent of seasoned knitters she hoped would pass on some tips and tricks.
‘‘This is all about honouring knitting.’’
Many knitters on the train were working on baby blankets to donate to the Queen Mary Maternity Ward at Dunedin Hospital.
