Crafty Rex a machine at knitting
Ohauiti woman Robyn Parker was outknitted by her own design when husband Rex used it to take out a first-placing at the annual machine knitters conference this week.
The knitted black dress was one of a selection of entries from the Tauranga knitting duo but this year a second first-placing saw Mr Parker, 50, the clear front-runner.
Mrs Parker, 45, was given her first knitting machine for her 16th birthday and nearly 30 years on the hobby has seen her and Mr Parker travel all over the country.
This week their work has been on display at Tauranga Boys' College where the Bay of Plenty members of the New Zealand Machine Knitters Society is hosting Knit a Plenty 2008.
In its 36th year, the annual event has attracted 141 machine knitters from 16 regions in New Zealand with a further 12 coming from across the Tasman.
As well as competing, attendees also have the opportunity to participate in workshops on topics ranging from recycled knitting to knitting machine maintenance.
Fellow organiser Ann Banks said part of the attraction to machine knitting was, "being able to create something nobody else has got".
"There are a lot of closet machine knitters around that won't admit to it, and males as well," she said.
This year a selection of knitwear is being donated to Romanian orphans.
