This British grandma is trying to knit her way off death row

A British grandmother is trying to escape the death row firing squad by knitting.

Lindsay Sandiford was sentenced to death in January 2013 after being convicted of smuggling nearly five kilograms of cocaine into Bali, Indonesia.

The 59-year-old, from Cheltenham, is trying to raise thousands to pay the legal fees for an appeal and has taken to selling knitwear in order to do so.

Sandiford has taught 20 other women prisoners to knit while locked up – and is sending shawls, sweaters, and woollen teddy bears to church groups in Australia to raise money.

The inmate has collected around £7,000 so far, but needs another £15,000 to pay for a lawyer. If she doesn’t, she could be put to death this year – Indonesia has just stopped a temporary moratorium on executions.

Facebook and Twitter campaigns are trying to raise awareness of her situation.

The Briton has always said that she was coerced into carrying the cocaine by British antiques dealer Julian Ponder – he’s also serving time in an Indonesian prison for drugs offences.

Sandiford, who’s locked up in Kerobokan prison, told the Mail on Sunday:

Knitting stops me from going insane. I can blank everything out. It calms me down and I'm doing something useful.

For the other women, they earn money to pay for food and learn a skill they can take out of prison.

Sometimes it would be better not knowing. I don't want to wallow in self-pity, so I feel sorry for myself for five minutes and then get on with things.