 The Australian prime minister, Julia Gillard, has whipped up a storm 
 
 after appearing in the Australian Women's Weekly knitting a toy 
 
 kangaroo for the royal baby. While senior Liberal 
 
 Christopher Pyne said to reporters in Canberra: "We know the prime 
 
 minister is good at spinning a yarn, now we have a picture to prove 
 
 it." In the picture, Ms Gillard - whose poll ratings, along with those of her Labor Party, are rock bottom - is knitting a kangaroo for the royal baby: an odd pose, perhaps, for a staunch republican and female leader who electrified women worldwide last year with a parliamentary speech accusing the opposition leader, Tony Abbott, of misogyny and sexism. Julia Gillard surprised readers of Australian Women's Weekly when she revealed her unusual idea for the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge's first-born, suggesting it was a "cute project to work on". She said she usually knitted for babies as 
 
 the smaller projects meant she had time to finish them in her busy 
 
 schedule. The Australian Women's Weekly article said that "having Ms Gillard 
 
 pose with needles was not The Weekly's idea. The prime minister's press office responded on their blog, saying that 
 
 they had suggested to the magazine that her gift for the royal baby 
 
 might be of interest, but that it was the magazine which requested 
 
 Gillard knit and bring Reuben along for the shoot.
– In a move that is definitely, absolutely, totally not a publicity stunt, Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard is knitting a kangaroo for the next heir to the British throne, Sky News reports. Gillard discussed the "cute project" for the progeny of Prince William and Kate Middleton in the new issue of Australian Women's Weekly, which came complete with photos showing Gillard surrounded by yarn. "In terms of knitting for Kate's baby—I knit for babies, in part, because they are smaller projects," she explained. Despite the fact that Gillard's press office actually pitched the story to the magazine, the office insists it's not a PR move, but that hasn't stopped people from mocking the PM. "I'm keen to discuss options for an interview/photoshoot with the PM, ideally for the July edition," reads the email from Gillard's director of communications to the magazine. "As I mentioned the PM is putting together a care package for Kate Middleton, who is due in mid-July. ... I'm picturing a story that includes the patterns for the items the PM will knit so your readers can knit their own royal blanket or something." Critics are calling the article "contrived," among other less-than-nice things, the Guardian reports; the Independent calls it "a public relations disaster." The article conveniently arrives just months before September's general election, which the controversial PM is predicted to lose. Gillard has previously stirred the pot with Sandwichgate and her epic takedown of a sexist rival.