The Australian Prime Minister, who has named knitting and watching Game of Thrones as her favourite pastimes, agreed to a staged photo shoot and candid interview for The Australian Women&rsquo;s Weekly. <img alt="" src="http://images.mid-day.com/2013/jun/2606julia.jpg" style="width: 500px; height: 530px;" /> Last stitch bid: Julia Gillard at the photo shoot Despite supporting Australia becoming a republic, Gillard said that knitting for the baby of the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge would be a &lsquo;cute project to work on&rsquo;. &ldquo;In terms of knitting for Kate&rsquo;s baby &ndash; I knit for babies, in part, because they are smaller projects,&rdquo; Gillard said. &ldquo;I&rsquo;ve got not that much time in my life. You can get them done and there&rsquo;s a sense of satisfaction in having completed it.&rdquo; The photograph attracted widespread attention in Australia and triggered another skirmish in the nation&rsquo;s ongoing gender wars. Critics said the magazine story was a blatant &lsquo;stunt&rsquo; and accused Gillard of lacking gravitas and re-enforcing clich&eacute;d stereotypes about women. But supporters pointed out that the cycling-obsessed opposition leader, Tony Abbott, frequently appears publicly in body-fitting Lycra outfits. u00a0

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Australian PM Julia Gillard has revealed she is knitting a woollen toy kangaroo as a gift for the royal baby but was forced to defend her 'slightly absurd' decision to pose for a women's magazine with her needles and pet dog.

Gillard drops a stitch with royal baby knitting photo

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Gillard drops a stitch with royal baby knitting photo

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