She runs the country, keeps house for Our Tim and Julia Gillard is also a knitter.

The Prime Minister has given finance minister Penny Wong and her partner Sophie Allouache a small brown woolen cardigan that she knitted herself for the baby daughter they had last year.

The cardie - and the fact Ms Gillard had the time to knit it - came to light via The Diary's Woollen Totswear Correspondent Mischa Schubert, AKA The Sunday Age's national political editor.

She tweeted the news, plus the fact the cardie was brown because Ms Gillard had already started it before the baby's sex was known.

"Yes, the Prime Minister did knit a cardigan for (Penny and Susan's) baby Alexandra," the PM's press office confirmed, adding that knitting is something our leader likes to do on holidays.

"She knitted a couple of squares for the Campaign Blanket which a lot of staff helped make and was auctioned off for charity last year."

News of the cardie brought an immediate flurry of interest and not just from political circles.

Woman's Weekly editor in chief Helen McCabe took to Twitter to say the magazine would be running a pattern for the cardigan.

"But you might have to wait until June".

McCabe is noted for her keen sense of humour, but was she joking?

We will have to wait and see.