Lonely Afghan Blanket

I spied this pretty hand crocheted square afghan folded neatly on a bench in downtown Calgary a week or so back on my way over to the library.  There weren’t many people around as it was after five, and the downtown tends to empty completely after normal business hours.  For people like me wandering down Stephen Avenue, over to the library, then to Kensington for Knit Night its a pretty walk to enjoy all the Christmas decorations.  But who left the afghan there, whose was it, did they forget it?  I spent a while pondering the options; did a charity group leave it there in order for a cold person who needed some warmth to find it?  Did someone forget it, I can’t see the person, or people who made it forgetting it.  Was it given to a charity by a crochet group, who gave it to a deserving cold person who then left it on the bench?  I know that in Toronto charity groups tend to leave blankets and sleeping bags in corners for people to find.  What was the story behind the afghan?  And what should I have done?  Should I have picked it up and taken to a charity organization to give it to a deserving person?  Should I have left it there (which I did) for a cold person to find for warmth on a cold night.  And what about the items that I make to give to charity, will then also end up on a bench abandoned?  Or will they find a home and keep someone warm?

What is the right thing to do?  It seems that is a very individual choice that we must each make for ourselves.  I’m going to choose to keep making charity items, and picture the recipient warm and cosy.  What do you think?

The First Giant Purple Parka Day

I could tell as I drove home last night from babysitting that it was a chilly night.  The furnace came on last night, which also meant it was getting cold out.  (I have the programmable thermostat set to 16 oC, or 60 oF)  I knew from the forecasts to expect cold weather later in the week.  After I had gotten up, and headed downstairs, I checked the outdoor thermometer and sure enough: -16 oC or 3.2 oF.  Brrrr.  I left the house this morning wearing: tights, wool socks, winter boots to mid calf, pants, turtleneck, wool poncho, wool scarf, wool/mohair hat, wool mitts, and my huge purple parka with the hood up.  (and assorted undergarments, but not the fleece ones I so covet). 

I was still a bit chilly.  I do not know how I’m going to survive our first -40 oC day (-40 oF).  I realize I look really, really, stupid, but I do not care as it is cold out.  I will be fashionable again next spring.

Another Snowy Night, Now with Wind!

Last Friday was a “bit of an adventure” for those of us in Calgary trying to get home, and tonight looks like a repeat.  We had beautiful snow on Friday, which fell on the roads.  The cars driving over it melted the snow, which then refroze due to the cold temperature and formed slick sheets of ice.  Roads became skating rinks, uphills impassible.  Even slight inclines the buses couldn’t get up, but slid backwards, off roads, and across all lanes.  The LRT train got us to our regular stop, but the buses weren’t to be found.  Well, we found them later, at the bottom of a hill, unable to get out of our neighbourhood.  Cars were driving around them, up the grass to get up the hill.  Scratch that, only trucks with 4×4 could get up the grass area.  We ended up walking the hour home, and enjoyed the walk (which was better than continuing to stand around at the bustop).  Tonight may be more of the same as we look out the window at driving snow, with winds that are picking up and ripping the tarps off the construction site next to us.  We’re hoping the workers go home before they are blown off!  Unfortunately a family was killed recently in Calgary due to debris blown off of construction sites, and I’m crossing my fingers nothing bad happens tonight.  We’re more prepared today with good winter boots for walking, warm coats, hats, mitts, and scarves.  The temperature looks set to drop tomorrow, it may be time to get out the BIG purple parka again. 

This weekend was productive.  I finished up my charity hat and mittens project:

I couldn’t resist putting a little flower and pom-pom for interest.  I hope a little girl gets them and rubs the pom-poms on her cheeks.  That is what I would do all the time! 

My garter stitch yoke sweater is done and blocking at home.  The neckline is a bit loose, when it dries I’ll run a crochet line around it to hold it in.  I’ve started to look for buttons, but bright green ones aren’t to be had as of yet.  Only drab olive!  I’ll keep looking around I guess.  I tried to sew the zipper in my snowflake sweater, but got it off center, and have to rip it out and try again!  Oh well, c’est la vie!  I also bought all the yarn for Xmas projects, more on that later!

A Weekend for Finishing Up

As the end of November is upon us, I need to finish up.  My garter stitch yoke cardigan is almost there, first sleeve is at the cuff now, next sleeve should be in process tomorrow.  Easy peasy I think, especially since all I need to do after that is sew in ends, block and find some green buttons.  I think the button finding in the button-free land of Calgary will be the hardest part!

Of the other three items on my needles, I think two more may be finished this weekend.  I also plan to sew in the zipper on the snowflake cardigan.  Who knows, next week may be a parade of FO’s!  I’m getting everything wrapped up because December will be all about Christmas presents.  I’ve got nine projects of various sizes slated to get done, and I’m heading out on Saturday to find some materials for my masterpieces!  The hard part will be not buying yarn for projects for myself, I have some projects that I’m dying to buy yarn for!  Must resist!  Or resist, and let one project through as a reward for when I’m done all the Christmas presents!!

This weekend is a big one here in Calgary, and not only because it started to snow at noon and currently the world is blanketed in white outside.  The  Grey Cup weekend is upon is, and the party is in full swing outside.  For those of you who don’t know (that would be non-Canadians, because pretty much no one outside of Canada knows about the Canadian Football league, except for those savvy enough to know that The Rock (wrestler) used to play football up here) the Grey Cup is THE BIG GAME.  Its the equivalent to whatever ends the NFL season, the Superbowl I guess.  This year Saskatchewan Roughriders are playing the Montreal Allouettes.  The Calgary Stampeders got beat last weekend by the aforementioned Roughriders.  I’ve always liked the name “Roughriders” as it sounds a bit dirty to me, almost like what you would call a roomful of ladies of the night.  It makes me giggle.  Now their colour is a nice bright green, which makes you think of what?  Watermelons you say?  Well, as a matter of fact a diehard Roughrider fan does in fact hollow out a watermelon, and wear it on their heads.  You can find a tutorial about how to do this here!   (Just so you know I’m not making this up, and I thought wearing cheese on your head was strange).  Add that to another news story today about a critical shortage of watermelons in Calgary, and the fact that grocery stores are rushing over 3000 watermelons into the city this weekend. 

At lunch today I ventured out to party central, 8th avenue and Olympic Plaza, just go get a photo of someone wearing a watermelon on their head for my dear viewers.  Also so that they would believe me.  But alas, I could not find one.  Instead I took a photograph of two dudes wearing full length buffalo coats in the snow(they looked very warm)

And this photo of a peaceful protest against violence :

I saw numerous knitted objects, funky toques, tams, Mary Maxim sweaters, Cowichan sweaters, because once the temperature drops, and the snow falls, the wool comes out of the closet for Canadians.  I just need to get my nerve up to ask more people if I can take photos of them!

I hope you have a lovely weekend everyone, and please if you are going to put a watermelon on your head,  please use all the watermelon, don’t waste!

Weekend Farmers Market with Wet Snowflakes

With the closer farmers market closing down for the season, we’ve been trekking over to the main Calgary farmers market to do our shopping.  And eat some breakfast.  And get some coffee (we can’t decide if latin passion latte or chocolate fantasy latte is better, we keep trying them in order to make up our minds.  But as I keep telling Mr. J, we all need some latin passion every once in awhile).  But while we buy organic chicken, local farm bison, fresh apples (the current favorite is honey crisp), and vegetables, this will always be my favorite place in the whole entire market:

Oh the joys of the Belgian pastry stall.  How does one decide?  This weekend we chose the lemon custard raspberry danish.  Drool. 

I spent a lot of time this weekend sewing rather than knitting, but now the snowflake sweater is ready for its zipper.

I was worried it would be too small, but sigh of relief even though it is snug, it fits me!  A nice close fit, plus all those cables mean that this is a warm sweater, which was the intention.  That’s a bit of a crappy photo, its still wet from its last bath to get the collar and zipper bands to lie flat.  I would like a nice big beefy zipper with big metal teeth instead of one with thin plastic teeth, but we’ll see what I can find.

Cleite goes to Lake Louise

This weekend we attended a beautiful wedding in Lake Louise, what a great excuse to wear a lovely shawl!

Cleite met a feather and fan shawl, bought by its owners mother, it was a sea foam green Kid silk haze(ish).  We enjoyed the lovely scenery, even the bit of snow that fell.  There were four weddings that day, one of which was outside!!  I hope they brought their own shawls, it was a bit nippy.  But with the beautiful cyan lake, the yellow aspens in the distance, and the moody sky, it was a day to remember for the four happy couples! 

Next weekend, Cleite attends a wedding in Ontario!!

Because we are EXTREMELY Charitable People

Most nice sunny summer days, like today, Mr. J and I head outside and wander down Stephen Avenue in Calgary.  Its closed to traffic, and is a bustling place in the summer, deserted in the winter (picture icicles, howling winds, people running to get inside, so bundled up you can barely see a face, a city of bank robbers).  On Thursdays there is a farmers market set up, in Olympic Plaza there is currently an art installation (a sculptor is chiseling out a lady in stone over the week), a few ambulances, construction workers, bankers, homeless people, such a melange.

Today, as we are extremely charitable people, we decided to support the Make a Wish foundation and buy some things from their bakesale, because that is the type of good, selfless, giving, generous people we are:

That was one frigging awesome chocolate cupcake, and yes, I now have a tummy ache.

A Weekend Knitting in the Sun with Friends

What could be nicer?  The weather turned out lovely, Riley Park is in full bloom and full of happy families, beautiful weddings, boisterous cricket matches, and babies.  We spread our blankets, pulled out the sock yarn, food, and just enjoyed.  Erynn from Twist of Fate is either evil, extremely crafty, or a mobile LYS all wrapped into one.  She brought along a basket of her originally dyed yarn, everything from BFL, angora mix lace, camel silk lace, cashmere lace, merino bamboo sock yarn, you get the idea, it was wonderful!

Jenn digs through the treasure!  After a few sets of fisticuffs, I managed to wrestle a lovely purple/black/grey BFL skein from the other ladies and have already cast on for a Baktus scarf.  Its not stash if it doesn’t see the inside of a bin!!  She dropped off another basket at Make One if anyone is interested. 

I also successfully babysat my nieces for the first extended afternoon to evening session.  There was no blood, tears, major fights, and everyone got to bed at the decreed time (those under the age of 7 that is).  Yeah!!

Adventure Week: Day 2

This past weekend we had an adventure in biking up the Jumping Pound Ridge Cox Hill Trail.  The trail description could go as thus:

Head straight up to Jumping Pound Ridge, around a few switchbacks thrown in to fool you that you aren’t going straight up.  After 1 minute of this, watch your heartrate race past “high” to “way too high” and finally accept that it may explode at any time, and its time to get off your bike and push.  The only other alternative is to collapse at the side of the trail in a heap, and that ain’t getting you up to the top any faster even if it does sound rather nice.  Once on Jumping Pound Ridge, head along semi-flat trail for a little bit, think you are doing well.  Then notice the huge  climb up to Cox Hill, and realize you had better grow new heart, legs, and and lungs fast.  The once source of pride from the day is that I did smoke that group of hikers, approximate ages 70-90.  Left them in the dust baby!!

Once at the top, if you survive, the view is rather nice if you can remember to pick yourself up from your face plant and look around:

Jumping Pound Ridge can be seen over our shoulders.  And in a scene repeated on many trails across many countries, it takes this many people to fix a bike:

Adventure Week:Day 1

Building up to the ultimate adventure this weekend: 24 Hours of Adrenaline Mountain Bike Race in Canmore.  I’m very excited about this race, at most I’ll do two laps, and since I did it last year I know I can do it this year!  I really hope it doesn’t rain again, even though taking photos of racers covered head to toe in mud was fun.  The rest of the time I get to hangout with 1400 other racers, my 9 teammates and have a blast.   As we are on a “corporate” team of ten, this means that at minimun there is ten hours of rest between laps, plenty of time to nap and enjoy.  Other teams are 5 people, two people, and soloists who ride for 24 crazy hours straight, noon to noon. 

Catching everyone up on past adventures: the last weekend of Stampede we got invited to a party at a really fancy house opposite the Stampede Chuckwagon Grandstand:

What a great view, we even got to see the chuckwagons race around the backstretch.  But the best part was the fireworks show: we were practically in it!  They set the fireworks off all around the grandstand and track, some of the big ones went up in front of us.  I will always, until I die, love fireworks, even the smell of them. 

During Stampede they have a huge show every single night, we could hear them from my house way over on the West side of town.  I miss my pigtails, and seeing all the wannabee cowboys, but things are settling back down to normal in Calgary now.  We even had a summer this weekend, with the weather finally turning hot!  I loved it.  More adventures all week!