Something to Warm your Heart on a Dreary Day

The news these days can often be down right ugly. The accounts of individuals who are killed, crashes of any mode of travel, wars and then there's all the tragedies of friends and family that doesn't make the news; it can be downright depressing.

Jane Van Zyll Langhout

So today's post is news about a good type of knitter. Jane Van Zyll Langhout, an 85-year-old grandmother, has committed to knitting toques (stocking caps) for the NAIT (Northern Alberta Institute of Technology) Share the Warmth Campaign. NAIT is located in Edmonton, Alberta (think West Edmonton Mall and northern Alberta [oil and really cold country], for those not familiar with Canada). This campaign works to offer warm clothing to the homeless. (The juxtaposition of knitting with an institute of technology grabs my attention. Isn't it funny that such an old skill can help a cause for a place that teaches the next new technological ways to solve problems.)

For the second year in a row Van Zyll Langhout has donated 1,000 hand-knit toques. She says since she's older she enjoys sitting and in eight hours she can make three caps. If you do the math, that means she's making three toques 333 of 365 days of the year. Ms. Van Zyll Langhout is one prolific knitter. This means she knits quickly as well. I just completed Barley and it took me about 4 hours in total to complete (granted I had to unknit parts of it twice because of poor ladder management). So she's at least 33% faster than I am in knitting toques. But perhaps like my Mom who has made hundreds of baby caps, Ms. Van Zyll Langhout doesn't need to look at a pattern and flies through a project.

This generosity makes me feel better in the world of bad news. Hopefully it lifts your spirits as well.

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