Last month, I sent a message to our community contact in Cape Dorset asking about the weather in April/May, as that is when I think they will be receiving items (the shipping deadline is March 15th, but it takes time for boxes to get North). Here's the response that made me laugh:
Anita,
Yes, April is still very cold sitting in a Qamutik (or sled made of wood) being pulled by a ski-doo. The ski-doos go fast and drive into the wind and this is a good explanation of wind chill effect. We had the first ever Fishing Derby in Cape Dorset last year and many eager people showed up for the event. Those that didn’t have a ride out to the fishing spot were buddied up with someone who had enough room in their Qamutik. It was a good, wholesome activity and the sun was shining, so the weather couldn’t have been better.
I know how cold it gets, as I was one ready and eager fellow riding in a Qamutik with a couple of kids. And it was sooooo bumpy that my back side was sore for 3 days after the Derby ended. Cape Dorset has very different terrain than Arviat, which is mostly flat. CD is rocky and full of hills. It is a good workout just walking the streets of the town. This is our version of slim-fast. If you like to walk or do cross X skiing, you can burn off calories and that flabby tire or beer belly shrinks down to normal size easily in a few months.
It would be wonderful and joyous to be able to give out hats, blankets, neck warmers, scarves, mittens, so that kids could accompany their parents to the next Fishing Derby which will be in late April or early May—and yes, it is still FRIGGIN COLD in May too.
Thanks and god bless,
Something about the FRIGGIN COLD made me laugh out loud. Today I'm home because the furnace is broken, and we're down to about 10 degrees in the house which is annoying me. Then I read the email above and feel like a complete princess.
The Ottawa Citizen article generated a storm of emails, voicemails and knitting. Thank you! As you know, if you provide your personal info (name and location) with your knitting, we're happy to post the pictures on the blog. Without further ado:
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| I received a gigantic box from Anne Saint of Victoria Harbour, Ontario. Anne, thanks for your note, I laughed re the dog, because I have a puppy as well who is extremely nosy. I think little bits of her are in some of the pictures below. |
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| These hats and warm vests are also from the lovely Anne. |
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| Each one of these rolled-up items is a blanket. Beautiful colours! |
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| I took a separate photo of Anne's cable knit sweater because its so pretty. |
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| Many of you have been dropping off at Yarn Forward. Thank you! These items are from Suzanne Lesage of the Ottawa Knitting Guild. Very nice! |
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| These items just had an Ottawa Knitting Guild label on them. Thanks, Guild! |
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| Janet from Toronto (rav name Hobbygirl) provided these hats and the purple mittens. She noted that "these hats are gobbling up my stash!" You can't tell from the photo but each one is different. The kids will love 'em. |
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| We don't get many spinners and weavers on the project but here are some gorgeous vests and sweaters. These are perfect for elders. Love the sizing, Heather Sharratt of McDonald's Corners ON. |
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| And more of Heather's lovely woven items. |
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| Suzanne Lesage of the Ottawa Knitting Guild knit 51 hats. Count 'em! |
Suzanne started me thinking about a possible "500 hats" joint venture between the OKG and Warm Hands. If there are any Guild members reading the blog, please reach out to us, and let's see what we can do to make those kids of Arviat and Cape Dorset, and the rest of the North a bit warmer!
