It Must Be Something in the Water

I am fully prepared to admit that we Canadians are a strange lot.

I just found this and I've actually decided that it is a fantastic idea.

Clapotis

You guys know Clapotis, right?  It was published on Knitty.com in 2004 (I actually remember the first time I saw it - Knitty used to rock my world) and it kind of took the knitting world by storm.

As of this very moment, Clapotis is the most-knitted pattern on Ravelry (ever), with a project count of 19,635.  

In case you weren't sure, let me assure you that that is Crazy Town.

Thing is, I've never felt compelled to knit it.  Wasn't even sure I liked it (which I realize makes me sound more than somewhat delusional, but whatever).

Then I bought this silk yarn from the Mill (aka: my LYS) and I really wasn't sure what to do with it.  I bought it as a gift for someone and then when my trip got cancelled and I was really upset, I decided to make myself something with it, instead ('cause I'm supposed to avoid chocolate and the situation was dire).  I just didn't know what, yet.  I only had the one skein...

So while I was in Ottawa, I visited a neat little shop on Wellington called Wabi Sabi and the lady there was a dear.  She helped me find a coordinating skein of a lovely merino hand-dyed on Salt Spring Island (and I was supposed to visit Salt Spring Island on my trip...oh, the irony) called Kattikloo.

{Canada has a lot of (what the uneducated would call "funny-sounding") Native place names...like Gichigami and Nackawic and Kouchibouguac and Winnipegosis and Kejimkujik and Mactaquac.  These Cree/Ojibwe/Mi'kmaq/etc. names are imbued with ancient history and, at the risk of sounding like a crack-pot, a deep spiritual affinity that I think many Canadians - regardless of their ethnicity - feel towards their country's geography.  These names pay homage to our Native roots and make our country what it is.  All this to say that I'm not sure what "Kattikloo" means, but it sounds Native and if that is the case, I'm sure it was chosen for a very good reason.  I think I'll e-mail the dyer to ask...}

ANYWAY, as I was saying, I bought a coordinating skein of merino and I pored over the pattern possibilities in Ravelry and came up with this:

Um, yeah.  I love it.  Can't wait until Fall (*gasp*!) so I can wear it every day.

Greeniness

So you know how you hear all these stories and claims on the news and internet about the environment and you don't know what it is true and what isn't?  It seems like everyone contradicts each other constantly and it's impossible to know who has a clue and who doesn't.  I find it totally bewildering and not to mention infuriating: the only voices we seem to hear are from those who stand to financially gain from keeping us in the dark.  (In North America, this is the case - I can't speak to what Europeans are hearing.)

You may have heard some of the disturbing comments coming out of the Prime Minister's office and the office of some of his Ministers, recently.  Apparently, if you are harbouring or voicing serious concerns about the rate and scope at which the Tar Sands (I refuse to gloss over it: it's tar, people.  Let's call it what it is) are growing and about how the Canadian People are going to deal with the fallout of it ('cause you know we will, right?  Despite what they might say, Syncrude won't have any compunction about leaving their mess behind when they're through) or the fact that they want to run a huge oil pipeline through the Rockies and some extremely sensitive ecosystems, you are an Enemy of Canada.  That's right.  If Mr. Harper or one of his lackeys reads this blog post, they could very well brand me a terrorist.  And the idea that he could find me (despite the fact that I have posted no personal information here, beyond my dogs' names) is not so incredible: his Minister of Public Safety (Vic Toews) is doing his damnedest at the moment to make it perfectly legal to search everyone's computer and obtain someone's IP address without a warrant or any evidence of wrongdoing.

My point?  I think we, as Canadians, have to start speaking up for ourselves.  En masse.  Suddenly, though my family has been in this country for 400+ years, I've never broken the law and I have never even so much as stepped off Canadian soil, I am an Enemy of Canada.

No.

Sorry, STEVE.  I am just as Canadian as you are and I have every RIGHT to disagree with everything you do, say and stand for.  You were elected in a Democracy and it shall remain a Democracy.

Nice try, though.  You effing bully.

So, in the spirit of fighting back and speaking up, I'm doing something (very small, but hey, it's something): I'm going to suggest that you go and check out this blog.  It is written by someone who is extremely knowledgeable about current environmental issues and policy surrounding it.  This person is studying to earn a Master's Degree on this topic, with the hopes of someday working in in the public sector as a policy advisor.   If you have any questions about anything you've read (on the blog or anywhere else, for that matter), write the author and ask; he is more than happy to respond.  His writing is to the point, simple to understand and, best of all, based firmly in SCIENCE.  Which, at the moment, means he is left-leaning.  Our current right-leaning government doesn't much like "science". 

(Disclosure: this person also happens to be my husband.  But don't let that fool you - I wouldn't send you over there if I thought it would, in any way, be a waste of your time.  Au contraire, mes amis.  You shall not regret it.)

Thanks for putting up with my rare foray into activism.  Stand by for more knitting.

More elm photos

Sad Day

I just read that our beloved Jack Layton, leader of the NDP (New Democratic Party) passed away this morning.

Jack was tireless and passionate.  One could argue that he was single-handedly responsible for elevating his Party to the forefront of Canadian politics.

In the words of Wikipedia: "In the May 2, 2011 election, Layton led the NDP to 103 seats, more than double its previous high. This was also enough to make the NDP the Official Opposition in the Commons for the first time ever."

Exactly four weeks ago today, he appeared on TV looking a little worse for wear and announced that he was going to take a leave of absence from the leadership of the party in order to concentrate yet again on a new battle with an unspecified cancer.  I think it is fair to say that much of the country collectively gasped in dismay when he broke the news.

He had finally, after decades of dedication and hard work, reached a point where his life's ambition (becoming Prime Minister of Canada) was within his grasp.  My heart is completely broken.


Story on the Globe and Mail site.

ETA: Jack's last letter to Canadians.