Everyone needs a Big Hug…

 

& Kiss!

 

I love hugs, and am constantly asking for hugs from my family. I’m less so with my friends and acquaintances but if any of them were to offer a hug I wouldn’t turn it down. 

Children’s entertainer Charlotte Diamond, has a song called, 4 Hugs a Day. I remember hearing it as a kid and loved it. When I was 18, I received a community cookbook from my ‘Connections Canada’ 4-H twin and her family. Like most community cookbooks it has inspirational quotes placed throughout the pages. While flipping through it I discovered this one:

 

We need 4 hugs a day for survival

We need 8 hugs a day for maintenance

We need 12 hugs a day for growth.

 

I’ve quoted it to my family on more then one occasion. And joke with them that the reason I’m short is because I didn’t get enough hugs while growing up.

Knowing this about me it shouldn’t be a surprise to learn I fell in love with, A Big Hug & Kiss by Jeanne C Abel, as soon as I saw it. Unfortunately, it was in an ad in a knitting magazine for a retailer in the States. They did have an online store but shipping was going to cost more then the pattern so I put it off. I joined Jeanne’s group on Ravelry and asked if there was any place in Canada I could buy it but no luck. It was probably about a year before Jeanne created a Patternfish account and offered it for sale there. Even more time passed before I had  a way of buying it.

Then came the hunt for the right yarn. It’s made with a bulky weight 100% cotton yarn. That’s not a yarn that is readable available at any of the LYS. I searched online for something that would work but money was a factor and although spending the $50 to $60 on the yarn was justifiably. Spending another 20 on shipping wasn’t. So again I waited.

In March 2010,  the local fibre festival, FibresWest, was held. I wandered into one vendors booth,  Jane Stafford Textiles, and was so glad I did. I discovered some extremely soft, bulky weight cotton. Labelled simply Island Cotton V. And unlike other fibre festivals I actually had money on me. It took me less than a minute to decide that it would work and that I would buy it.

The combination of this yarn and pattern were wonderful. It resulted in a heavenly soft fabric that engulfs you in a cozy hug. Oh, did I mention that it’s a Moebius.

 

Just realized that these pictures make me look incredibly short. Their self portraits so I had to kneel to be level with the camera, that was sitting on the table.

A now for some actual knitting content

 

I apologize. I disappear for 2 years and then my first post back has nothing to do with my hobbies.  But I’m going to make up for it with a rundown of some of the things I’ve knit over the last 2 year.  I’ll split it up into different posts.

First, I didn’t finish my Knitting Olympic project. I did get all the knitting done but I have sewn it together yet. Partly because I hate sewing. Also because I misread the instructions and knit it 4 inches longer then it is suppose to be. I can’t make up my mind if I should leave it or rip it back and try again. I am leaning heavily towards the latter but I’m not sure I’m up for it. I should do it in the next couple of months and try and get it done for this fall/winter.

I didn’t realize my mistake until after I washed and blocked it. The schematics weren’t making any sense because of it. As far as I can figure, when I read the directions for how long to make it I interpreted them as being the length from the ribbing to the end instead of the whole length, including the ribbing. 

 

The back of the Central Park Hoodie.

 

The fronts.

And the sleeves.

 

Thankfully the sleeves don’t have to be changed. Although I think I might block them again to get some of the kinks out.

100-year-old Forest in Jeopardy

About a mile from where I live there is a stand of trees that are estimated to be between 80 to 100 years old. The Township of Langley has owned the land since the 1930 and has left it untouched. Until recently. In September of last year the previous council voted to sell the land to pay for a land purchase in Aldergrove to build a recreation centre for that community. In late May of this year, a notice was placed in the Township Page of the three local newspapers. The sale was to take place on the BC Bid website, the sale ending Friday, June 29th. Many local residents were not aware of the Townships intentions to sell. No signage was placed on the property until Wednesday afternoon.

There are 3 properties up for sale, for a total of 21 acres. A fourth property is not for sale but brings the total forested area to roughly 26 acres. For years this land has been used as a nature park by local residents. Many walk or ride horses through it. From what we can tell it has never been logged or at least not in the last 100 years. It is named after a local pioneer family the McLellan's who homesteaded much of the land in the area.

Just  a few blocks down the road there are another 5 properties the Township is looking to sell. These 25 acres are located just north of an old gravel pit, know as Gray's Pit. Although it's been closed for several years, a little over 10 years ago the council looked into reopening it to obtain gravel for raising the West Langley dyke. My father, then a member of the Langley Field Naturalist, petitioned to prevent this as it would mean several century old trees would need to cut down. Although, the extraction of gravel was not stopped, the environmental impact was reduced dramatically. Unfortunately, this will not be the case if the 5 acres are allowed to be sold.

The two sections of land are designated RU-2 and RU-3 under the Townships Zoning By-law. Unfortunately, this means that the land can be cleared of trees and be used for greenhouses, stables, pig farms, feed lots and other agricultural uses. I am a strong supporter of preserving our land for farm use but I also believe in protecting our forests and other natural treasures. The removal of even a few trees could have a devastating effect on the local ecosystem.

A Facebook page has been created to help spread the word. We are asking anybody in the Langley area to contact the Mayor and Councillors to let them know their objections to the sale. There are petitions available to sign at the Fort Pharmasave and Wendel's Books. An online petition is also available here.

Let's work together to "Save McLellan Park"