88-year-old Saanich woman knits more than 200 toques for charity
“I call myself the Chicken Lady!” Daphne beams before breaking into infectious laughter.
Despite there being a painting of chickens hanging beside her front door (“Every time I look at it I feel happy!”), despite one of the roosters being named after her late husband Mike (“I just love chickens!”), this is not a story about chickens.
This is a story that begins during the Second World War, in northern England, when young Daphne was waiting in her family’s underground air-raid shelter.
“I can remember the big bomber planes going over,” Daphne recalls. “Because there was the boom, boom, boom.”
Which led to the loudest boom of all.
“Our house was bombed,” Daphne says. “But I had a very happy family [even though] we didn’t have a lot.”
But what Daphne did have was the ability to knit and an unwavering propensity for positivity.
“I was a bit of a goody-goody at school,” Daphne admits with a laugh.
Now — according to her nephew Tony — she’s always busy-busy with her knitting.
“I asked, ‘Who are these for Daph?’” Tony recalls. “And she said, ‘Oh, I’m knitting a few toques for some people who might need them.”
It turns out Daphne was knitting for the clients at Our Place Society, creating a new hat every day.
“The speed in which she makes them is beyond me,” Tony laughs with amazement, before revealing that Daphne has donated more than 200 toques to some of the capital’s most vulnerable people. “It’s staggering!”
“I hope [my knitting] gives somebody a bit of warmth and pleasure,” Daphne smiles.
After surviving a war, caring for chickens, and living 88 years, Daphne says the best way to knit a happy life for yourself is to simply spread kindness to others.
It’s a simple as that? I ask.
“Yes!” Daphne bursts out laughing. “[But] I’m a simple person!”
Simply wonderful, it seems.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'One of the single most terrifying things ever': Ontario couple among passengers on sinking tour boat in Dominican Republic
A Toronto couple are speaking out about their “extremely dangerous” experience on board a sinking tour boat in the Dominican Republic last week.
Half of Canadians have negative opinion of latest Liberal budget: poll
A new poll suggests the Liberals have not won over voters with their latest budget, though there is broad support for their plan to build millions of homes.
opinion Why you should protect your investments by naming a trusted contact person
Appointing a trusted person to help with financial obligations can give you peace of mind. In his personal finance column for CTVNews.ca, Christopher Liew outlines the key benefits of naming a confidant to take over your financial responsibilities, if the need ever arises.
Teacher shortages see some Ontario high school students awarded perfect grades on midterm exams
Students at a high school in York Region have been awarded perfect marks on their midterm exams in three subjects – not because of their academic performances however, but because they had no teacher.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.
Ottawa injects another $36M into vaccine injury compensation fund
The federal government has added $36.4 million to a program designed to support people who have been seriously injured or killed by vaccines since the end of 2020.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Her fiance has been in prison for 49 years. She's trying to free him before it’s too late
She was lying in bed on a Thursday morning, thinking about the man she loved, hoping to win his freedom before time ran out.