Dad’s A Big Deal Online Auction Scores Unique Items
We’re so lucky to have Lyn Miller blanket the Queensway Carleton Hospital with her love by donating to our upcoming Dad’s A Big Deal Online Auction a pair of sporty queen-size comforters that she made herself.
“It’s the Battle of Ontario,” the 73-year-old Stittsville resident and owner of Lyn Miller Crochet and Knitting said of the two bedspreads that she crocheted over the course of several weeks. One showcases the Ottawa Senators while the other features the Toronto Maple Leafs.”
“We’ll see who’s more popular,” she added playfully, referring to one of the fiercest team rivalries in the NHL.
Lyn has held a special affinity for QCH ever since her days of being a patient, some 10 years ago. She visited the hospital over the course of four years, after being diagnosed with a small bowel bleed that required surgery and weekly blood transfusions.
“The reasons I’m so gung-ho on the Queensway Carleton Hospital is because of the staff; they really, really make everyone feel special,” said Lyn while rattling off the names of the female staff members with whom she grew close. “They were like family.”
Dad’s A Big Deal Online Auction is being spearheaded by our wonderful volunteers Gavin Leishman and Gary Shechtman. They’re hoping to exceed last year’s total, which was just shy of $5,000. The fundraiser runs throughout May and closes Thursday, June 6th at 7pm — shortly before Father’s Day.
Lyn said she’s delighted to donate the two blankets to help raise money for QCH “because I care about people”.
The textile artisan uses 100 percent acrylic yarn because of its practicality. It doesn’t shrink or colour bleed. “The beauty of acrylic is, it softens as you wash it. When it’s time to clean the item, you throw it in the wash with your clothes and you throw it in the dryer. There’s no extra care.”
The retired school teacher expertly used a cross-stitch pattern to add the team logos to her crocheted blankets. It took her 14 days to complete the Senators bedspread and a little longer — 23 days — to finish the Leafs comforter because of the team’s more intricate logo. As well, she was distracted by the demands of helping to care for a 91-year-old friend.
“I just like to stay busy,” explained Lyn, who’s also a long-time member of the Royal Canadian Legion in Stittsville.
Lyn has been doing needlework for most of her life, beginning at age five. She first learned from her two grandmothers — one of whom liked knitting and the other of whom preferred to crochet. “My mother would do both,” she added.
Lyn turned her craft into a business about eight or so years ago. She happened to connect with her first customer at the Main Street Pub. It’s where she would take her late husband when he was battling dementia. “He felt comfortable there,” said Lyn, who spent her time at the pub doing her crocheting. “People would start asking me about it until, one day, somebody placed an order for three blankets, and that’s how it started.”