4 days ago
Meet the nonstop knitters who make free scarves, hats, mittens for those in need
Members of knitting group Chase the Chill gather in Borden Park on Saturday, July 5, 2025. (Brandon Lynch/CTV News Edmonton)
The preparations for the upcoming winter blitz have already started in July.
Chase the Chill is a knitting group that's been around for about 13 years in Edmonton – and they're still going strong.
Collectively, they make around 1,200 handmade hats, scarves and mittens a year and deliver them all in one day by placing them on fences, posts and trees for anyone who needs them. To achieve such a feat, it takes a concerted effort from a dedicated few.
'We need people to do it all the time,' said Brenda Ranson, who's an organizer in the group with her husband, Stuart.
On top of effort, it also takes a lot of yarn. Ranson said they are always looking for any donations.
'We're grateful for everybody who helps … If you have yarn to get rid of that you're tired of having in your house, we'll grab it and take it,' she said.
There are 677 members on the official Facebook page – and lots of interest in general – but only a handful of members are always tirelessly preparing for colder months.
Cut to an unseasonably chilly Borden Park on Saturday, where six or seven dedicated members gathered outside to knit together. This isn't an unusual occasion, according to Ranson. In fact, she knits every single day.
'It's something I'm going to do anyway, so I might as well do something that helps people,' she said.
'You see the people sleeping beside the buildings, or a cold person in the winter standing outside with no coat on … and a scarf gives a little bit of love.'
Brenda and Stuart Ranson, 2025
Brenda and Stuart Ranson organize the Facebook group and meetings in Edmonton. (Brandon Lynch, CTV News Edmonton)
A constant cycle
One winter day a year, typically the first Saturday of December, Chase the Chill members and onlookers from ages five to 80 will visit several public locations that allow them to drape their handiwork on fences or around posts and trees.
Little tags adorn each item that tell the reader to take the item if they need it – no judgement, no questions.
They can only admire the scene for a little while though because, depending on the area, a year of work disappears within 24 hours.
Ranson said the group tries to hit high traffic places that won't take down their items, like Norwood or Jasper Place.
Two years ago, some of the group noticed little thank-you notes on the tags. Ranson still carries them around in her phone as a reminder that she's impacting someone for the better.
Come Dec. 6 of this year, Chase the Chill will blitz the city once again with their work.
'And then [we] start all over again,' Ranson said.
With files from CTV News Edmonton's Brandon Lynch
