Normally I post a little pattern for you, but I feel like a national celebration of the birthday of a long-dead Monarch (Queen Victoria) deserves something a little more …. today I share the digitized collection of Victorian Knitting Manuals, gratis the Univerity of Southampton’sKnitting Reference Library & JStor. There are 67 books in the collection, so it should keep you busy.
It just goes to show, you can take the girl out of the library and put her in a store full of yarn, but apparently, you can’t take the library out of the girl!
September 30th is Canada’s first official National Day for TRUTH and Reconciliation, but before it was a federal holiday it was know as Orange Shirt Day. While every day should be Orange Shirt Day, I thought today was a good time to revisit some Canadian Indigenous contributions to knitting.
On a serious note, this is a holiday that recognizes an immense cultural trauma, but not everyone can handle other people’s pain, they’ve got enough of their own to unpack. If you aren’t at a place where you can connect, I suggest following the very wise insights of Resmaa Menakem and work on processing your own cultural guck … after all, on this side of the pond the vast majority of us are immigrants, and from my perspective, nobody moves to Canada for the weather. Plus, why lug around a bag of stuff that makes you unhappy, when you can work towards sending it to the curb? The great thing about the universe is that all energy is recycled, there aren’t any landfills!
But back to the knits ….
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Indigenous Designer: Jessie Mae Martinson
I found some gorgeous patterns by Jessie Mae Martinson, an incredibly talented indigenous designer from the US (I tracked her down through BIPOC in Fiber). She designs pretty little tops & bottoms, great for warm weather. Her patterns are size inclusive and priced on a “choose what you pay” scale.
To make the sweater above choose a fingering weight yarn (Cascade Heritage, Artfil Belle, Fibre Co Amble, Fleece Artist Merino Slim are all perfect, Fibre Co Meadow would also be lovely) as the base and pair it with a fuzzy yarn like Drops Kid Silk. The base yarn will be the dominant colour and the mohair will create a halo effect.
Olsen is non-native, but has spent much of her life living in Tsartlip First Nation, where her children and grandchildren now live. She is also author of the very recently published Unravelling Canada: A Knitting Odyssey (2021) and Working with Wool(2010), which received the Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing. She has several knitting patterns available as downloads on Ravelry. I’ve only just discovered Olsen’s work, but if you’ve read her books please let me know what you thought!
If you want to make the cowl above, I suggest using Cascade Heritage in colours 5742 Silver Grey Heather, 5631 Charcoal Heather, and 5672 Black. This pattern also includes a link to a video of Sylvia Olsen demonstrating Intuitive Colourwork (I don’t know what that is either, but it sounds interesting, I might have to buy the pattern to find out).
It would also be GORGEOUS made with Fibre Co Amble in Scaefel Pike (light brown), Fair Hill (medium brown), and Saddleback Slate (dark grey) …. the colours are all heathered, so they keep that ‘sheepy’ look, but they are soft as a puppy, so you can skip the itchy, sheepy feel.
Should you now be feeling inspired to whip up your own Cowichan sweater, consider Canadian designer Jane Richmond’s West Coast Cardigan, whichis not a real Cowichan sweater, but is respectfully inspired by the traditional style of the Cowichan Sweaters of the Coast Salish people. I suggest using Drops Andes, or for a more contemporary look try a blown yarn like Drops Wish.
And if journal articles aren’t your speed, I also found a nice little article in a lifestyle Magazine from Victoria: The Story of the Cowichan Sweaters.
A Canadian Indigenous Knitting Tradition
I also came across an older documentary made in 2000 for the NFB about the Coast Salish Knitters. I like this film, it’s older, but it addresses the complicated and often exploitative history connected with the makers of these sweaters. For us knitting is a leisure activity, but it’s important to keep in mind that for many of the families involved in the production of these sweaters, knitting meant the difference between starving and survival.
Normally around holidays I post a free pattern for a project that’s somewhat related to the holiday, and around Canada Day it’s usually something maple-leafy or involving a beaver or a Canada Goose. Recent events have me thinking about this holiday, and what our country’s birthday means in a broader sense. I wanted to feature designs by Canadian Indigenous designers of knit/crochet patterns, but disappointingly nothing turned up. My research was limited to a day and unfortunately I didn’t have the time to start digging below the surface, so if you know of any please send me a note and I’ll update this blog post and include them.
What I did manage to extract from the interweb follows ….
I found some gorgeous patterns by Jessie Mae Martinson, an incredibly talented indigenous designer from the US (I tracked her down through BIPOC in Fiber). She designs pretty little tops & bottoms, great for warm weather. Her patterns are size inclusive and priced on a “choose what you pay” scale. If you want a summer yarn to make her projects designed in fingering weight yarn, try Quince & Co Sparrow. For the DK weight I’d go for Kelbourne Woolens Mojave(no wool, it’s just super soft cotton and linen in gorgeous colours).
Canadian Indigenous Knitting Tradition
I also came across an older documentary made in 2000 for the NFB about the Coast Salish Knitters. I like this film, it’s older, but it addresses the complicated and often exploitative history connected with the makers of these sweaters. For us knitting is a leisure activity, but it’s important to keep in mind that for many of the families involved in the production of these sweaters, knitting meant the difference between starving and survival.
See the bottom of this page for a couple of articles on the Cowichan Sweaters of the Coast Salish people.
Olsen is non-native, but has spent much of her life living in Tsartlip First Nation, where her children and grandchildren now live. She is also author of the very recently published Unravelling Canada: A Knitting Odyssey (2021) and Working with Wool(2010), which received the Lieutenant-Governor’s Medal for Historical Writing. She has several knitting patterns available as downloads on Ravelry. I’ve only just discovered Olsen’s work, but if you’ve read her books please let me know what you thought!
If you want to make the cowl above, I suggest using Cascade Heritage in colours 5742 Silver Grey Heather, 5631 Charcoal Heather, and 5672 Black. This pattern also includes a link to a video of Sylvia Olsen demonstrating Intuitive Colourwork (I don’t know what that is either, but it sounds interesting, I might have to buy the pattern to find out).
Should you now be feeling inspired to whip up your own Cowichan sweater, consider Canadian designer Jane Richmond’s West Coast Cardigan, whichis not a real Cowichan sweater, but is respectfully inspired by the traditional style of the Cowichan Sweaters of the Coast Salish people. I suggest using Drops Andes, or for a more contemporary look try a blown yarn like Drops Wish.
And if journal articles aren’t your speed, I also found a nice little article in a lifestyle Magazine from Victoria: The Story of the Cowichan Sweaters.
We’re shifting over to our Summer Store Hours after the Victoria Day long weekend, so please note that we are CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. We go back to the regular store schedule the week of September 13th.
Saturday April 3: 11 am to 5 pm (pick-up & delivery)
Sunday April 4: Closed
Monday April 5: 11 am to 5 pm (pick-up & delivery)
Last Minute Adorable Easter Creatures
New from the Crafty Kit Company, these needle felting kits contain everything you need to create adorable baby animals. You’ll learn how to make the basic shapes, then build them up with felting wool, and finally, add the details that will really bring your creation to life. Each kit comes with all the felting wool you need, a tube with felting needles, a mat to work on, wire pipe cleaner, nesting materials and clear step by step instructions.
Porcupine lace Washcloth by Jennifer Hansen, featuring a mid-Victorian lace pattern
Victoria Day Weekend
Saturday May 18: 11 am to 6pm
Sunday May 19: CLOSED
Monday May 20: CLOSED
Crochet Grocery Bag by Knit-O-Matic
Summer Store Hours: May 22 to Sept 15
We’re shifting over to our Summer Store Hours after the Victoria Day long weekend, so please note that the daytime Sit & Knit moves to MONDAY & SATURDAY, and we are CLOSED ON SUNDAYS. We go back to the regular store schedule the week of September 16th.
I adore this little bird, and little holiday projects are a great way to use up small quantities of leftover yarn. Wouldn’t it make a super special garland you can pull out for decoration every spring?
I love the simplicity of this blanket, for either a baby, throw, or a bedspread – plus it’s a super simple project for beginners. Â There is a great tutorial on weaving in ends on garter stitch HERE.Â
We recommend using a basic, superwash Peruvian wool yarn like Cascade 220 Superwash,  or if you want something a bit fancier, we like the super soft, plush and machine washable, hand dyed merino Malabrigo Rios – both are available in our bricks & mortar and online store.
Yarn Options
Cascade 220 Superwash: 6 ball 817 Aran, and 1 of each: 1950 Hunter Green, 877 Golden, 893 Ruby, 885 In the Navy (or for a slightly brighter palette try 864 Christmas Green, 821 Daffodil, 809 Really Red, and 885 In the Navy)
Malabrigo Rios: 6 skeins 063 Natural, and 1 skein of each: 033 Cereza, 096 Sunset, 128 Fresco Y Seco, 150 Azul Profundo.
Berroco Vintage: 6 skeins 5101 Mochi, and 1 of each: 5151 Cardinal, 5121 Sunny, 5152 Mistletoe, 5143 Dark Denim.
Cascade Avalon: 6 skeins 01 White or 30 Ecru, and 1 skein of each: 38 Deep Blue, 04 Crimson, 10 Artisan’s Gold, 13 Treetop.
Knit-o-Matic Yarns 