Description
Unravelling Canada by Sylvia Olsen has developed relationships with Coast Salish knitters and in this book discusses the quintessential garment of Canadian knitting, the bulky and distinctly patterned West Coast cardigan. In the early twentieth century, Indigenous woolworkers on southern Vancouver Island began knitting what are now called Cowichan sweaters, named for the largest of the Coast Salish tribes in the region. Drawing on their talents as blanket weavers and basket makers, and adapting techniques from European settlers, Coast Salish women created sweaters that fuelled a bustling local economy. Knitters across the country copied the popular sweaters to create their own versions of the garment. The Cowichan sweater embodies industry and economy, politics and race relations, and is a testament to the innovation and resilience of Coast Salish families. Sylvia Olsen and Odelia Smith's previous knitting book, Neekah's Knitting Needles, is a delightful story about learning to knit in the Cowichan style based on the knitting of Cowichan people from near Port Alberni. In Neekah’s Knitting Needles, the knittling style is based on the work of Odelia Smith from Tsartlip First Nation near Victoria, B.C.