Authentic Cowichan Knits

424 West 3rd Street
North Vancouver, B.C.
V7m 1G7

Suzanne Nahanee
Afreda Nahanee
Phone (604) 988-4735

  1. Cowichan Sweaters
  2. North West Coast Native carved Jewellery
  3. Moccasins
  4. Woodcarvings, Prints and MORE

  The Cowichan Sweater: A Native Knit Original


Genuine Cowichan sweaters in natural shades of white, grey, black and brown have been constructed from hand-spun wool's in the same manner for a century. Adapted from Icelandic or Scottish knitting, west coast designs: the eagle twin eagle, deer, Whale or the popular thunderbird. Although native people have long excelled in weaving blankets from mountain goat wool, knowledge of knitting -in the -round may may have arrived via the nuns from the log convent of St. Ann's the Scottish pioneer Jeremina Colin from Hill Bank, or the Japanese women on visiting gill-netters. Whatever the origin, native women now have a century of skill in spinning lanolin-rich wool's and knitting these distinctive bulky garments. Today, the water- resistant sweaters, toques, mitts and scarves are cherished by outdoors people. A favored Cowichan sweater is worn patched and used until it collapses from decades from over use. the warm woolies have grown in stature to the point where visiting government dignitaries, celebrities and royals collect them as a prized Canadian gift. Imitation sweaters, sometimes erroneously rendered in pastel blues, now flood the market. None approaches the quality of the natural-colored originals, each hand numbered made by a Khowutzun native Knitter from Vancouver Island or the lower mainland. together , they turn out about 800 authentic sweaters each month. Look for the label with a registration number indicating a genuine "Cowichan Indian Knit ." Cowichan Indian Knit t Cowichan sweaters may be Obtained from 

 

shops that sell Cowichan sweaters:

http://www.quwutsun.ca/cowichan_sweaters.htm

http://www.sa-cinn.com/cowichanmain.htm

 

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THE CANADIAN NATIVE HAND - KNITS / YARNS
cowichan Links

 

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