The Coast Salish people in Canada created the authentic Cowichan sweater, a rugged, handmade knit using natural, hand-spun wool and traditional methods. It became popular worldwide in the mid-20th century. Today, real Cowichans are rare and made by indigenous artisans. The US has no true equivalent, only hobby or commercial imitations. The Canadian version is truly special and authentic.
I can. In fact, the Canadian version is so great, I can't think of an American equivalent. 🧵
@TomiLahren
Can you think of a Canadian product that’s better than an American one?
Before Europeans landed in North America, the Pacific Northwest was populated by the Coast Salish people, who had been here for thousands of years. During the 19th century, many made a living by selling woven blankets to traders. The blankets typically featured geometric designs.
Business dried up in the late 19th century as the market was flooded with Hudson Bay Point blankets, so Coast Salish people picked up knitting needles. This was the birth of the Cowichan sweater, which combined old Coast Salish weaving practices with European knitting techniques.
The Cowichan sweater is technically a sweater because it's knitted, but it's not really a sweater in that it's not like any you've likely encountered. It's rough, rugged, and wears more like outerwear than the merino pullovers or cardigans you find at the mall.
The Cowichan is distinctive in a few ways. First, the term handmade has been abused to mean anything in marketing materials, but real Cowichan sweaters are *truly* handmade. By that, I mean it's made from undyed wool in the natural color of the sheep—cream, brown, black, etc.
When the animal is sheared (given a haircut), the wool is dirty and tangled. This material is then hand washed, dried, and carded. Carding is a process that puts wool through rows of prickly needles, which separates and straightens the fibers, preparing them for spinning.
For mass-market sweaters, yarns are produced on industrial machines. But for a Cowichan knit, the yarns are hand-spun on old wooden spinning wheels powered by foot. Industrial yarns are uniform; hand-spun yarns have character.
The sweater is then entirely hand-knitted using nothing more than two knitting needles. The body is knitted "on the round," which means it's one entire piece with no side seams. Designs typically feature traditional motifs, like snowflakes or eagles.
From about the 1940s through 70s, the Cowichan sweater as an international hit with frenzied shoppers in the United States and Japan. Celebs such as Marilyn Monroe and Steve McQueen were seen in the knit; it featured prominently in Starsky & Hutch.
This sparked a market for Cowichan knockoffs: retailers selling Cowichan-inspired patterns that knitters could produce at home. You can find these knits today on eBay. Since the yarns were likely purchased at local craft stores—not hand-spun—they're softer and more uniform
For a Cowichan to be authentic, it has to have "been hand-knit in one piece in accordance with the traditional tribal methods by members of Coast Salish Nation using raw, unprocessed, undyed, hand-spun wool, also made and prepared in accordance with traditional tribal methods.”
I think they look great with five-pocket cords, blue jeans, heavier flannel trousers, Army styled chinos, work boots, flannel or chamois shirts, and anything that can be described as rugged. This is basically a heavy winter garment that you should treat as outerwear.
There are a bunch of companies nowadays that sell "Cowichan knits," including Canadian Sweater Company, Kanata, Filson, RRL, and Todd Snyder. But I never know if they were made by a member of the Coast Salish Nation. (Appreciate Buck Mason being upfront with "Cowichan-inspired")
If you want to be assured you're getting the real deal, you can check out Knit with Purpose and Cheryl's Trading Post. Both are indigenous-owned and -led operations with indigenous knitters.
IG knit_with_purpose and cherylstradingpost
I can't think of an American eqiuvalent. Closest is maybe the Shaker knit, which used to be hand-knitted by members of the Shaker community. The Shakers were a Christian sect that believed in pacifism, egalitarianism, communal lifestyles, and celibacy.
They once sold distinctive ribbed knits to fund their lifestyle. But today, there’s only one active community, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine. Its website lists just two members, Elder Arnold Hadd and Eldress June Carpenter. Neither knit.
If there's anyone in the US doing what Coast Salish people do with Cowichans, it's on a hobby level, not a commercial level. So when it comes to hand-spun, hand-knit sweaters of this quality, the Canadians are undeniably better.
this site is so funny. imagine seeing this sweater and being mad
I can. In fact, the Canadian version is so great, I can't think of an American equivalent. 🧵Before Europeans landed in North America, the Pacific Northwest was populated by the Coast Salish people, who had been here for thousands of years. During the 19th century, many made a living by selling woven blankets to traders. The blankets typically featured geometric designs.Business dried up in the late 19th century as the market was flooded with Hudson Bay Point blankets, so Coast Salish people picked up knitting needles. This was the birth of the Cowichan sweater, which combined old Coast Salish weaving practices with European knitting techniques.The Cowichan sweater is technically a sweater because it's knitted, but it's not really a sweater in that it's not like any you've likely encountered. It's rough, rugged, and wears more like outerwear than the merino pullovers or cardigans you find at the mall.The Cowichan is distinctive in a few ways. First, the term handmade has been abused to mean anything in marketing materials, but real Cowichan sweaters are *truly* handmade. By that, I mean it's made from undyed wool in the natural color of the sheep—cream, brown, black, etc.When the animal is sheared (given a haircut), the wool is dirty and tangled. This material is then hand washed, dried, and carded. Carding is a process that puts wool through rows of prickly needles, which separates and straightens the fibers, preparing them for spinning.For mass-market sweaters, yarns are produced on industrial machines. But for a Cowichan knit, the yarns are hand-spun on old wooden spinning wheels powered by foot. Industrial yarns are uniform; hand-spun yarns have character.
YouTube PhilIvesvideosThe sweater is then entirely hand-knitted using nothing more than two knitting needles. The body is knitted "on the round," which means it's one entire piece with no side seams. Designs typically feature traditional motifs, like snowflakes or eagles.
YouTube ShawTVSouthVIFrom about the 1940s through 70s, the Cowichan sweater as an international hit with frenzied shoppers in the United States and Japan. Celebs such as Marilyn Monroe and Steve McQueen were seen in the knit; it featured prominently in Starsky & Hutch.This sparked a market for Cowichan knockoffs: retailers selling Cowichan-inspired patterns that knitters could produce at home. You can find these knits today on eBay. Since the yarns were likely purchased at local craft stores—not hand-spun—they're softer and more uniformFor a Cowichan to be authentic, it has to have "been hand-knit in one piece in accordance with the traditional tribal methods by members of Coast Salish Nation using raw, unprocessed, undyed, hand-spun wool, also made and prepared in accordance with traditional tribal methods.”I think they look great with five-pocket cords, blue jeans, heavier flannel trousers, Army styled chinos, work boots, flannel or chamois shirts, and anything that can be described as rugged. This is basically a heavy winter garment that you should treat as outerwear.There are a bunch of companies nowadays that sell "Cowichan knits," including Canadian Sweater Company, Kanata, Filson, RRL, and Todd Snyder. But I never know if they were made by a member of the Coast Salish Nation. (Appreciate Buck Mason being upfront with "Cowichan-inspired")If you want to be assured you're getting the real deal, you can check out Knit with Purpose and Cheryl's Trading Post. Both are indigenous-owned and -led operations with indigenous knitters.
IG knit_with_purpose and cherylstradingpostI can't think of an American eqiuvalent. Closest is maybe the Shaker knit, which used to be hand-knitted by members of the Shaker community. The Shakers were a Christian sect that believed in pacifism, egalitarianism, communal lifestyles, and celibacy.They once sold distinctive ribbed knits to fund their lifestyle. But today, there’s only one active community, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine. Its website lists just two members, Elder Arnold Hadd and Eldress June Carpenter. Neither knit.If there's anyone in the US doing what Coast Salish people do with Cowichans, it's on a hobby level, not a commercial level. So when it comes to hand-spun, hand-knit sweaters of this quality, the Canadians are undeniably better.this site is so funny. imagine seeing this sweater and being mad
yes
I can. In fact, the Canadian version is so great, I can't think of an American equivalent. 🧵 ... Before Europeans landed in North America, the Pacific Northwest was populated by the Coast Salish people, who had been here for thousands of years. During the 19th century, many made a living by selling woven blankets to traders. The blankets typically featured geometric designs. ... Business dried up in the late 19th century as the market was flooded with Hudson Bay Point blankets, so Coast Salish people picked up knitting needles. This was the birth of the Cowichan sweater, which combined old Coast Salish weaving practices with European knitting techniques. ... The Cowichan sweater is technically a sweater because it's knitted, but it's not really a sweater in that it's not like any you've likely encountered. It's rough, rugged, and wears more like outerwear than the merino pullovers or cardigans you find at the mall. ... The Cowichan is distinctive in a few ways. First, the term handmade has been abused to mean anything in marketing materials, but real Cowichan sweaters are *truly* handmade. By that, I mean it's made from undyed wool in the natural color of the sheep—cream, brown, black, etc. ... When the animal is sheared (given a haircut), the wool is dirty and tangled. This material is then hand washed, dried, and carded. Carding is a process that puts wool through rows of prickly needles, which separates and straightens the fibers, preparing them for spinning. ... For mass-market sweaters, yarns are produced on industrial machines. But for a Cowichan knit, the yarns are hand-spun on old wooden spinning wheels powered by foot. Industrial yarns are uniform; hand-spun yarns have character.
YouTube PhilIvesvideos ... The sweater is then entirely hand-knitted using nothing more than two knitting needles. The body is knitted "on the round," which means it's one entire piece with no side seams. Designs typically feature traditional motifs, like snowflakes or eagles.
YouTube ShawTVSouthVI ... From about the 1940s through 70s, the Cowichan sweater as an international hit with frenzied shoppers in the United States and Japan. Celebs such as Marilyn Monroe and Steve McQueen were seen in the knit; it featured prominently in Starsky & Hutch. ... This sparked a market for Cowichan knockoffs: retailers selling Cowichan-inspired patterns that knitters could produce at home. You can find these knits today on eBay. Since the yarns were likely purchased at local craft stores—not hand-spun—they're softer and more uniform ... For a Cowichan to be authentic, it has to have "been hand-knit in one piece in accordance with the traditional tribal methods by members of Coast Salish Nation using raw, unprocessed, undyed, hand-spun wool, also made and prepared in accordance with traditional tribal methods.” ... I think they look great with five-pocket cords, blue jeans, heavier flannel trousers, Army styled chinos, work boots, flannel or chamois shirts, and anything that can be described as rugged. This is basically a heavy winter garment that you should treat as outerwear. ... There are a bunch of companies nowadays that sell "Cowichan knits," including Canadian Sweater Company, Kanata, Filson, RRL, and Todd Snyder. But I never know if they were made by a member of the Coast Salish Nation. (Appreciate Buck Mason being upfront with "Cowichan-inspired") ... If you want to be assured you're getting the real deal, you can check out Knit with Purpose and Cheryl's Trading Post. Both are indigenous-owned and -led operations with indigenous knitters.
IG knit_with_purpose and cherylstradingpost ... I can't think of an American eqiuvalent. Closest is maybe the Shaker knit, which used to be hand-knitted by members of the Shaker community. The Shakers were a Christian sect that believed in pacifism, egalitarianism, communal lifestyles, and celibacy. ... They once sold distinctive ribbed knits to fund their lifestyle. But today, there’s only one active community, the Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village in Maine. Its website lists just two members, Elder Arnold Hadd and Eldress June Carpenter. Neither knit. ... If there's anyone in the US doing what Coast Salish people do with Cowichans, it's on a hobby level, not a commercial level. So when it comes to hand-spun, hand-knit sweaters of this quality, the Canadians are undeniably better. ... this site is so funny. imagine seeing this sweater and being mad
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