Unravelling Canada: A Knitting Odyssey

by Sylvia Olsen

Toques, mittens and scarves are all associated with northern climates, but the quintessential garment of Canadian knitting is surely 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 married into the Tsartlip First Nation near Victoria, BC, and developed relationships with Coast Salish knitters through her family’s sweater shop. Olsen was inspired to explore the juncture of her English/Scottish/European heritage and Coast Salish life experiences, bringing to light deeply personal questions about Canadian knitting traditions. In 2015, she and her partner Tex embarked on a cross-Canada journey from the Salish Sea to the Atlantic Ocean with stops in more than forty destinations to promote her books, conduct workshops, exchange experiences with other knitters and, Olsen hoped, discover a fresh appreciation for Canada. Along the way, with stops in urban centres as well as smaller communities like Sioux Lookout, ON, and Shelburne, NS, Olsen observed that the knitters of Canada are as diverse as their country’s geography. But their textured and colourful stories about knitting create a common narrative. With themes ranging from personal identity, cultural appropriation, provincial stereotypes and national icons, to “boyfriend sweaters” and love stories, Unravelling Canada is both a celebration and a discovery of an ever-changing national landscape. Insightful, optimistic, and beautifully written, it is a book that will speak to knitters and would-be knitters alike.

Genres: Nonfiction, Knitting, Canada, Travel, History, Book Club, Biography Memoir

258 pages, Paperback

Published September 21, 2021

About the author

Sylvia Olsen is a writer and public speaker living on Vancouver Island in British Columbia. She is the author of several picture books, a number of first readers and novels for young adults and one non fiction—so far. Most of all she is a mother and grandmother and aunty to dozens of nieces and nephews.

Sylvia has spent most of her life living in Tsartlip First Nation, where her children and grandchildren now live. Because Sylvia is non native and her children are of mixed heritage most of her stories are about the place—the time—the experience of where different sorts of people come together. That’s one of the things that interests her the most. It’s one of the things she knows the most about—and like many authors—Sylvia writes about what she knows.

Her newest books are: a historical fiction set in the Gulf Islands called Counting on Hope (Sono Nis, Fall 2009) and A Different Game (Orca Books, Spring 2010). She is currently working on an adult non fiction and dreaming up a new story for a Young Adult novel (making it up is her favourite part of the writing process).

Writing is Sylvia’s most important hobby. She also loves to draw, sew, knit and design clothing. Her ‘real’ job is in housing. Her career, her dedication and her passion are to make sure everyone has a healthy place to live.

Reviews

[Gillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Probably a 3.5 star book for me. I had originally assumed it was more of a history book than a memoir when I picked it up. Still a delightful read. Though I really wish there was accompanying photos of the cities, towns, and yarn stores the author visited across Canada, as well as some of the amazing old sweaters she saw.

[Donna · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought that this would be a book about the history of knitting in Canada. Well it sort of was...but it was really a book looking at the history of the Cowichan sweater of the west coast and how it's style and technique has moved across the country and even around the world.
Sylvia Olsen and her husband Tex set out from British Columbia to drive across the country to Newfoundland. Along the way they made stops in communities to visit knitting shops/groups to talk about knitting, Canada, history and the Cowichan sweater. Along the way people were asked to bring their oldest sweater to the meetings. Sometimes they were Cowichan but most often they were Cowichan "inspired". The road trip, the people and communities met along the way and the history met along the way kept me awake and I read this book way faster than I wanted to - it's one of those books that I wanted to keep on going.
Ms. Olsen, a historian, has written a number of books - not all of them about knitting. I will certainly be checking the library for more of her stories!
I highly recommend this to anyone - even folks who don't knit.

[Alex · Rating 4 out of 5]

More on Canada and Canadian identity than knitting, which is fine but not what I was expecting! I enjoyed travelling along with Olsen as she and her husband drove eastward from Victoria. I've been to many of the shops she visited and many of the ones in Nova Scotia were my LYS when I was in university.

But she skipped Cape Breton, literally flying over it from Halifax to St John's! I'm sure there were touring logistics involved but what a missed opportunity to visit Baadeck Yarns in my hometown village of Baddeck. Baadeck Yarns closed in 2020 and with its departure, Cape Breton is without a proper yarn shop. You can still buy Briggs & Little at the local Co-op (the last time I was home they were $5 a skein) but it's no replacement for the warm welcome and guidance from owner Pat.

I deeply appreciated Olsen's invitation to consider what it means to be Canadian from many perspectives and histories. I share in her hope for an unified and diverse Canada where we all are free and supported to embody our personal cultures.

[Mona · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was delightful, you don’t have to be a knitter to enjoy this cross country, story telling, Canadian tour. 🧶

[Lia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A lovely read! The perfect combination of Canadian history and knitting content. I’m excited to read other works by this author.

[Nicole Dunn · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun little journey across Canada from a knitting historian. It helps to at least know how to knit if reading this. The places described on the road trip were vivid and the anecdotes mixed in were fun to read and tied it all together nicely. It was a bit too preachy for me in a few spots when it came to indigenous issues.

[Lily Jane · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book, it weaved the beauty and stories of knitting, belonging, hard times, and significance in the history of Canada, including colonization, slavery, and the social injustice in our country's history.

[L. · Rating 4 out of 5]

As always, I mostly wish this had been longer.

[Megan · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I didnt enjoy knitting I likely would not have read this book. But it is about much more than knitting. Its about Canada, where we have come from and who we are as a people. This books connects knitting to coloniasim, Indigenous history, immigration, and the landscape. At times I found the quick switches in the writing style jarring but overall I enjoyed it.

[Cym · Rating 5 out of 5]

Knitting, cross Canada road trip, history, social commentary all from a west coast perspective

[Enid Wray]

I come from a family of knitters, but I don’t knit - I’m all thumbs where knitting is concerned. I can crochet up a storm though… entirely by feel without even having to look at what my fingers and hands are doing. Given this, and that my background is as a geographer and the idea of another road trip cross country - albeit vicariously - meant that I was excited to finally get my hands on this title (even a digital copy).

Sadly though the concept - the promise - of this title far exceeds the execution. I am sorry to say that I am bailing at just about the half way point - as they begin their journey round the North of Superior (agreeably one of the most incredible drives you’ll find). I find myself wanting to throw my iPad across the room… and that’s a sure sign I’m done with this title.

What’s bugging me most? It’s that this is far less about the knitting as storytelling, and thereby illuminating aspects of our history, than it is about the trivial details of their trip, and random, shallow, musings. For instance, on p119, she references telling people - in the workshop/audience - about the ‘stories found in the stitches’... but she never tells us these very same stories. And this is not the first time I’ve felt like I’ve been left out of the conversation.

The little in-between bits where the randomly shares random comments from people she met along the way… mostly they are pretty stereotypical - trope - observations, but every once in a while there is a little gem - like the Italian mom and the yellow sweater. But, no sooner have we read this than we’re off onto something else… this story is never expanded, never connected to anything larger. It remains what it is on the page… a random little bit. Or the immigrant woman learning to speak English at a knitting circle… tell me more!!!

And where are the photos? Pictures of these sweaters - especially the really old ones people share with her along the way? This is screaming for photos to be included.

The other thing that really bugs me is that not-wothstanding her personal history and experience having married into the Coast Salish… and notwithstanding that she gives passing consideration to Louis Riel and the Canadian Museum of Human Rights… but, the history that is considered, and the lens that it is seen through, is that of the settler. Much of it feels very dismissive of the history of our Indigenous peoples - if they factor into it at all.

There is so much potential and possibility in this work and in the metaphor of knitting as the ‘thread’ that binds a country… but there are just too many missed opportunities along the way.

DNF

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5 This book missed many opportunities to truly shine. Some photographs, even just one of a Cowichan sweater and Coast Salish woolworkers, would have been appreciated. I would have loved to see a map of their journey, an appendix with a list of all the stores and sights visited, and resources mentioned. This book felt more like "Sylvia and Tex Hit the Road" than it did a book about knitters in Canada. The quotes and stories from other knitters felt like tired stereotypes or tropes and lacked depth. There also was no focus on the current state of knitting in terms of new and modern/younger knitters in Canada.

Knitting is so many things to so many people, and I appreciate that Ms. Olsen made an attempt to quantify that in her road trip. But, the one constant thing knitting is is visual. I would have enjoyed the book so much more if she would have included some photographs and left out a few descriptions of this or that B&B and other trivialities of her travels.

One area where I think the book really shines is in her descriptions of Canada as an inclusive country. It is a country that has a colonial past built at the expense of the original First Nations occupants. The ongoing efforts toward the re-emergence of Indigenous culture and reparations she described, and her insights into what it means to "be Canadian" were probably, for me, the most rewarding parts of this book.

[Patricia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quotes

P. 52 - in talking about choosing the name Alberta and thinking Athabasca would have been better

“Like all Indigenous place names, it provides a meaningful connection to the land and conveys a love for places not found in names borrowed from foreign monarchs or travellers.”

P. 71

“Canadians are no longer trying to explain who we are through the greatness of our railroads, our natural resources or our political system. We are finally getting to know our real history and beginning to acknowledge the ruptures and weaknesses in our country’s past.”

( and I would add our present!)

[Katrina Sark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Introduction

p.12 – Coast Salish woolworkers were innovators. In the early twentieth century they adopted new tools, new materials, and new skills from European settlers. Drawing on their age-old talents and practices as blanket weavers and basket makers, they created a knitting method now known as the Cowichan sweater, the only homegrown knitting tradition in North America.

British Columbia

p.25 – Forty-five years ago, Cowichan sweaters fuelled a bustling Coast Salish economy.
If you had a retail outlet in Duncan in the 1960s and 70s, chances were you also bought knitting or took it in trade, knowing you could turn a quick dollar selling the famous garments. Walking down the streets of Cowichan Valley communities then, you would see as many Cowichan sweaters as you see fleece jackets today.

p.26 – That all changed when a convergence of events strangled the Coast Salish knitting industry. In the 1980s, manufactured fibres began to replace heavy wool as the best material for West Coast outdoor garments. By the 1990s, what was once a fashion statement had met the sorry fate of all fashion. Other bulky knits competed with Cowichan sweaters for what was left of the dwindling market.
The decline in the knitting industry did have a good side. Coast Salish women no longer wanted to depend on the pittance they received from the hard work of knitting for a living. They convinced their daughters to stay in school and find work that paid a decent wage.

p.28 – It has become an important icon in British Columbia.
The mystique of the Cowichan sweater comes not only from the creativity and perseverance of the Coast Salish women who made them, or from the interesting fusion of European and Indigenous skills and art, but also from the love and commitment of the people who buy and wear the sweaters.
The Cowichan Tribes had to trademark their name to prevent other garment makers from using it, but no one can take away the mythological status their sweaters have acquired.

Genuine

p.41 – Coast Salish people who lived in villages such as T’Sou-ke, Esquimalt, Tsartlip, Tsawout, Malahat, Cowichan, Stz’uminus, and Snaw-naw-as on southern Vancouver Island began knitting what are now called Cowichan sweaters sometime before 1920. The sweaters were not a Cowichan invention, now did they necessarily originate with the Cowichan Tribes. Cowichan is only one of the Coast Salish Tribes, but it is the largest, and since their nation is situated in the centre of the knitting region, it didn’t take long for the sweaters to become known by their name.

p.43 – Is it cultural appropriation to teach a knitting technique used for years by knitters across the globe that also happens to be the one most commonly used by Coast Salish knitters? The question is as absurd as asking if knitting bulky sweaters with designs is cultural appropriation. But is it cultural appropriation to copy a specific design or to copy the general look of Cowichan, Icelandic, Fair Isle or Aran sweaters? They are all unique knitted creations from small identifiable regions that have become widely beloved and have provided inspiration to knitters across the globe.
The question of appropriation is important. For example, I believe it is utterly inappropriate for people with no connection to a culture to use significant forms of ceremonial identification, such as feathered headdresses and face paint, for their own purposes.

p.44 – This behaviour goes beyond poor form and insensitivity. It transgresses an honoured social agreement as important as respect for the elderly and care for children. Some behaviour is just wrong.

p.46 – The real crime against Coast Salish knitters and the Cowichan sweater is false representation: non-Indigenous companies creating Cowichan-like sweaters and marketing them as Cowichan, Indian, West Coast or similar brand names in an effort to mislead customers into buying their knock-offs.
In the past, Coast Salish knitters cried foul not only because of cultural appropriation, but because these unfair business practices cut into their incomes.

p.47 – These days Cowichan sweaters occupy a unique place in the market. Other bulky sweaters with colourful designs continue to be sold, though Cowichan Tribes controls the use of its name to ensure their sweaters are not misrepresented.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

You don't have to be a knitter to enjoy this cross country trek from Victoria, B.C. to Newfoundland. Olsen with her hubby Tex set out in their van stopping at yarn shops, woolen mills, and the like across each province from west to east, a six week adventure, and then some--there's humour, there's laughter, there's love and there's wool.
Olsen is an accomplished knitter, author, speaker, businesswoman and champion of Coast Salish knitting. You all know the sweaters, made by Indigenous women over decades and generations. Olsen's theory is the pattern and style is the backbone of how we knit in our country, what makes a Canadian knitter different or the same from province to province; she sets out to visit about 42 venues/community halls/shops/mills doing workshops and talking with all kinds of knitters, old, young, many cultured, all sorts who make up the main users of Canadian knitting. Her findings are more than she set out to discover, her observations smack on for the times.
Ironically, I began reading this book when the horrific news dropped about 215 children's remains found on the grounds of a Residential school in B.C. Olsen begins her book about the community she married into 35 years ago, Tsarlip First Nations. Her passion for Cowichan knitting is strong, her love of knitting jumps off the page, her respect for the community in which she lives motivates her daily: 'I hoped to come home with a deeper understanding of knitting, a fresh appreciation for Canada and a renewed sense of being Canadian. Along the road, I intended to find my people.'
There is so much history sprinkled between the stops, shops and workshops, so much Canadian-ness, like a mini history refresh for me and new stuff for those new to Canada. Much spoke to differences between our provinces, social issues, backstories of the oldest sweater (Japanese men taken into camps during WWII allowed to take their heavy big Cowichan sweater with them, still kept by their families all these years), so many instances drew parallels to the news this past week.
If you do knit, read this book, if you enjoy a sense of place, read Unravelling Canada. The people Olsen meets, knitting bags in tow, small groups in smaller communities like in coastal towns in Newfoundland, all eager and lovers of wool, needles and the desire to create something handmade for family, kids, friends or charity--there's a lot of community knitting in this book.
I delighted at the mention of a yarn shop I've frequented near my home, a yarn supplier I've visited, a similar bit of humour made me smile, so many pages got turned down for reference. Olsen has a wonderful story-telling style, her commentary on our country is informative and the picture she paints of our many kinds of people coast to coast is colourful, hopeful, wonderful: we are a nation growing up, lovers of creativity, of passing along traditions, making new ones, reviewing our past, going boldly into our future. Well done, Sylvia Olsen!

[Olga Godim · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars

This book was recommended to me by one of my neighbors, an inveterate knitter.

There are books you anticipate eagerly, and they don't disappoint you. There are other books you hear outstanding things about but can't read past chapter 5 before throwing it away in disgust. Much more rarely, you encounter a book you don't expect much from, a book you pick up on a whim, and suddenly you can't stop reading it. This is one of those books.
Although it was on the 'knitting' shelf in our library, it is not a knitting book, per se. There are no patterns and no photographs. It is a sort of a travelogue, written by a knitting historian. In the spring of 2015, she toured all provinces in Canada, giving workshops in yarn stores all over our huge country and listening to the attendees' knitting stories. Both her traveling experiences and other people's knitting stories made up this book. All the while, she tried to unravel through her and other people's knitting what it means to be Canadian.
All the stories are simple, almost banal. There is no excitement there, just small, everyday memories, sometimes tinged with subtle humor. But the author is so warmhearted about her life-long love of knitting, so respectful of everyone she met on her journey, that I couldn't stop reading until I reached the last page. Maybe my quiet joy of reading this book stemmed from the facts that I'm Canadian, too, and a recreational knitter. Or maybe the author is simply good at what she does: both knitting and writing.

Note: this book's one big flaw was its total absence of illustrations. It would've had a much stronger impact if the text was enhanced with imagery. As it was, I resorted to Google every time I stumbled on an unfamiliar knitting term or a design name I never heard before. There were too many such occurrences, alas, and they distracted me from reading. I didn't like it. I would've given this book a higher rating otherwise.

[Emily · Rating 5 out of 5]

A friend was reviewing "Unravelling Canada" for a local guild and asked me to take a look to give some perspective to her review. I'm sure I would have read it sometime, but it wouldn't have been a priority.
I liked this book a lot.
Sylvia Olsen knows a lot about knitting. She's been a knitter most of her life, not only as a hobby, but in a business/commercial setting. Beyond that, Sylvia made Coast Salish knitting the topic of her masters thesis. She can look at a handknit sweater to understand and even explain how it was made.
"Unravelling Canada" is the story of a drive across Canada Sylvia took with her husband Tex, promoting a past book. They had a six-week timeline to make their pre-planned stops between Victoria, BC and St John's NF.
As they set out from BC, Sylvia describes herself as an ambivalent Canadian. You can read the ambivalence largely melt away over the course of the trip. Like many others, I've struggled with the revisionist nature of Canadian history lately. Sylvia some how managed to give me hope for the future, something I've long lost and wasn't expecting to get back, least of all in a book I thought was about knitting.
Finding anything cohesive about the history of textiles in Canada, without heading into an archive is a rarity. "Unravelling Canada" feels much of this void, at least on the knitting side of things. She's also peppered the book with stories from knitters that Tex recorded during their workshops across the country. These vignettes are a lovely record about all the reasons Canadians knit now.
"Unravelling Canada" is a travelogue, history book, story book all wrapped into one. If you've ever picked up a knitting needle, owned a sheep, worn a handknitted sweater, or driven across Canada chances are there is something in this book for you.

[Bonny · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful book! It is about knitting stories, traditions and techniques that have been passed down through generations.
The book is full of traditions and cultural nuggets that are part of every Canadian who was or is a knitter, knows a knitter or wore handknits made with love by a family member, friend or an anonymous maker they never met.
The road trip is another Canadian tradition that has been born from necessity and grew into a favourite pastime by families exploring during summer vacations. All of us connected to various communities along the way.
There are many ways of defining what it means to be Canadian. This book is an ode to some of them and it is made up of many cultural stories. Just like the diversity of cultural influences that make up the country itself.
I read the book in less than 24 hours. I will read it again with my knitting in hand savoring every story as I work on my project stitch by stitch.
If you are a knitter this book will delight you. If you are a Canadian the stories in this book help to define you. If you are Canadian Knitter this book belongs to you.

[Franca · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I would never have noticed this book had it not been shelved with the knitting books at the library, however, it's not really about knitting. There are no pictures, no patterns, no detailed descriptions of techniques, but I suppose knitting, and knitters, were needed to bring this book together. The author is an accomplished knitter who grew her knitting skills in the Coast Salish tradition of Cowachin sweaters. She and her husband took a cross-Canada tour stopping at yarn shops along the way giving workshops on the specific colour-work technique that the Coastal Salish knitters use. This book is essentially the accompanying journal. There are just as many comments about Canadian history and politics as there are about the yarn industry in Canada and its knitters.

This is a gentle and informative read that highlights some uncomfortable facts in Canada's history. It is thought provoking in a way that does not put the reader's defences up.

[Chris · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is such a quirky book I’m surprised it was published, because who pays attention to women who knit? But think about how knitting has contributed to the world: all those socks and watch caps knitted during WW1 and 2, all those baby caps for newborns, all those shawls, cardigans, mittens, and afghans that keep us warm. Because women do it, it’s not important and not valued. I can only think of a handful of friends who would read this book, which recounts the author’s cross-Canada tour of knitting shops, with a quest of finding the oldest Canadian made knitted sweater. Knitting is sooo good for your brain. It’s so comforting. I’ve taught many young people how to knit over the years. If you don’t know how to knit I will happily teach you virtually. I’m going to tag the few knitters I know who would appreciate this little quirky story. I’m glad I read it.

[Heather Klassen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am an avid knitter living in British Columbia, with a strong interest in Cowichan-style knit sweaters, and I LOVE this book. It is about so much more than knitting, but a sense of what Canada is as a knitting community. If you enjoy yarn shops, you will be brought into many through this book. If you enjoy examining culture, you will find the knitting and community connections and differences between regions of Canada interesting. All in all, I will be lending this book out to all my knitting friends. If you are looking for a history book, this is not it. The vibe is more Canada as a knitting community in 2015 (when she did the road trip).

[Ash Andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't think I can really explain how meaningful this book was to me. I thought I was embarking on a second hand road trip, but it was so much more than that.

My favorite line comes from the 'Last Thoughts" chapter; Olsen writes: "Canada cannot be whole, cannot be mature and cannot have a true Identity until it comes to terms with its colonial past and its Indigenous present[. ...T]he Great Canadian Knitting Tour gave me [a] reason for optimism. Canada is growing itself up" (238).

Here's to acknowledging and living into our truths, as complex, complicated, and uncomfortable as they might be for ourselves and for others.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

I picked this up from a bookstore in Victoria in order to learn more about Canada. As someone who has never knit before, I was happy to find this book was about both knitting and what it means to be Canadian. And as someone from the US, I was happy that there were detailed descriptions of each province visited, as well as interesting historical bits.

Ultimately I think I just wanted more. Like others have suggested, some photos of the sweaters mentioned would have gone a long way. I also felt like some of the knitting stories included were pretty unmemorable.

Even so, I think that I'll pull out this book when I travel up to Canada again.

[Joanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

REALLY enjoyed this book and deliberately read it slowly to replicate [in a way] the long trip across Canada. I didn't expect to love it as I did - I thought it would be one of those cursory reads. But Sylvia REALLY knows her stuff and has a wonderful way of telling the story. I related to it on so many levels - the complicated family history - the joy of knitting - the driving across Canada - the getting to know groups of people from various part of our wonderful domain. Highly recommended!
[I took 6 weeks reading this book - wonder how long Sylvia's trip was?]

[HBW · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a lovely read. I felt it was an interesting, if not fleshed out, exploration of this aspect of Canadian cultural identity, that also gave me some good tips on new knitting techniques to try. The writing did a good job at setting an atmosphere I think would be familiar to most people who have spent significant time in Canada, and it was a sweet recollection of their trip. That said, the book doesn’t reach a significant conclusion. Can Canadian identity be defined? That I can’t say, but neither can the book.

[Susan Gaston · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this book and since I couldn't put it down I read it in one day! Sylvia Olsen is an interesting and engaging author writing on her trip across Canada and her search for the oldest Canadian knitted sweater. So many wonderful stories and people populate her trip from the west coast to the east. I had not read her before but I plan on getting her other books and since Unravelling Canada was a library book I am going to purchase my own copy to re-read again!

[Janet Derasp · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read. Wonderful pace as they travel across the country, mixing the author’s words with those of knitters she met along the way. As a lover of all things knitting, I expected to enjoy the book but the knowledge and joy I found in its pages were big bonuses.
I have recommended this to non-knitting friends who enjoy good stories, painless history lessons a glimpse into why I LOVE knitting.

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Taking the opportunity to write about a cross country trip to learn about our Canada, the knitters who live in it and whose land we live on was very well executed. Olsen speaks to the truth of our history in an honest and open way that would allow a reader to take in the information and understand why it's important to know this history. Alongside knitting tales from many different regions her knowledge of the art of knitting, especially of Coast Salish, is engaging.

[Michele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good fast read with good info on wool shops across Canada. Would like to have seen more Toronto shops but there were a lot of small shops that were high lighted. The history of the Cowichan sweater was great and hearing about the oldest sweater she could find. Her husband certainly deserves the credit she gives him for his contribution on the small towns.

[Anne Whoriskey · Rating 4 out of 5]

Slow thoughtful book, full of stories. I read it slowly and felt connected to the characters who seem to have wormed their way into my head.What a way to share history..I loved it.😆

Good well thought out book. I finished the book reluctantly. Do yourself a favour read it and you can enjoy the company of deep thoughtful people.