#cowichan

The first and best way to do so is to order one hand-knit by an actual Cowichan artisan. The Cowichan tribe website has a list of its artisans with a way to contact them for bespoke craft orders. Knitwithpurpose.com is a website where you can buy a custom-made hand-knit sweaters, but they seem to be a lot more expensive than just contacting a caftsperson on your own.

Such pieces can be a really worthwhile investment. Not only are the sweaters cozy and good looking, a hand-knit sweater made from quality wool WILL last you your entire lifetime, and then can be passed on to others as an heirloom.

You can also knit your own.

Now full honesty I haven't been able to find a pattern actually made by a Cowichan designer with money going back into the tribe, but I have found plenty of patterns that at least remain faithful to traditional designs.

The biggest and most important thing you can do with knitting your own is purchasing authentic Cowichan wool to knit with, an integral part of the traditional sweaters.

The largest First Nation in B.C. by population, the Cowichan Tribes, has signed a co-ordination agreement that will see it assume full responsibility over youth and family services for its citizens. The Cowichan Tribes — which has about 5,300 members and is based on Vancouver Island — had voted in November to pass new laws to prioritize supports to keep children with their families, or place them with relatives in other Indigenous homes. Now, the federal and provincial governments have signed the co-ordination agreement that allows the nation to start phasing in the law. The federal government says it's the second First Nation in B.C. to have assumed responsibility for its child welfare services, following the Splatsin First Nation in the Shuswap region.

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(via Handmade blue Cowichan mohair cardigan jacket by SuperTanya, made to order)