Cascadia

You may have already heard the great new: Cascadia is here! This is a book by the wonderful ladies Amanda and Fiona of Knit Social. They put on Knit City here in Vancouver and this is their very first book! Tin Can Knits contributed 3 patterns to the book (Britannia, Redcedar, and Sea Wall) and I (Alexa) did the photography.

::: Cascadia :::

The theme of Cascadia is something near and dear to our hearts: the west coast of British Columbia. The book has 12 great patterns from local designers, interviews with local knitterly celebrities, and yarns from great local dyers as well. We had the pleasure of working with 2 of our faves, SweetGeorgia and Sweet Fiber, and someone new to us: Everything Old!

::: The Patterns :::

Tin Can Knits contributed 3 patterns to Cascadia. Britannia is a joint sweater design by Emily and myself, Redcedar is a lace stole by Emily, and Sea Wall are cabled socks by Alexa.

::: Britannia :::

Britannia is a pullover full of cables and lace. An excellent piece for layering while you stroll across Britannia beach, or take a summer drive down the Sea to Sky highway.

yarn: SweetGeorgia Superwash DK in ‘Goldmine’ and ‘Lettuce Wrap’
320 (350, 400, 500, 600, 700, 800, 900, 1000, 1100, 1150, 1200, 1350, 1450, 1550)
suggested needles: US 5/ 3.75mm 20-32 inch circular and double pointed needles for hem and cuffs,
US 7/4.5mm 20-32 inch circular and double pointed needles for body (or size needed to obtain gauge)
Notions: cable needle, stitch markers
sizes:  0-6 mo (6-12 mo, 1-2 y, 2-4 y, 4-6 y, 6-8 y, 8-10 y, Ladies XS, S, M, L, XL, XXL, 3XL, 4XL)
Finished Measurements
Chest: 18 (20, 22, 24, 26, 28, 30, 32, 36, 40, 44, 48, 52, 56, 60) inches

::: Redcedar :::

Redcedar is a beautiful stole inspired by the grain of wood. The beautiful forest of the west coast are often a source of inspiration here at TCK and Emily has certainly done them justice with this design! It comes in 2 sizes, using either fingering or aran weight yarn.

Yarn and needles:
Aran: Cascade Ecological Wool (100% wool; 478 yds / 250 g skein); colour: 8087 Chocolate; 2 skeins)
US #9 / 5.5mm needles
Fingering: Everything Old Kashmir Sock (80% merino wool, 10% nylon, 10% cashmere; 435 yds / 100g skein); 3 skeins
US #6 / 4.0mm needles

Sizing:
Length: 92 (84) inches (or desired length)
Width: 20 (18) inches
4-6 stitch markers
Yarn needle Blocking Wires (if desired)

::: Sea Wall :::

I have always loved the Sea Wall and Stanley Park. To me brings back memories of Sunday walks with my family, riding the Stanley Park kiddie train, picnics by the ocean, and so much more. Today I love to bring my own children to Stanley park and show them the wonders of the forest, parks, aquarium, water park, ocean, ……  the list is endless! These socks were inspired by the mighty Lions Gate bridge, seen from walks on the Sea Wall.

Yarn: Sweet Fiber Yarns Cashmerino Sock sample shown in ‘Tea Leaves’
350 (370, 400) yards sock weight yarn
Needles: US 1/ 2.25mm and US 2/ 2.75 mm needles for working in the round: DPNs or 1 long circular or 2 short circulars
Cable needle
Sizing: Women’s small (medium, large) (shown in size M)
Finished foot circumference: 7.5 (8, 8.5) inches
Foot & leg length are adjustable

The Photos

Taking the photos for Cascadia was an absolute delight! From the very first shoot at Van Dusen gardens with Amanda and Fiona we were having a fun. The highlight had to be our day trip to Victoria to photograph Raven’s Nest by Judy Marples, Beacon Hill by Jane Richmond, and Redcedar by Emily. We caught the ferry early and had fun all day taking pictures, laughing, and a bit of knitting in between.  Jane modeled her Beacon Hill cardigan (which I was a little obsessed with), and Emma Galati from Everything Old modeled the Redcedar, which is knit with her beautiful yarn. We saw a crazy peacock near the petting zoo and admired the Garry Oaks. It was a great time and I think the photos capture the spirit of their vision, a beautiful West Coast, filled with knitting!

To pre-order your copy of Cascadia go to Cooperative Press!