As we may have mentioned (about a million times?!), Tofino is a very special place for Emily and I. I have been visiting Tofino my whole life, first with my parents, then with my 20-something friends, and now I visit every year with my own brood. Tin Can Knits began on the beach there, Emily and I gazing up at the stars and dreaming up our very first project. Tofino is an amazing wild place, with beaches as far as the eye can see, rainforest all around, and a laid back vibe I love.
Since our first trip to Tofino together, Emily and I have designed knits inspired by this special place, and worked photoshoots into our family vacations there too! When TCK first started, there wasn’t really a separation between work and life (even now the line is pretty blurry), and so I would bring knits with me on any vacation in the hopes my family would be good enough to do some modelling while we were together.
Rye, Simple Yet Effective, and Tofino Surfer were a few of our early Tofino photoshoots. I begged some tired and dirty campers to gussy up for a minute, put on some woolly socks, and pose casually on a dock… where one would naturally wear a pair of hand knit socks right?
A few years later we wrote Road Trip, half of which is dedicated to Tofino! Clayoquot sound inspired our Fair Isle Cardigan, memories of beach bonfires inspriring a cozy blanket, and walks on the endless sandy beach inspired some HBC coloured mitts.
Bonfire, Old Growth, Clayoquot, Paddle, Grayling, all from Road Trip
Em and I, along with our hubbies and gaggles of children, headed to Tofino this year together. While we mostly hit the beach, sat by the fire, ate, drank, and were merry, we also gathered the whole TCK family together for a few sweatered photos.
It was a glorious trip, with smashing weather, good friends, relaxing, and even a bit of knitting! Who could ask for more? Until next year Tofino…..
Are there places that inspire your creativity? Get the wheels turning for your next project?
More TCK knits inspired by Tofino:
September 13, 2017 @ 10:28 am
Just beautiful photos! I think you’ve peeked my interest in a new place to visit! I am a very big fan of camping and it inspires a lot of creativity for me.
September 8, 2017 @ 1:14 pm
Did you stop for tacos at Taco Fino? My husband and his friends camped on the beach in Tofino all through high school (in the 60s). They would hitchhike on logging roads to get there. This summer, for the first time in over 30 years, he returned, bringing me and our two grown-up daughters along. What a fantastic place! I’ve been all around the world and it is hard to beat. Now that I’ve seen Tofino, I love your designs and photos even more. -Kelly.
September 12, 2017 @ 8:13 pm
Always! It is one of our very favourite places to eat!
September 8, 2017 @ 12:30 pm
I’ve always wanted to visit the Tofino area, have done lots of research on the area and it looks just spectacular. Lucky that you can visit so often!
September 8, 2017 @ 11:49 am
For my husband and me, this summer it’s been taking the new ferry to Rockaway Beach and then the bus on to Jacob Riis Park.
September 8, 2017 @ 9:39 am
Great pics,especially the cowichan pullover! Pattern available?
September 8, 2017 @ 8:08 am
I think that half the appeal of your wonderful patterns are the equally wonderful photos – not people standing rigidly “posing”, but real life action photos that say, “Fun, fun, fun!” It also greatly helps to have so many adorable children. Thanks for sharing. I’m still waiting for yarn to arrive from England so that I can proceed with my Dogstar test knit for you. Can’t wait to get back to this fun project. Hugs, Kimmy