Welcome Baby Canada!
Knit history, heritage, culture and art all in one project!
A series of heirloom baby projects featuring the symbolic animal for each province and territory in Canada.
Novel techniques and applications you can easily learn to guide you through creating truly keepsake creations.
Coordinating postcards digitally painted by Aruna so that your gift is complete.
Be sure to scroll down after each pattern to learn delve more into Canada's history, heritage and handicrafts.
LOTS OF FUN AHEAD!
A whimsical interpretation of BC's Coast Salish artwork and fascinating First Nation's Button Blankets.
Featuring BC's rare and beautiful Kermode / Spirit Bear
A durable, heavy weight stroller sized blanket perfect for walks through BC's majestic forests.
Fully finished with knot quilted fabric backing.
You will learn:
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2 colour knitting
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stocking stitch
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moss stitch
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adding borders
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knot quilting
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2 colour tassel making
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embellishing
A heritage rich project which helps to bring awareness to the Kermode Bears' fragile population.
Step-by-step instructions.
Your purchase comes with the coordinating postcard digitally painted by Aruna.
Digital download purchases will require you to print pattern and postcard on your printer.
Please email Aruna if you would like the hardcopy versions of the pattern booklet and postcard.
Fascinating Facts about Kermode Bears!
1. The Kermode Bear is named after Frances Kermode of the Royal British Museum.
2. Many of the Kitasoo/Xai’xais believe these rare, white bears hold super-natural powers, hence their other name -- Spirit Bear
3. They are also referred to as Moksgm’ol, meaning “white bear,” by Tsimshian coastal First Nations. Click here to read about the First Nation's legend of the Moksgm'ol bear.
2. Kermode Bears, although white in colour are actually a subspecies of the American Black Bear. Unfortunately, although it is illegal to hunt a Kermode Bear, hunting black bears, which carry the recessive gene to produce a Kermode Bear, is still legal.
3. The bear is not albino, as it typically has a brown nose and eyes.
4. The Spirit Bear weighs about half a pound when born and between 150-300 pounds when fully grown.
5. Spirit bears are omnivores. They eat berries, nuts, fruits, roots, grasses and other plants, insects, deer, moose fawns, carrion and spawning salmon.
6. Spirit bears can run up to 55 km per hour.
7. They can go without food for up to seven months during hibernation in northern areas.
8. Spirit bears can live for more than 25 years in the wild.
Video of Kermode Bears!
CLICK on the Links Below for More Resources
Learn about Button Blankets and other First Nations Art Here!
Some of my Favourite Books about British Columbia!
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Dear Canada is a captivating historical fiction series by Scholastic Canada.
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Step back in time and enter the intimate worlds of girls throughout different times in Canadian history through their personal diaries.
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Over 35 books in the series, written by some of Canada's most distinguished children's authors.
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I thoroughly enjoyed reading about all the adventures of fictional character, Kate Cameron, in A Ribbon of Shining Steel, which took place during the construction of the Canadian Pacific Railway in British Columbia in the late 1800's.