December – Christopher Walker

Speaker:  Christopher Walker of  cabinboyknits

A History of Knitting in Canada

Christopher Walker is a natural yarn dyer, fibre artist and founder of the label cabinboyknits. Outside of the corporate world, Christopher splits his time between Toronto and his pre-confederation log cabin in Stirling Ontario. His unconventional work is influenced by the environment around him, whether it be from the rugged Canadian landscape, or the vivid colours and graphic designs in Toronto’s tattoo parlours. His work profiles the dichotomy between masculinity and the soft intricate work of knitwear, and has been featured on the runway and at art gallery showings. He frequently teaches knitting and yarn dyeing classes at festivals and at his log cabin.

He will be presenting a talk on the History of Canadian Knitting. He has delivered this lecture in Canada and Europe. In this lecture, Christopher discusses the first evidence of knitting in Canada, the influence of Europeans on knitting in our country and a variety of specific knitting techniques on the East and West coasts. This whirlwind tour of our Canadian knitting heritage will also include discussion of men in knitting and the impact of the World Wars. Finally, Christopher talks about some of our country’s most prominent knitting companies as well as the current state of knitting, popular Canadian brands, Canadian designers, Canadian Mills, as well as popular Canadian fibre.

Vendor:  cabinboyknits

Christopher will be selling a lovely selection of his naturally dyed yarn at the meeting. Payment may be made with cash or credit card.