I moved back to Vancouver in October after spending the summer doing resort work in the mountains. I grew up in this city, and I love it for numerous reasons, but Autumn can be a hard season for me here. After a few months away I grew used to the greenery of trees all around me and the blue of the sky reflected in the crystal clear lakes; moving away from all that during two of the most wet and most grey months on record took some getting used to. Vancouverites love to complain, and we especially love to complain about the weather, but I know that when I get caught in that downward spiral it just makes me miserable. Instead I tried to make a conscious effort this year to pay attention to the things that brightened the grey days. One thing I noticed was that the monotone nature of the city during these rainy months made the changing leaves on the trees and the sunshine slipping through the clouds stand out in contrast.

It was around October that I started thinking seriously about the idea behind Steady Hands Co as well. I think this collection, which I’m calling Autumn in the City, is representative of this attitude. 

Don’t get me wrong, the fall and winter months can be depressing, but I actually really like the colour grey. A large majority of my wardrobe is monochromatic and with the exception of socks I gravitate to all shades of grey when I pick out yarn for my own personal projects. I wanted this collection to be a love letter to all aspects of Autumn in Vancouver so I designed three different toques that were inspired by the city’s natural surroundings and I knit them up in three different shades of grey. They’re topped off with three contrasting choices of pom-poms as well, in order to bring a pop of colour to brighten even the darkest of days.

The first design is called Bute, and this hat features an interwoven trellis pattern that is reminiscent of the coastal mountain range that looms over Vancouver’s skyline. Winter’s first sighting of snow-capped peaks through a break in the clouds is one of my favourite days of the year; the proximity to the mountains is such an important and iconic part of Vancouver to me, so I knew I needed something to represent them when I was putting together this collection. I love the way Bute turned out, the texture is simple and classic while the modified ribbing adds a bit of playfulness. It’s sized to hug the average woman’s head with just a touch of slouch.

The second design is called Thurlow, and this hat’s ribbed chevron motif is inspired by the trees that line Vancouver’s streets and fill its surrounding forests. Our coastal rain forests are full of stories and history and I cannot imagine living somewhere that wasn’t surrounded by these green expanses. Being able to get lost between the trees even within the city limits is something that’s unique and wonderful. The simple repeating pattern is the slouchiest of the three designs and the result is a toque that fits the average woman’s head with a bit of room to scrunch down over your ears.

The third and final design is called Davie; its alternating cables are representative of the Vancouver shoreline and the ebbs and flows that make up our day to day lives. Like many other Vancouverites, living in a coastal city is a defining feature of many of my days. I often take the SeaBus as a form of public transit, I grew up going for jogs along the banks of the Fraser River, and I have a tattoo of one of the bridges that leads into the heart of downtown. I chose two different cables for this toque to span from larger expanses like the Howe Sound and the Straight of Georgia to the small lakes and rivers that wind throughout the city. It’s designed to fit the average woman’s head with just a touch of slouch.

The patterns for these toques are available for free so that you can knit your own. You can choose a contrasting pom-pom or go without if you’re a purist. Here are some closer shots to show you how each style looks with each colour:

In “Pebble” which is a light grey colour, pictured from left to right: 

• The Bute Hat with a Lilac pom-pom
• The Davie Hat with a Merlot pom-pom
• The Thurlow Hat with a Goldenrod pom-pom

In “Charcoal” which is a medium grey colour, pictured from left to right:

• The Davie Hat with a Lilac pom-pom
• The Bute Hat with a Goldenrod pom-pom
• The Thurlow Hat with a Merlot pom-pom

In “Asphalt” which is a dark grey colour, pictured from left to right: 

• The Davie Hat with a Goldenrod pom-pom
• The Bute Hat with a Merlot pom-pom
• The Thurlow Hat with a Lilac pom-pom

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This collection is a love letter to the city in which I grew up and currently live, so I think that it’s important to acknowledge that Vancouver sits on the unceded territory of the Musqueam, Squamish, and Tseil-Waututh peoples.