Each of the last 2 years we have had the immense pleasure of connecting with northerners passionate about promoting local, connecting people and place and supporting the Yukon Wildlife Preserve and Yukon’s wildlife.  The team is back again this year with new, special and very limited edition Yukon-inspired and Yukon-made wool wear.  

Only 3 hats available!

Birds Eye View small batch dye by Crux Fibres with pattern, Autumn Weaves beanie by Lindsay Faciane; hand knitted especially for the Yukon Wildlife Preserve by Liz Sutton adorned with indigenous Yukon-run trapline, sustainably trapped lynx fur pom.

SOLD!

The one-of-a-kind Borealis Hat and Mitt pattern by Liz Sutton can be found on Ravelry if you wish to do your own pattern yourself but the particular Aurora and Blue Lagoon hand-dye from Crux Fibre is one of a kind, especially for the Preserve adorned with sustainably and ethically Yukon trapped coyote fur pom!

The partnerships of these unique businesses and people have continued to grow and we’re really excited to release a limited edition toque and special toque and mitt combo for this holiday season – gift giving that keeps giving! These beautiful wool items were made exclusively in the north, inspired by the north and are entwined with passions and care throughout the entire process. The Yukon is home to incredible people who love to celebrate and honour the uniqueness of this land. These knitting wonders directly support the diverse community that makes this place and its people so unique!

These limited edition hats go on sale at the Preserve only on Saturday November 13.

Hand-knitted in Whitehorse

For the 3rd year in a row we are working with the ever-expanding knitting talent, Liz Sutton of Treeline Knits located right here in Whitehorse. Liz has been the cornerstone of this annual project. Year after year, despite a full time job, dog-momming, life duties and personal outdoor passion and pursuits, Liz is eager to weave through it all and dedicate time and energy into lovingly producing one-of-a-kind hand knitted and fashioned wool products, especially for the Yukon Wildlife Preserve.

Northern Inspiration in Hand Dyed 100% Merino Wool

Crux Fibres is a truly northern inspired product of born and raised Yukoner, Brittany Vogt. Her knitting hobby and desire to create her own spectrum of colours inspired by Yukon places close to her heart quickly turned into a business for Brittany. 

“The art of dyeing yarn has become a great avenue to continue my creative expression” and this particular small-batch dye was influenced by a place that holds an extra special connection for Brittany. The “Birds Eye View” she called this small-batch dye, in which Liz used to make the 3 toques, was inspired by place and time. Atop Caribou Mountain overlooking Bennett Lake, on the traditional territory of the Carcross Tagish First Nation,  Brittany realized she was going crazy for John, her now husband. Indeed, intertwined in love, years later a few pictures would further inspire the beauty and colour of this yarn. 

Brittany’s inspiration supported through Bennett Lake art from
Left: Edna Bardell Right: Ben Nelms

Every small-batch dye of 100% merino wool yarn originates from South America. Brittany worked hard to source yarn ethically and extend her values of supporting small and mindful businesses like her own.  The one-of-a-kind Aurora Borealis Hat and Mitts used a special blue lagoon dye Brittany did. The very nature of hand-dying in small batches creates variations from skein to skein (even those dyed in the same dye bath) adding even greater uniquesness to each finished product. 

Trapping – In Love & Tradition 

The finishing touches of such a divine piece of art involves a trapline, and a commitment to love, learning, and educating. It may be just a fur pom that adorns these hats but for Vanessa of Yukon Wild Furs it’s an opportunity; it’s the decision to embark on a role as an educator; fulfilling a responsibility while generating a (somewhat unexpected) life from the bounty of the land. Vanessa, along with owning and operating a small store where she sells her art, tirelessly works towards educating and connecting people to a lifestyle rooted in tradition whenever she has the opportunity. This opportunity and responsibility is shared along-side her now husband, George Bahm who is Teslin Tlingit and harvests from the land on his trappline in southern Yukon.

Photo Credit: Alistair Maitland

I have merely glimpsed a fraction of the beauty and teachings that await on the trapline. But I know that this traditional practice, with its skill, stories and lessons, will be lost if the wild fur industry continues as it is. My hope is to protect the importance of what is out on the trail, in the quiet of a fresh snowfall, so that future generations of fur harvesters can reconnect with their ancestors and the teachings that have endured for thousands of years. Trapping is so much more than just harvesting fur.

Photo Credit: Erik Pinkerton

When the opportunity came to adorn these hats (for a second year in a row) with sustainable, locally and indegenous trapped wild fur, Vanessa did not hesitate to support. She’s only a single human in this world but one with a strong, deeply rooted goal of using this polarizing issue as a springboard into meaningful conversations wherever they can occur from her store to our Little Gift Shop where these hats will be sold.

To learn more about Vanessa, George and their shared goals check out Truth About Fur

A Community That’s Wild at Heart

The Yukon Wildlife Preserve is a non-profit charitable organization. In the 1970’s Danny Nowlan started accepting and caring for injured and orphaned wildlife at the Yukon Game Farm. Nearly 50 years later the Preserve continues to care for Yukon’s most vulnerable animals. Today we are a living centre of Yukon’s species that connects tens of thousands of people, from our backyard to across the world, to the natural world, each year.

Find out more about what the  donation with the purchase of the hat means for the Preserve at donate.yukonwildlife.ca 

 These toques represent so much more than just a (stunning) fashion accessory to keep your head warm! It embodies your choice to value the connections with the people and places of this territory; to support local; to share a love of something on a deeper level; to support Yukon’s wildlife. By purchasing this hat, you are supporting the people, their businesses and the land and animals of the north – Liz Sutton of Treeline Knits, Yukon Wild Fur and local trappers, Brittany Vogt of Crux Fibres, Yukon Wildlife Preserve – Wildlife Rehabilitation and a community that is wild at heart!