The 'Who Knit Ya' Story
Meaning: phrase in Newfoundland English that translates to "Who are your parents/mother?"
Growing up, I was sort of the odd one out. The one who wanted to go and travel, adventure, get lost, and found, and lost again. I was a wanderer, and I didn’t even know it yet. I was a dreamer and the more I started to do outside the ‘normal’, the more driven and ‘normal' I began to feel.
As I began to travel, explore and learn 'risky' sports, I started to hear this phrase time and time again. I’d tell a long story about my most recent adventure and some family member, or acquaintance would say, “B’y, who knit ya?”.
Obviously, these people knew where I came from, but it was the fact that I wasn’t ‘knit’ with the same yarn as my parents. That my lifestyle was radically different than those from my hometown. Suddenly this phrase that I knew oh so well, got a whole new meaning. “Who knit ya?” became “you’re one of a kind”, or “you’re unique”, or even, “I wish I could be like you”. Suddenly, this became my term for being different, but in a good way.
Now I don’t do things THAT differently than the people who surround me, and that’s not my point. My point is, it took me a long time to discover adventurous hobbies and interests that I didn’t even know I was so passionate about. These are the hobbies that now put the biggest smile on my face and fill my soul with purpose.
The 'Who Knit Ya' Mission
My first love is snowboarding. This is where it all started for me. Now I want to give back and help others find their thing!
The objective of the Who Knit Ya? brand is to raise awareness about adventure sports and how adventures in nature can help our overall wellness. Our first goal is to establish a snowboard program in Natuashish, Labrador. Snowboarding provides physical activity during the winter months, it's a great way to connect with and be in nature, and can be an enlightening perspective of how awesome winter can be!
Adventure is meaningful, therapeutic, and for some, life changing. When thinking of healthy living and improving our overall health, adventure need not to be overlooked in the realm of wellness. I hope that Who Knit Ya can help provide that connection in addition to using proceeds to start a new program for kids in the land of long winters.
Who Knit Ya? is a line of stickers and patches for sale.
We are currently raising funds to create snowboard programs for kids in Northern Labrador.
Sticker: $3.00 🇨🇦 Patch: $7.00
You can buy these stickers or patches at the Newfoundland Emporium (Corner Brook), Georgestown Cafe and Bookshelf (St. John's), and Wool Trends (St. John's)! Stay tuned for more places to buy these stickers in the upcoming weeks.
If you or your company would like to help us sell our stickers/patches, be sure to drop us an email at [email protected]
Final Thoughts
When you hear, WHO KNIT YA?, we hope you will connect with our theme of outside the box thinking, adventure, and finding your thing. Whether it be snowboarding, or going for an afternoon stroll through the park, we hope that ‘Who Knit Ya?’ can be your link between adventure and wellness.
Special thanks to Brittany Noseworthy for the fantastic sticker/patch logo design, and Scott LeDrew for being by my side as we bring this idea to life.
Shout out to Vic Cole for the endless brainstorming and ideas when this whole idea started.
Who Knit Ya is the creation of Jenna Brake in partnership with Snowboard Labrador and First Nations Snowboard Association.