Hi friends, Ever Google something a little bit random, but end up with unexpectedly awesome results? That happened to me today, and I'm still smiling. Yesterday, senior editor Miriam Osborne casually mentioned to me that she'd seen something about David Suzuki being a knitter, and said she thought that would be a neat thing to feature on the blog. I was having trouble deciding what to write about today until I remembered her words. Over to Google I went, and what should turn up? This photo of Canada's favourite environmentalist – with a larger-than-life knitted portrait of himself!* I know, it's awesome! The thing is, he didn't knit it. That sweater is the handiwork (quite literally) of the Vancouver-based knitwear design company Granted. Granted is in its second year of operation; it's an offshoot of a family-run business that's specialized in Canadian heritage sweaters since 1978. No, not the stereotypical curling-stones-and-sitting-ducks sweaters you're thinking of, but honest-to-goodness Cowichan sweaters, handmade of 100% wool in Vancouver. The old sweaters might have leaned toward traditional patterns, but these days Granted is pushing the envelope a little, tweaking those traditional intarsia designs into a collection of handknits with a decidedly modern edge. But don't think they've left Canadian heritage in the dust. One look at this fabulous custom-made CBC sweater (worn here by CBC Radio 3's Grant Lawrence) proves that Granted knows exactly where our hearts lie. (Read what Grant wrote about his sweater here.) And check out the back.... ...doesn't that just scream " Hockey Night in Canada?" Aside from the great designs, the other thing I like about Granted is that they use 100 per cent natural fibres from ethical producers, and their knitting is done by local knitters. Oh, that, and they're perfectly willing to spend 10 minutes talking on the phone to a complete stranger who calls for more information on a Wednesday afternoon. (Thanks for the chat!) Head over to the Granted website to find out more about their collections (2009 sweaters will be announced this fall), check out their blog to keep up on the news and visit their online store. (Granted also does custom work. Hello, best present ever!) *Love that David Suzuki sweater? It could be yours. It's going to be auctioned off, with proceeds going to the David Suzuki Foundation. Find out more. p.s. Don't forget to enter this week's contest.