Discover knitwear designer Alicia Plummer in this Maker Spotlight Q&A -- where she shares her design philosophy, favorite patterns, and the heartfelt stories behind her timeless, wearable knits.

In honor of Mother’s Day, we wanted to do something extra special -- so we turned our Thread & Maple Maker Spotlight on a few amazing women in the fiber arts community who are not only talented indie dyers and makers, but also share their creative journey with their children by their side. Talk about a dream team! Throughout May, we’ve been sharing the stories of four inspiring mother-child duos who are blending business, bonding, and a whole lot of color. From dyeing skeins with tiny hands helping mix the pots, to packing orders together and dreaming big as a family, these makers remind us that creativity and connection go hand in hand. In this post, we’ve gathered all four spotlights in one cozy place, so you can get to know these incredible moms and their co-creators. Prepare to be inspired (and maybe a little misty-eyed)! Let’s dive in and meet the teams behind the magic! 💕 First up in the spotlight is Judy of @7thFloorYarn: ❓️ Please introduce yourselves! Who is on the 7th Floor Yarn team? How long have you been "officially" working together? "7th Floor Yarn kicked off in 2017 as a mom-and-daughter team, Judy and Amanda. We ran the show together until January 2025, when it segued to a mom-and-son duo. Even though Amanda isn't hitting the festival scene anymore, she’s still around for brainstorming and whipping up color recipes. Currently Steven has taken over as my right-hand man. All our dyeing happens on a four-burner stove in our cozy 7th-floor apartment in Westchester County, NY. We’ve got a knack for tonal colors and offer several different fibers and bases, from lace to chunky, both non-superwash & superwash. You’ll find yak, silk, merino, alpaca, and nylon in our lineup. Plus, our cool laser-cut and UV printed wood products come from Laser Life Design, which is a small business owned by my husband. Check out our unique yarn boxes, gauge squares, and knit/crochet signs." ❓️ What does a typical workday look like for you as a team? "A typical day at 7th Floor Yarn, Inc. goes something like this: We prepare yarn for dying, mix the colors we are making that day. Presoak skeins, then dye them. Rinse, dry, wind and label. And just like that, they're ready to find a new home." ❓️ What advice would you give to other family members thinking about starting a business together? "One essential piece of advice we can offer families considering starting a business together is to have a business plan. Also, it makes sense to have a general idea of each person’s responsibilities and how much time they are able to commit to the business." Meet @AppleBlossomYarn! 🍎🌸 🧶 ❓️ Please introduce yourselves! Who is on the Apple Blossom Yarn team? "Our names are Kristen and Sari, and we are the co-owners/dyers of Apple Blossom Yarn! We both work full-time jobs as well as running this business together, not to mention both being busy moms. Speaking of which, Kristen is Sari's mom! We have a large blended family, so Kristen has six adult children and one teenager still at home, as well as seven delightful grandchildren. One of those grandchildren is Sari's daughter, Zoe! Our team also consists of one minion - Kristen's youngest, Skye! Skye is a delightfully quirky unicycling teenager, who helps us out quite a lot when their busy schedule allows - especially when they are trying to save money for a new unicycle!" ❓️ How did you first decide to start dyeing yarn together? "We both had independent fantasies about having some kind of creative business, especially related to yarn. We've both been knitting and/or crocheting for at least 10 years, and longer for Kristen especially. Ever since we were introduced to the hand-dyed yarn world, we have been fascinated by the process and day-dreaming about colorways we would try to create if we could. However, it always felt like such a hurdle to get started, especially with the equipment needed and some fear of putting ourselves out there, too! Then, about 8 or 9 months ago (we don't actually know the official date), Sari started tallying up a list of what it would cost to get some bare minimum equipment, and Kristen impulsively went out and bought some bare yarn and dye! From there we ended up just diving in! So to be honest, it was a long-time dream that was impulsively acted upon. We both work in burn-out heavy fields in our day jobs (nursing for Kristen, and education for Sari), so our impulsivity was definitely spurred on by a desire to do something more creatively fulfilling. " ❓️ Do you have a favorite memory from a fiber festival that you’ve attended together? "Oh gosh, neither of us like picking favorites! However, attending Flock Fiber Festival together for both years, and feeling that magical Disneyland-esque euphoria when you're surrounded by people who all love the same thing is definitely high on the list! Kristen especially enjoyed seeing Sari have a nervous breakdown and be moved to tears when meeting Toni Lipsey last year at Flock." ❓️ Please introduce yourselves! Who is on the @ScrumptiousPurl team? "Scrumptiouspurl began about eight years ago, sparked by Samantha’s desire to dye her own yarn. Her curiosity quickly led to learning how to create self-striping yarn—and once our  knitting friends saw the socks we were making, they immediately wanted some too! That initial interest caught the attention of the yarn shop, which saw the potential for a unique new yarn line and placed an order. At that point, Samantha realized she could use some help—and I was more than happy to say yes. Everything came together naturally. We have  always been very close, so working together felt like a seamless decision. The only adjustment we had to make was setting boundaries to separate work from personal time, since we found ourselves talking about yarn even outside of work! Eventually, Samantha took the exciting next step of starting a family and embracing that role fully, while I took over day-to-day operations and dyeing. Samantha still plays an important part behind the scenes, always offering her insight and input into the business." ❓️ If you could dye yarn inspired by any vacation or place you’ve been together, what would it be? "For a while now, we’ve wanted to create a Disney-themed Colour Club. Disney holds so many magical memories for us -- from childhood visits with my parents, to taking my own kids, and now watching Samantha’s little ones experience the magic. The inspiration is endless, and we’re excited to bring that joy into our yarn. Maybe it’s time for another trip -- for research purposes, of course!" ❓️ Please introduce yourselves! Who is on the @FrankieGreyFibers team? How long have you been "officially" working together?⁠⁠"Hi! We’re Jodi [@jodibrowndesigns] and Jordyn [@jordyndanyluk], the mother-daughter duo behind Frankie Grey Fibres. We’ve been creating together for over five years, and every day is a joy. We’re a small business dyeing all our yarn out of our kitchen—for now!—and we pour our hearts into every skein."⁠⁠❓️ Do you have specific day-to-day duties, or do you each do a little bit of everything? ⁠⁠"While we both know the ins and outs of the entire dyeing process, we each have our specialties: Jodi brings the magic to our solid colorways, and Jordyn is the mastermind behind most of our speckled yarns. Everything else—well, that’s a true team effort." ⁠⁠❓️ Where do you find inspiration for your colorways? Do you each have a different creative process?⁠⁠"Our color inspiration comes from the little moments in everyday life. It might be a vibrant sign on a city street or a beautiful image we stumble upon while scrolling Pinterest. Jodi gravitates toward bold neons, deep tones, and heavy speckles, while Jordyn is drawn to soft pastels and dreamy palettes. Together, we strike the perfect balance—blending our unique styles to create yarns that are as varied and creative as the makers who use them."⁠ Whether it’s dyeing yarn, packing orders, or dreaming up the next big idea together, these moms show us that running a handmade business doesn’t have to mean doing it alone. Sometimes, your greatest collaborator might just be your kiddo with dye-stained fingers and big ideas of their own. To all the amazing maker moms out there: thank you for inspiring us with your artistry, your heart, and your hustle. And to the next generation of fiber artists growing up in dye studios and craft rooms: you’re already making the world a more colorful place.  

Susanne's use of color and texture make her knitwear garments and accessories absolute showstoppers.<

Silbia Ro is the color curator, dyer, and hand-spinner behind Camellia Fiber Company, and we're delighted to feature her beautiful work in December 2024's Maker Spotlight.

Ana-Maria's eye-catching designs are a gorgeous blend of color, texture, and style, turning crocheted garments into magic.

Known for her cute colorwork motifs, interchangeable designs, and all the customization your heart could desire, Jamie has a special place in our Insta feeds.

Known for her cozy designs, stunning colorwork, and equally stunning backdrops, Weichen Chan, of The Petite Knitter, has a special place in our hearts.

Step out of your comfort zone and into the daring and fabulous world of colorful brioche. 

Known for her relaxing-to-knit but stunning-to-wear designs

Known for his phenomenal photos, hilarious reels, and poignant posts, Christopher Lewis of Flannel & Purls has a special place in our hearts. We're thrilled to share his fabulous advice on style, knitting newbies, and what would happen if you threatened his stash with a flamethrower.

Rich vibrant colourways, incorporating inspiration from nature, African beadwork, music and emotion.

Knitwear designer & published author working with independent dyers to give their colourways and fibres beautiful form and texture

The July T&M Maker Spotlight is on Karina Moore, creator of @louielolayarns in Tasmania. Karina brought Thread & Maple to knitters of Australia and we've developed a long-distance, yet close friendship since :)  Karina not only runs her own LYS, she also dyes an exquisite palette of complimentary tonal and variegated colourways on a range of gorgeous bases, including our fave Merino Silk Yak Fingering which we couldn't resist carrying in our own shop. She's recently had her first release of hand dyed spinning fibre as she continues on her fibre craft journey, learning to spin, weave and crochet. Karina is a true inspiration for us, as she is a talented creative spirit, skilled businesswoman and local community icon. L&L have been selected as Australia Post's Local Business Hero for 2022! Together with Tracie Millar, we have collaborated on two breast cancer fundraisers, which has been a true highlight for all of us. Karina brought together the Australian fibre arts community to raise over $20,000 for breast cancer research! We are fortunate and honoured to have connected with Karina has kindly shared some insightful Q&A's with the community. Q1: What advice would you give to someone starting to learn the dyeing process?Most definitely it would be to take detailed recipe notes for your colourways.  Whilst there's certainly creative value in dyeing just for fun and and by feel (and these can always be one-of-a-kind skeins) - it's often those OOAK colourways that you love the most and want to repeat, but without detailed notes they can be a challenge to replicate.  I think it's also about getting to know your dye pigments intimately.  One of the best pieces of advice I received from Hannah of Circus Tonic Handmade who taught me how to dye, was to stick with one dye brand and get to know how the strength and properties of each dye.  Every pigment will have it's own concentration and special properties.   Some will be more granular and others more powder like.  Some will be more concentrated and others easy to 'break', whilst others not so much.  It's about getting to know how each of your pigments will behave and which ones will be better for certain dyeing techniques such as speckling.  Developing an intimate understanding of your dye pigments will help in developing new colourways and achieving the results you are after.  I think it's about having fun and developing your own dyeing style & colour palette.  Dyeing what you love and what you are proud of is also important - you can't be everything to everyone, so getting to understand your own style is important and will bring you more creative fulfillment. Also appreciating that it's a creative journey, that there will be mistakes and that you'll evolve and change over time.  I look back now at some of my earlier colourways and ask myself 'what was I thinking' - but we all start somewhere and it's only through learning and spending time on developing our craft that we can later step back and appreciate the evolution in your own work and dyeing style.Q2: What do you find most rewarding about running your own business?I would say a couple of things.Firstly, it would be having the freedom to set my own creative direction and establish business processes that work best for myself and my customers - such as having fortnightly shop updates where I focus on dyeing up a complementary palette on one main yarn base, alternated with yarn club dyeing and dyed to orders.The other would be developing friendships and gettting to know customers, suppliers and others in the fibre community.  Given how passionate we all are about our crafting and the fact that we're located all over the world and what we've been through over the pandemic - having the opportunity to make online connections in the fibre arts interaction is more importrant now than ever.  Despite living and working from home in North West Tasmania, it's great to feel more connected than ever with our community and hearing that our yarns have brought enjoyment to people's projects and crafting is definitely the best part of being an indie dyer for me.Q3: What has been the biggest challenge for you and how have you tackled it?Trying (and failing) to teach my partner how to skein yarn, LOL!  Let's just say we gave up on that idea after a few weeks!Actually it was probably convincing him to let me take the plunge of quitting my full time job - to being self-employed and focusing 100% on Louie & Lola Yarns, but we got there in the end!It has also been learning to balance the demands of a small business with also setting aside 'off' time for myself.  When you work from home it can be all too easy to let your business take over your entire life, as there's something to be done - your to-do list is always there.I guess particularly in the early years when trying to build the business and get into a routine, my biggest challenge was learning to manage my time effectively - whilst also ensuring I set aside 'creative play time' in the dye pots and also time for my own personal crafting projects. ------------------------- Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us, Karina! We’re so happy to have had the opportunity to get to know you and work with you, you’re a true inspiration!Stay tuned for next month’s edition of Maker Spotlight! Meanwhile, check the L&L blog for our Q&A in reverse with Karina, where she turned the spotlight back onto us!

One of the most rewarding things that we've been lucky enough to experience in our journey as Thread & Maple, is connecting with so many talented makers in the fiber arts community. There is nothing like seeing our creations play a supporting role in all the beautiful needlecraft projects in the hands of knitwear designers, indie dyers, test knitters, teachers and fiber enthusiasts all over the world. We feel deeply grateful for the opportunity to be part of your creative process, your commitment to self-care, your artistic expression. While perusing all the beautiful photos that you've all shared using our items while creating, we had this concept of a "Maker Spotlight". The idea is to connect with a maker who really inspires us and share their story with the community. The first person who came to mind is CeCe @stitch.witch.craft, who has taken our Needle Binder along on her crafting journey in the recent debut of her video series "Letters". This is a small excerpt of her absolutely stunning videography and storytelling.   View this post on Instagram A post shared by Thread and Maple (@threadandmaple)     She has mastered the art of communicating the calm, connection and appreciation that stems from the creative process. Take a look for yourself on her YouTube channel Stitch Witch Craft We will be featuring CeCe’s selected works throughout the month of June, along with a Q&A where she will share her story. During the month of June, we will be sharing CeCe’s answers to some questions on her creative process to provide some advice and inspiration for fellow makers in the fiber arts community :)Q1: What is one piece of advice you’d give to someone starting out on a new project or creative endeavour?“Focus on what you need and on how you want the creative process to feel.I often have a specific creative mood I want to dig into (ex. romantic, bold, comforting) and I use that feeling to guide what I cast on. For example, what does a project that feels “romantic” look like? What kind of drape does the fabric have and what kind of yarn do I need to achieve it? Am I looking for the project to feel challenging and engaging as I work through it or do I need something slow and meditative? Asking “how do I want it to feel” when I wear a piece and as I make it helps align my creative drive with the project I am working on. It prevents me from feeling as if I am forcing a WIP that isn’t working for me. Be inspired by our broader knitting community but don’t knit something just because it’s new or trendy - knit what you need. “ Q2: What tools are indispensable for you in the art of making?“To be indispensable (for me) means that a tool minimizes barriers to my creative process. My big three tools are my needles, needle binder, and my yarn swift/winder. Together they decenter feelings like frustration or overwhelm and free up space for joy. I knew I needed an upgrade when I realized that most of the knitting frustration I experienced was me fighting my needles - poor quality cords and unreliable connectors took so much joy from the process. I found a set that worked for me and I’ve never looked back. My needle binder is part of why I’ve been able to do that - great needles don’t help much when you can’t keep track of them. My binder keeps everything organized and it is versatile enough that I can pull a page out to take my craft with me wherever I go. I love the confidence it gives me.Finally, someone once told me I should buy back time where I could afford to and that advice has been pivotal throughout my life. Having a swift and winder helps to protect my limited crafting time. I want to invest my energy in what fulfills me most. Between these three I worry less about “do I have enough time,” “where is that cord I need,” “is my needle disconnecting again” and more about “is this project fulfilling?” Crafting isn’t meant to be easy or perfect but I want my challenges to come from tackling a new technique or design - not my tools.  “ Q3: Where do you get your inspiration? Do you have a favourite trick or hack when brainstorming or ideating your next creative project?“Nature, always. I love how it is such a contradiction - delicate and strong, subtle and flashy, nurturing and challenging. I want to be as surrounded by nature as I can be and that’s where a lot of my creative drive comes from. I’ll watch the sunrise through the trees and think “it’d be so awesome to be wrapped up in this color” or see a fern and then end up at home looking up at lace patterns trying to find one that captures that look. I love the idea that even when I’m stuck indoors I can carry that connection to nature with me. But I am also trying to learn to respect the process. My biggest “trick” may seem a bit counterintuitive - but respect the ebbs and flows. With creativity or inspiration to craft - it’s natural that there be lulls at times. The worst thing I’ve found is applying pressure or guilt when you feel like you’re in a rut. We’re not meant to be endless sources of production or art. Let go. Rest periods are normal - and feeling like you’re in a rut is a signal that right now your job isn’t to produce art but to maybe…rest? That inspiration and creativity will come back, I promise. So respect the ebbs and flows.  “We are deeply touched and thankful for CeCe and all of you who have invited us into your home, your creative nook, your comfort space. ❤️ Thank you and stay tuned for next month's edition of Maker Spotlight!