Aleks Byrd is a knitwear designer and illustrator whose work reflects a rich blend of heritage and creativity. With roots in the USA, Estonia, and Canada, Aleks draws inspiration from all three cultures, though her Estonian heritage remains a central influence in her designs. She skillfully integrates traditional Estonian knitting techniques into contemporary patterns, creating pieces that are both modern and connected to the past. As a self-proclaimed ambassador for Estonian knitting, Aleks is passionate about preserving these little-known techniques, giving them a fresh, wearable twist that resonates with knitters today. 

In addition to her design work, Aleks shares her expertise through popular workshops, where she teaches these unique methods to knitters of all levels. Her background in illustration adds a distinct visual flair to her knitwear, with a playful use of colour and pattern that makes her designs both enjoyable and rewarding to knit. Her portfolio of designs includes individual patterns as well as those published in The Knitter magazine and Laine Magazine as well as books like her llatest book Traditions Revisited – Modern Estonian Knits. Whether through her patterns or her workshops, Aleks brings a vibrant and accessible approach to traditional knitting, making it exciting for a new generation of makers.

As a former superintendent of schools, Director of Research & Technology,
teacher, principal, and librarian, Jane thornley has lived many lives in her first set
of careers. Now she has graduated (in other words, she’s retired) into her best life
and flying free.
She has lead an online knitting community called the Inspired Knitters Club for a
decade as well as taken knitting groups on evocative knitting tours worldwide. She
calls her knitting style ‘free-range’ because her patterns are more like recipes than
traditional patterns and she encourages knitters to explore outside the lines using
a mixture of yarns and textures.
These days, she mostly writes novels. Her historical mystery thriller novels
featuring an art historian who also knits has become so popular that it has
absorbed her full-time.

Originally coming to Mongolia as a Peace Corps volunteer in 2010, Jon Hetts founded ULA+LIA to provide products made fully of Mongolian raw materials produced 100% in Mongolia. The incredible fibers harvested from free-range animals raised by traditional herders in the countryside to the workmanship of the industrial sector in Mongolia create unique and high-quality items specific to the country. Currently providing a range of knitting yarns, we have ambitions to also provide bespoke ready-to-wear items in the future.

Barb Barone and Cynthia Hyslop are teachers, makers, sisters, content creators and former yarn shop owners. Since closing their bricks and mortar shop in 2023, Barb and Cynthia have opened their Yarniversity and have been offering online classes, make-a-longs, tutorials and community building events. These sisters have extensive experience in corporate training, management and presentation. But it was their experience as yarn shop owners that honed their skills for teaching. 

Barb and Cynthia have always offered workshops as part of their LYS offerings. For over 20 years, they’ve been educating and supporting their customers and have a knack for helping you to feel welcome and at ease in their classes. They have a wide range of interests and areas of expertise that incorporate: knitting, crochet, spinning, machine knitting, colour and yarn choices. As yarn shop owners, they are also creative problem solvers!

And now, Barb and Cynthia are sharing their yarn shop knowledge and expertise with makers around the globe, via live (and recorded) virtual classes that you can attend whenever and wherever you like to learn. Come and ask questions, build new skills at your pace and gain confidence in your abilities with Barb and Cynthia as your coaches.

In/near Kitchener-Waterloo:

Stephanie Earp was born in Toronto, studied in Chicago, Boston and Kingston, and now lives in Montreal. She came to knitting in her twenties when she mistook a copy of Vogue Knitting for Vogue. She made one of the sweaters from that issue and never looked back. Stephanie’s designs have appeared in Laine’s 52 Weeks of Shawls, Pom Pom Quarterly, Vogue Knitting, Knitty, Cascade’s Quick Knit series and Making Stories magazine.

She is a co-owner of a lovely yarn shop in Montreal called, Espace Tricot.
(You may remember Stephanie as the adjudicator of the KWKG show in 2023.)

In/near Kitchener-Waterloo: