Deanne Fitzpatrick is a renowned artist and writer who believes that rug hooking and creativity deepens and enriches lives. She has exhibited widely, including two solo exhibits at The Art Gallery of Nova Scotia. Deanne has written eight books, received an honorary doctorate from Mount Saint Vincent University and was awarded The Order of Canada for her contribution to advancement rug hooking as an art form.

Anna Hunter is a first-generation sheep farmer and wool mill owner in Eastern Manitoba, Treaty One Territory. She is passionate about building community and connecting rural fibre farmers with urban consumers, fibre artists, and crafters. Anna believes that regenerative agriculture and climate-beneficial food and clothing are integral to moving forward as farmers, fibre artists and Manitobans, and she is passionate about growing a vibrant Canadian wool industry. Her first book Sheep, Shepherd and Land,  came out in 2023. And her Bestselling book The True Cost of Wool released in June 2025.  Learn more about Anna and her farm and wool mill at longwayhomestead.com.

Sarah Schira is a Canadian knitting designer who loves gnomes. A lot.

To her delight, thousands of knitters around the world have been #NeverNotGnoming with her. When Sarah’s not knitting gnomes, she’s working on knitting accessories for everyday adventures, filming tutorials for her YouTube channel, and planning cycling trips. 

Dawn Barker is a wool dyer and knitwear designer known for her innovative work in assigned pooling, rhythmic slipped stitch colorwork, texture knitting, and color theory for knitters. Her designs are characterized by clean, modern shapes, featuring classic, deeply saturated colors. A lifelong fiber enthusiast with a background in fine arts, Dawn founded Barker Wool in 2017, where she shares her hand-dyed yarns and unique knitting designs. She enjoys balancing the creative freedom of dyeing with the structured discipline of designing practical, wearable knitwear. Residing in Amarillo, Texas with her husband and two sons, Dawn continues to push the boundaries of knitting, leaving an indelible mark on the worldwide fiber community.

Keith Leonard began his knitting journey when he joined a lunch time knitting program in elementary school. Once the knitting bug bit, the itch never went away. After graduating from college, he started a knitwear finishing business called Knits All Done, completing hundreds of finishing projects for clients all over the United States. His finishing expertise organically transitioned into teaching knitting classes, and he has taught his skills to thousands of knitters throughout the country. In 2019 Keith started his own yarn line, yarnsnobyarns.com, and he currently spends his days producing astonishingly vibrant skeins to put in the hands of knitters.