This month we asked Elizabeth from Sweet Paprika to answer 5 questions so we can get to know more about this Montreal-based business run by two sisters.
Q1) What makes your business unique? Tell us about something that we won’t find anywhere else.
We’re a small hand-dyed yarn business based in Montreal. Since the beginning we’ve designed knitting and crochet patterns as well as dyeing yarn, so when we create our dye colourways we’re thinking about how the yarn will look when it’s knit up, not just how it looks in the skein.
We’ve been working with Canadian yarns for a long time and over the years have developed relationships with several farmers and mills. Something that you won’t find anywhere else is our Norwood yarn which is custom-spun for us at Wellington Fibres from Norbouillet fleeces we purchase from Pine Hollow Farm in Ontario. Allison, the farmer at Pine Hollow, calls the fleece from her flock “Norbouillet” as it is a Rambouillet cross that she has been breeding for so many years that it is now specific to her farm. It truly is a special yarn that is both soft and wears very well.
Our interest in bringing unique and local yarns to knitters is what inspired us to start our Beyond Merino yarn club which explores different breed-specific yarns and provides club members with info about what makes each wool special.
Q2) Tell us about your team.
We’re two sisters, Debbie and Elizabeth, who started our business together in 2007. Debbie’s a colour wizard and is the head of our dye studio, and Elizabeth has expertise as a tech editor so focuses more on the pattern side and on our website. We work very collaboratively on planning projects and find it’s helpful to be able to bounce ideas off each other!
The two of us do the majority of the planning and backend work of running the business, but we also have a wonderful part-time dye studio assistant who’s been working with us for over four years now. She dyes yarn, ships packages, and helps us to keep things running smoothly at the studio. With the addition of our yarn clubs, recently we’ve brought in a couple of young employees who help us out occasionally with things like stamping boxes and labeling yarn.
Q3) What are some new and upcoming things our membership should be on the lookout for at your shop?
We just launched a new yarn club! Our bi-monthly Skill Builder Box yarn club focuses on a different knitting technique with each box, from mosaic knitting to steeking to brioche. For this club we’re collaborating with some of our favourite designers to create new patterns showcasing the techniques we’ll be exploring. Each box includes hand-dyed yarn, photo and video tutorials, and an exclusive pattern from our featured designer.
We really enjoy creating educational yarn clubs that combine beautiful yarn with the opportunity to deepen your knowledge. With this new club we’re excited to help people develop their skills and dive into things that might seem intimidating by making them approachable.
We’re also excited about an upcoming collaboration with designer Nidhi Kansal who’s creating a new pattern for our Grazioso yarn. Grazioso is a lovely silk and linen blend, and it’s one of our favourite yarns for summer. We’re planning a big Grazioso restock in early June to coincide with Nidhi’s pattern release.
Q4) How does your community contribute to your business?
Our community has always been an important aspect of our business. In the early days we held knitting teas in our living room and eventually outgrew that and switched to organizing meetups around the city of Montreal. Since Covid we’ve hosted monthly knitting teas on Zoom which has expanded our community in geographic terms!
With all the changes and challenges of social media, we’ve moved to hosting our Sweet Paprika online community on the Mighty Networks platform (no algorithm and no ads!). We’ve got a nice group going, so feel free to join us if you’d like to share what you’re working on, ask for advice, share tips and chat with crafty friends.
And of course, we always enjoy connecting in-person too and are looking forward to Knit City Montreal this year where we’ll be vending in the marketplace!
Q5) What project are you dreaming about doing next?
I’m itching to cast on Cuslett which Jennifer Beale designed for our Elora yarn. I adore Jennifer’s designs and loved knitting her La Manche cardigan which I wear all the time.
