News

We're pretty excited about our new leather envelope because it does SO. MANY. THINGS. And we just can't decide which function is our favorite. So we need your help! Will you use it as a luxury gift wrap, snazzy pattern holder, or stylish clutch?

You work hard. You deserve a discount. Are you a teacher? Are you an attorney? A librarian or small business owner? A nurse or accountant? No matter what you do, this labour day is for you. 

Snap, Hashtag, Overawe, and Win - A fun new contest. It's time to show yourself! Snap 📸 to win 1 of 5 fabulous prizes. How? It's this simple: Share a video or picture of how you use your favorite T&M product on Instagram or Facebook. Get the tags and hashtags inside.

Our needle binder gets a lot of love because... well... it's pretty awesome! But if a whole binder is not in your budget right now, no worries! You can still start storing your needles in style today, because our leather binder pages can serve as a single set knitting needle case!

The sale you've been waiting for has finally arrived. Get 20-40% off our perfectly imperfect products. That's right. The 2023 seconds sale kicks off today... but only for subscribers.  For everyone else, you'll get access to these amazing deals tomorrow. Unless, of course, you'd like to create an account & subscribe to get instant access!  Why would early access matter?  Because these perfectly imperfect products are highly limited or flat out one of a kind. And when they're gone, they're gone.  So if you see something you want, you'd better hurry. Click below to jump into our biggest, once-a-year sale! Jump On It 2023 Seconds Sale Q&A Q: What is a "second"?  Throughout the past year, we've amassed a collection of binders, clutches, folios, on the go's, project bags and notions that we set aside for one reason or another - we tend to be a bit perfectionist. A lot actually. These are absolutely beautiful items that work perfectly, but may have minor scratches, discolorations, spots, or other imperfections that didn't pass our quality check. We tend to be a bit perfectionist. A lot actually. So we have a good collection of binders, clutches, folios, on the go's, project bags and notions that we set aside for one reason or another that you can now get for 20-40% off! Q: Will there be binders?  A: Absolutely! We have several. And each binder is photographed and listed separately so you know exactly what your imperfection will be.  Q: Will I be able to select the exact item shown in the product picture?  A: Big ticket items, such as binders, clutches, Boundless Bags and folios are photographed and listed separately so you will be able to select the exact item you like, as if you were shopping in our physical shop. Smaller items, such as On the Go's, binder pages and notions are grouped into look-alike sets. You will be able to see example photos of the items and their imperfections, but the item you receive may not be the exact one in the photo. Our team carefully categorized and grouped all items, so you can be sure you will receive one that comes very close to the product photo. Show Me the Pictures Q: Can I return a Seconds Sale item?  A: All sales are final for the seconds sale, that's why we take the time to photograph and tag each large item individually.  Q: Is an item in my cart held for me?  A: It is not. The item is not yours until you've completed your check out. While we completely sympathise with the frustration of being cart-jacked (been there 🙋‍♀️), first come first served is the only way we can keep it fair.  Q: How exactly do I get instant access to the early sale?  A: On the top right corner of your screen, you'll see a little person icon. If you've already got an account, sign in. If you don't, sign up (and be sure to check the subscribe box). Once you've logged it, you will have access to the seconds sale.  Q: If I miss the item I want, when is the next Seconds Sale?  A: This is a once a year super sale. So that means you won't see another Seconds Sale until fall.   Shop It Like It's Hot On Your Mark, Get Set, Go! The green flag is waving. There are a lot of amazing products in the 2023 Seconds Sale. If you want to catch a steal, then it's time to go, go, go!  The Race Is On Best of luck! 

Today we get to introduce you to Megan Gonzalez of Nurture Knitwear, who is not only to an awesome knitwear designer, but also the newest member of our team here at Thread & Maple. She's known for her relaxing-to-knit but stunning-to-wear designs--one of which we get to share with you today! (Click to learn how to grab a free pattern!) So check out what Megan has to say about how knitting can empower women in tough situations, her #1 tip for learning something new, and exactly how crazy she was last year (hint: it involves a lot of sweaters). 

Meet the new baby of our luxurious leather knitting bag family--the Pop Up Bag. It's a bundle of joy when you pair it with our Pop Sock, an exclusive new self-striping colorway, your socks can match your bag. 

Want to care for the leather you love? Now you can with our carefully curated Leather Care Kit. We've taken all the guesswork out of choosing the right products. And now you can enjoy soft, glowing leather with a simple swipe.

You guys have the best ideas! We know because you tell us about them on Instagram or over email. We do our best to track them all, but sometimes we're unsure of how to decide which ones other makers would enjoy most. And that's why we've created the Ideathon!  Now you can not only tell us all about your ideas, you can also vote on which ones should be made into reality! How The Ideathon Works Head on over to the Ideathon Page to submit your ideas between now and midnight on July 27, 2023.  We've broken submissions into 2 categories:  - New Products - This is for brand new (to T&M) product ideas.  - Product Enhancements - This is for minor modifications to existing T&M products.    What You'll Need  Submitting is simple! All your need is:  - A description of your new or enhanced product.  - (Optional) A sketch or photo to illustrate your idea. Anyone can submit! And you can create as many submissions as you'd like. We just ask that you look through existing submissions first to make sure someone hasn't already nominated it first. In case of duplicates, the person who submitted the idea first will get all the votes for both idea cards. Get Out and Vote We need a big poster of Uncle Sam or Johnny Canuck pointing at you saying, "We Need Your Vote!" in big bubble letters because it's true!  We need your votes to help us decide which of these fantastic ideas should be considered for production. We want your voice heard, so get out to the polls... or, er, Ideathon Page and cast your votes today!  How the Ideathon Winners Are Chosen Well... it's like a combination of American Idol and The Great British Baking Show. Like American Idol, you, the voters, will spend 2 weeks voting up your favorite ideas. The creators of the 3 new product ideas with the most votes will receive a $200 CAD gift card to Thread & Maple!  Then our esteemed Great British Bakeoff-like judges will arrive to test the ideas for fit and feasibility (that would be Sam & Olga). They will choose at least one new product and one product enhancement idea to put into production!  Creators of the chosen products will be named Star Baker... no, that's not right 😝 Star Maker! Creators of the chosen products & enhancements will receive the first edition for free!  It All Started With An Idea... Do you know Thread & Maple's origin story? It all started with two friends and an idea for the Notions Clutch. A simple sketch turned into a product, and a product turned into a business that we love.  It was an amazing feeling to hold that first clutch in our hands. And we want to share that feeling with you!     Want to Know More?Then head on over to Ideathon Page, all rules and guidelines can be found at the bottom. We can't wait to see what you come up with!  Love, 

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.

In celebration of our 3rd anniversary we've got gifts and a giveaway just for you! Thank you for making this an amazing 3 years!

With the arrival of 3 tiny tots over the past 2 years, we've got our hands more than full! There are so many tasks and projects that we wish we could take on at Thread & Maple, but we simply don't have time to do it all. We're looking for someone to help us with our e-mail marketing and we would absolutely love to find a fellow maker to join our small team. If you have experience with e-mail marketing and would be interested in working with us, please apply below, we'd love to hear from you! About the job... This is a remote working opportunity as an independent contractor, meaning you can set your own hours and work from home. We would be looking for 25-35 hours/week of your time, with a least 2-3 EST daytime workweek hours, the rest is up to you. In this role you will play a hands-on role in taking ownership of e-mail campaigns through ideation, execution, and reporting. Our ideal candidate knows everything about email marketing best practices and has basic HTML and CSS skills. You can analyze and review the state of our email campaigns across batch, lifecycle, and transactional emails and prepare recommendations on how to improve segmentation and personalization. With an appetite for innovation, in one moment you will be analyzing campaign metrics and in the next, you’ll be leading an upcoming campaign. You will be very much hands-on, taking ownership of your campaigns through ideation, execution, and reporting. In this role you will: Own the email channel; including automated lifecycle, acquisition, and transactional emails, as well as batch promotions and newsletters. Build segments and understand customer behaviour, optimizing the customer journey. Write engaging, on-brand copy and create well-structured, visually appealing e-mail templates. Develop and execute email marketing strategies to support new product launches, collaborations and special events. Build and maintain an email marketing calendar. Analyze and gather campaign KPI's and make data-driven decisions. Identify A/B testing opportunities, execute and optimize against your results. Stay on top of new trends in email best practice, content and strategy.   The qualifications and experience we like to see: Have 3+ years of marketing experience, with at least 2 years in email and marketing automation. Extensive experience working with a top-tier Email Service Provider (ESP) - ideally Klaviyo, Omnisend - including functionality, data integration/APIs, building dynamic content. Are a skilled wordsmith who knows how to engage readers and drive action through email. Analytically driven, with proven success in translating data into insights and action. Understand how to think through the customer journey that surrounds the email experience. Basic understanding of HTML, CSS and JavaScript. Knowledge of email best practices. Solid understanding of CAN-SPAM and CASL compliance. Strong communication skills and ability to work with different people. Ability to manage multiple projects and priorities. Interest in knitting/crochet/crafts highly desirable Why members of our team love working at Thread & Maple: Competitive salary. Flexible schedule. Flexible vacation policy. Employee discount on our products. Investment in training, mentoring, and career development. If you think you would be a good fit for this role, please apply here. We can't wait to welcome you! *** Update: This position has been filled! Thanks so much for your interest in working with us. Follow us on Instagram to stay abreast of any future openings :) ***

A knitting project bag is an essential accessory for any knitter, whether you're a beginner or an expert. It not only keeps your yarn and needles organized, but it also makes it easy to take your knitting with you on the go. In this article, we'll take a look at how to select the right knitting project bag, what factors to consider, and some recommendations. When choosing a knitting project bag, one of the most important factors to consider is size. You'll want to choose a bag that is large enough to hold all of your knitting essentials, such as yarn, needles, and patterns. However, you'll also want to choose a bag that is not too large, as a bag that is too big can be cumbersome and difficult to carry. Another important factor to consider is the type of closure. Some bags have a zipper closure, while others have a drawstring closure. Zipper closures are great for keeping your knitting essentials secure, while drawstring closures are more convenient for easy access to your knitting. If you plan on keeping your skein in your bag while you knit on the go, a zippered closure might not be the best fit since the thread can snag on the zipper teeth. Another factor to consider is the material of the bag. Some bags are made of canvas or nylon, which are durable and easy to clean. Others are made of a fabric, which can be more stylish but less durable. At Thread & Maple, our knitting project bags are handmade from quality genuine leather, which is both beautiful and long-lasting. We also offer our this unique project bag called the Cork Necessaire, crafted from Portuguese cork leather, which is not only gorgeous and sustainable, but easy to clean, durable and water-resistant. When it comes to organization, you'll want to consider if you want a bag that has pockets or compartments for storing needles, patterns, and other accessories. Some bags have a built-in notions pouch, which is a great way to keep all of your knitting essentials in one place. If there's a project bag you like that lacks a lot of pockets, a great option is to buy separate knitting tool cases, such as the Notions Clutch or On the Go, and keep them in your bag along with your work-in-progress project and yarn. Finally, you'll want to consider the style of the bag. There are many different styles of knitting project bags available, from functional and practical to stylish and trendy. Choose a bag that reflects your personal style and that you'll enjoy carrying around. With these factors in mind, here are some recommendations for great knitting project bags: The Everyday Tote This bag is made of high-quality genuine leather, with a timeless elegant style. Inside is a generous space for your knitting project and accessories, including an ample inner pocket for easy access to your essentials. The Cork Necessaire This bag has a sturdy zipper closure and is made of genuine Portuguese cork. We designed it to stand on its own with a 12cm (5 inch) deep flat base. It comfortably holds a medium-sized 4-5 skein project, such as a light cardigan or scarf. It comes with a detachable wrist strap for easy carrying. The Leather Pochette This petite elegant bag is made to fit a 1-2 skein project, with an inner zip pocket and compartments that designed to fit an On the Go and leather retractable tape measure. It snaps shut with discreet magnets, making it the perfect pouch for snag-free knitting. You can even keep your tapestry needles handy by sticking them to the little “x” on the inner lip. The Pochette comes with a matching wrist strap and you can add on an optional leather tassel as well. The Boundless Bag This is the ultimate large and luxurious leather tote - a guaranteed head-turner! Originally designed as a knitting project bag, it unzips at both sides to lay near-flat to serve as a delicate bed for your large project while knitting on the go. Its ability to unfurl like this is extremely practical when searching for a small item within and the zips give it a unique stylish flair. Inside there is a zip pocket for your notions or small accessories and two slip pockets for your phone and wallet. It closes with discreet snaps both ways, so that you can cinch it lengthwise for a more compact dumpling shape. When choosing a knitting project bag, be sure to consider the size, closure, material, organization, and style that best suits your needs. With so many great options available, you're sure to find the best knitting project bag for your projects.

Meet the newest member of the T&M team ☺️Baby Sofia decided to arrive a full month ahead of schedule on Friday, April 28th after a very stressful few days. Mama Olga and family are enjoying these precious first days of newborn snuggles, marvelling at her scrumptious tiny toes and settling into life as a family of four 💓We are very grateful that everything worked out, to be able to share this nugget of joy with you. Due to her unexpected early arrival, we haven't had a chance to share our new products with you in time for delivery on Mother's Day. Here's hoping fellow mums understand our predicament and accept some lovingly belated knitty gifts. Enjoy 10% off store-wide from Saturday May 13th to end of day EST Monday May 15th :) Wishing all the mamas out there a most amazing, knitful Mother's Day!

Thread & Maple is proudly a women-owned small business. We invite you to celebrate Women's Day by treating yourself or a woman in your life to something special from our little shop :) From 9am EST March 8th to 11:59pm EST March 9th, enjoy 15% off everything in store! Simply click 'checkout' and the discount will be applied to your entire purchase automatically. Please note that this discount can't be combined with any other offer. BROWSE SHOP   Thank you for choosing our products! ❤️

All our leather accessories are handcrafted by an incredibly talented team of leather workers in Ukraine. They are all hard at work handcrafting Needle Binders, despite the ongoing chaos that surrounds them each day. We thought we’d show you all a behind-the-scenes of their process and shed some light on the challenges they're facing. These lovely talented folks have faced so much hardship this past year. When the war broke out, they repurposed their leather studio into a Molotov cocktail production factory. They teamed up with other local small businesses to provide aid and refuge to people fleeing conflict from the Eastern parts of the country. As news of the war have been substantially muted for us in the West, their reality is still very far from 'back to normal'. There are daily power outages across the country lasting anywhere between 2 and 10 hours. They have been forced to huddle in one small room, powered by a generator and heated by a small wood-burning stove. They play music and chat, as missile strike alarms continue to sound over the city. The police, along with army officials came into the office today and took all the male workers. They are no longer leather artisans, but soldiers. Needless to say their world has been turned upside down. It's unimaginable. With the airspace closed to commercial carriers for shipping, leather shortages and several of our zips/snaps/buckles providers having either gone out of business or having had their businesses physically destroyed, we've faced our share of setbacks in 2022. One thing is certain - we are very grateful for your continued support. When you purchase a Needle Binder, or any of our leather accessories, you are enabling a lot of hardworking folks to be able to support their families during a very difficult time, when their options are extremely limited. Deepest thanks for all your shares, comments, purchases, referrals, reviews and kind e-mails. We are forever grateful and hope for peace in 2023 ♥️ - Sam & Olga

The December T&M Maker Spotlight is on the talented crochet designer behind Visuvios Crafts. We met Vincent at Rhinebeck and were instantly drawn in by his warmth and friendly nature. His crafting style is so unique, using rich vibrant colourways and incorporating inspiration from nature, African beadwork, music and emotion. He is a truly inspiring maker and we are really excited to share his story with you this month! We are fortunate and honoured to have connected with Vincent who has kindly shared some insightful Q&A's with the community. Q1: Where do you draw your inspiration when working on a new design?    I love to source my inspiration from everything around me. Of course, I love finding visual inspiration from shapes, colors, and forms in nature. However, I really love drawing inspiration from a sound, scent, or feeling. To translate those intangible items into a physical storybook, aka knitted/crochet design, is one of my favorite parts of what we do.Q2: What resources would you recommend for someone wanting to learn to knit or crochet? What are your favourite podcasts/blogs/books to learn new techniques?    If you enjoy learning through video format, I recorded an almost 90 minute Knitting 101 course with Skillshare and my friend Toni Lipsey recorded a wonderful Crochet Essentials course. Both of those full comprehensive classes will get you on your feet and stitching with confidence at whatever pace you'd like to work at, ie. don't be afraid to hit that pause and rewind button over and over again.     As a knitter, I've really enjoyed learning new skills from Staci of VeryPinkKnits on Youtube and Toni of TLYarnCrafts' Youtube channel has a ton of tutorials, vlogs, and honest product reviews. As for books, I have always shouted from the mountaintops that Modern Crochet by Teresa Carter (designer behind DeBrosse) is the crocheter's holy grail. Q3: What has been your hands down favourite project recently and why?    I have loved, loved, loved working on my Undulate Shawl because it has the best of both worlds; a mindless knitting section, but also a section that lets any colorway shine on the fabric. The shawl has been designed with dk weight yarn from LolaBeanYarn Co. and the colorway feels like all of your favorite things about autumn.   ------------------------- Thank you so much for sharing your thoughts with us, Vincent! We're so excited on our upcoming collaboration with you! Vincent is helping us design a crochet page for our Needle Binder! If you crochet, please take a minute to leave us your feedback here, we'll be incorporating suggestions from all our crochet enthusiasts!Stay tuned for next month’s edition of Maker Spotlight!

We’re so excited to share our joint creation with Reshma, the lovely and talented creator behind Hello Lavender.  We had been in awe of her work for quite some time. She has an uncanny ability to capture the delightful intricacies of the natural world in her craft. Her one-of-a-kind handcrafted stitch markers and earrings are simply irresistible! We love connecting with like-minded makers and were thrilled at the opportunity to work with her. Together, we’ve created the Nature’s Craft Bundle, which includes: A stunning Hello Lavender 4-pc removable stitch marker set, featuring a ficus elastica tree. The ficus tree has a characteristic variegated colour profile on its leaves that Reshma has captured perfectly! A T&M new Leather Notions Zip in a limited edition rich dark green colour, featuring the Hello Lavender emblem embossed on one of the zip pulls    Bundles will be available this Saturday November 19 @12pm EDT | 11am CT | 9am PT in both shops, priced at $95CAD / $80USD. To support our shared values of women’s rights and importance of availability of quality reproductive care for women and families in North America, we will both donate 10% of sales to Planned Parenthood. This has been such a fun project for us and we hope you enjoy what we’ve created!

💞We’ve gone PINK in support of breast cancer research💞   Together with The Grocery Girls and Louie & Lola Yarns, with the support of our generous friends in the fibre arts community, we’re hosting a fundraiser / giveaway event to raise awareness funds for breast cancer🎗 Donate for a chance to win daily knitty prizes and one of EIGHT grand prizes, featuring: ✨ our new Hope & Sunshine bundle, featuring a rose ribbon mini bucket bag, the new very special Hope & Sunshine sock pattern by @just_tracie and coordinating colourway skein set by @louielolayarns ✨a T&M Needle Binder ✨3 rosy skein bundles by North America’s finest indie dyers ✨ a pink ribbon T&M leather pochette ✨ a pink ribbon T&M Notions Clutch ✨ the very last Fleurs des Champs limited edition wine pochette and @julie_asselin Leizu trio ** TO ENTER ** From now until October 29th, Donate to the T&M and Grocery Girls joint fundraiser page T&M + GG Fundraiser       Each day’s donors will be entered into the daily raffle prize draw, from which both we and Tracie & Jodi will each draw a winner. All donors will be entered into the grand prize drawing on Saturday, October 29th at 12pm EDT / 10am MDT 🏆 For more chances to win, be sure to donate to our Aussie counterpart Karina Moore’s fundraiser page also, there are some truly spectacular bundles up for grabs! Be sure to follow @louielolayarns on Instagram for details! Set your alarms for 12pm EDT / 10am MDT/ 10am AEDT not only for the grand prize drawing but also the launch of our Hope & Sunshine limited edition bundles, which will be available to purchase for $130CAD / $95USD in the Thread and Maple, Grocery Girls Knit and Louie and Lola Yarns web shops! We will all donate $20CAD/$25AUD from each sale to the fundraiser ☺️ Quantities limited, so don’t miss out! This couldn’t have been possible without the support of our generous sponsors. The incredible raffle prize bundles feature donations from these talented dyers, yarn shops and fibre artists: A HUGE thank you to our very generous sponsors and friends: The Good Shepherd CeCe's wool Dirty Water Dye Works  Sheep's Shed Foster Sheep Farm Junk Yarn Sonder Yarn Co. Scrumptious Purl Miss Babs Wool and Waves Knitting Loft Julie Asselin Gauge Dye Works Statement Junkie Brine Dyeworks Tanis Fiber Arts Neighbourhood Fiber Co. Kitty With A Cupcake Yarn Boler Black Purl Magic By The Lakeside The Crafty Jackalope Dimond Laine yarn Frankie Grey Fibres High Country Wool hue loco Knit Collage Lolabean Yarn Co. Mrs. Brown's Bags mYak Tibetan Fibers Pearadise Island Thank you all so much for your support, we’re so excited to share this with you! 💗 Donate to Enter    

We have teamed up with Scrumptiouspurl to raise funds to help the children of Ukraine go back to school this fall. We have created a very special Knit for Kids of Ukraine bundle, featuring Scrumptiouspurl self-striping yarn, our On the Go and new glass fused stitch markers, all themed blue & yellow for Ukraine's colours. We will be donating 15% sale proceeds to UNICEF and running a Needle Binder Giveaway for all donors to our fundraiser. At Thread & Maple, we have been touched by the war in Ukraine on a very personal level. I (Olga), was born in Ukraine and have family there. It breaks my heart to see the devastating effects of the war on Ukrainian cities, families and schools. Our team at T&M has unfortunately been impacted by this crisis directly as well. Each one of our leather pieces is handcrafted by our young and talented leather artisan team in Lviv. When the war first broke out, our workshop there had to close. Thankfully, the studio located in the Western-most major city and our team remains safe and sound. They set aside their leathercraft tools and put their skills towards fundraising, taking in displaced families and mass-producing Molotov Cocktails to be shipped to resistance groups in the East. We are inspired by their strength, resilience and courage in the face of such an incredibly challenging situation. They quickly returned to work, lovingly crafting needle binders, notions clutches and all our other leather pieces, enjoyed by many knitters, crocheters and fibre artists in Canada and around the world. We are grateful to be able to provide them this albeit temporary distraction from the war that continues to wage around them. They have handmade these beautiful denim blue & yellow On the Go's, available for a limited time in our shop. They can be purchased on their own or as part of our Knit for Kids of Ukraine bundles, along with coordinating Scrumptiouspurl yarn and glass fused stitch markers, which are also handmade in Ukraine by a family-owned small business. We will be donating 15% of sales of all these items to UNICEF's "Children in Ukraine" initiative, which delivers aid to hundreds of thousands of children in eastern Ukraine impacted by violence and unable to attend school. We are also hosting a fundraiser & Needle Binder giveaway to rally support for Ukraine's schoolkids from the fibre arts community and beyond. Get your giveaway tickets by donating via our fundraiser page or donation form at checkout. Get 1 entry for every $20CAD donated, winner will be drawn Sunday September 18th and announced here in this blog post as well as our Instagram page. DONATE & ENTER   BUY BUNDLE