I have the wonderful opportunity to meet and photograph all kinds of amazing human beings.
While they are in studio, it is a privilege to learn about their businesses, or the work they do, their family, their interests, and hear a little bit about their story.
Rachel Ewen is the owner of Sound Yarn & Fibre, a fibre arts business located at 46 Gibson Street in downtown Parry Sound, Ontario. The shop offers yarn, fibre, tools, and Canadian made circular sock machines. While the storefront opened in 2025, the business itself began years earlier and reflects more than a decade of creative work shaped by family, health, and deliberate decision making.
Sound Yarn & Fibre did not begin as a business plan. It emerged gradually from a life where making things by hand was normal, practical, and shared across generations. Rachel’s connection to fibre arts started during childhood visits with her Oma. Around the age of ten, she learned how to crochet and completed her first project, a pot holder she remembers with humour and pride. It was uneven and imperfect, but it mattered because it was made by hand. Her family used it until it fell apart in the wash, and the object became an early lesson in care and intention rather than technique.
At home, making was part of everyday life. Her sister Jennifer taught her how to knit. Her mother taught her how to sew. Fibre work was not framed as a specialty or a creative pursuit set apart from daily responsibilities. It was useful. It filled time. It connected people. That sense of practicality and comfort stayed with Rachel as she grew older, even when fibre work moved in and out of focus.
Sound Yarn & Fibre did not begin as a business plan.
Creativity in the Background Years
In 2010, when Rachel was pregnant with her daughter Railyn, she started a blog called With Every Stitch. At the time, she and her family had recently moved several hours away, and writing became a way to stay connected with friends and family. The blog covered daily life alongside crafting, pattern testing, and creative experiments. It was informal and personal, but it marked an early point where sharing and making became linked.
During maternity leave, Rachel crocheted and knit newborn photography props and began writing patterns. The work was consistent, but she did not think of it as a business. Creativity existed alongside other responsibilities rather than replacing them. She completed college. She worked weekends at the city animal shelter.
During the day, she homeschooled Railyn. Fibre work remained present, but it stayed in the background, woven into daily life rather than separated from it.
Health, Stillness, and the Return to Fibre
In 2019, Rachel’s life changed direction when her health took a serious turn. She became unable to work, and the pace of her days slowed out of necessity. Activities that once filled her time were no longer possible in the same way. Fibre work remained. It did not require speed or stamina. It could be done in short periods. It allowed rest.
As online platforms shifted toward social media, Rachel continued to share her fibre work, adapting to new formats while her physical world became smaller. Making things provided structure and continuity during a period when much else was uncertain. Fibre work offered repetition and focus. It created a sense of purpose without pressure.
Building Sound Yarn & Fibre Together
A key part of that transition involved collaboration with her husband, Ryan Ewen, a software engineer who was part of the Evertz Microsystems team that received a Technology and Engineering Emmy in 2017. When Rachel began working with a circular sock machine, Ryan believed it could be improved.
Applying his engineering skills, Ryan developed a redesigned model using 3D printed components. Every machine is inspected by him, and attention to detail is central to how the machines are produced. In February of 2022, they launched their circular sock machine online, marking a turning point for the business.
In November of 2025, Sound Yarn & Fibre opened its storefront at 46 Gibson Street. The grand opening included a ribbon cutting with the Mayor and marked the first permanent public space for a business that had been years in the making.
A Business Guided by Honesty and Strength
The values that shape Sound Yarn & Fibre are consistent with how Rachel approaches her life. Honesty, truth, and strength guide both personal and business decisions. Strength, in her view, is not about pushing through at all costs. It involves recognizing limits, admitting mistakes, and asking for help when needed.
Strength, in her view, is not about pushing through at all costs.
Belonging, Culture, and Grounding Practices
Rachel identifies as a Métis fibre artist with German, Irish, and Scottish heritage. Practices such as smudging, spending time in nature, beading, and reflection help her stay grounded. She often asks whether her ancestors would find joy in what she is creating and whether her work contributes positively to her community.
Fibre work itself offers a way to remain present. The work produces tangible results. Objects are made to be used.
The work produces tangible results. Objects are made to be used.
Community Presence and Connection
Having a physical storefront changed how Rachel relates to customers and the local community. When the business was primarily online, relationships were meaningful but limited to screens and messages. The shop made those relationships face to face and turned the space into a gathering place rather than just a retail location.
Local festivals and events create a different kind of interaction. Conversations are casual and spontaneous, allowing people to engage without pressure. These interactions often lead to return visits once curiosity turns into commitment.
In 2026, Rachel was involved in organizing the Sound of Fibre Yarn & Fibre Festival at the Charles W. Stockey Centre for the Performing Arts, bringing makers and visitors together from across the region.
Recognition, Adaptation, and What Comes Next
Sound Yarn & Fibre ships across Canada, North America, and internationally. That reach also brings complexity. In 2025, Rachel navigated shipping disruptions, labour actions, tariffs, and supplier changes while adjusting to the costs of a physical storefront.
Despite the uncertainty, the business remained active. Orders continued, with a shift toward Canadian and international customers. Sound Yarn & Fibre was named a finalist in the Parry Sound Area Founders Circle and received the ten thousand dollar Founders Choice Award in 2025.
“In order for me to thrive, I’m going to have to be flexible.”
Looking ahead, Sound Yarn & Fibre continues to grow deliberately. From the storefront on Gibson Street to regional gatherings at the Stockey Centre, the business moves forward steadily, rooted in the local community and connected to a wider world.
Find Rachel:
Related local business profiles:
- Wood and Heart Design
- Kaila Stevenson, Sound Wealth Financial
- Or, read about Pamela Newall, Officer of the Order of Canada, was photographed in Toronto as part of a story on forensic DNA science and public trust.
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