Episode #303: Ali Dillingham

Episode #303: Ali Dillingham

From Craft Industry Alliance by Abby Glassenberg

January 5, 2026 · 53 min · Episode 259

About this episode

This episode features Ali Dillingham discussing her experiences running a brick-and-mortar yarn shop and the importance of community in crafting.

On today's episode of the Craft Industry Alliance podcast, we're talking about running a brick-and-mortar yarn shop with my guest, Ali Dillingham, owner of A Yarn Market. A Yarn Market is a welcoming space based on the mission to make knitting and crochet accessible to all. With over 20 years of knitting experience, Ali is passionate about sharing the joy and therapeutic benefits of mindful making. She often refers to knitting as her form of 'yarn therapy.' As a former speech-language pathologist with experience in educational settings, Ali has a deep understanding of how people learn. This background benefits her inclusive teaching style, making her a patient and effective instructor. Ali is known for her ability to empower students of all skill levels. At A Yarn Market, along with providing access to local yarn, Ali has created a space where creativity and community flourish. +++++ Today's episode is sponsored by The Academy for Virtual Teaching. With tariffs, rising costs, and supply uncertainty, a lot of craft businesses are rethinking how dependent they are on physical products. The Academy for Virtual Teaching’s Virtual Teaching 101 walks through how education and digital…

People in this episode

Host: Abby Glassenberg

Guest: Ali Dillingham

Topics covered

  • yarn shop
  • knitting
  • crochet
  • education
  • community
  • entrepreneurship

Keywords

  • yarn therapy
  • knitting
  • crochet
  • craft business
  • inclusive teaching

Sponsors

The Academy for Virtual Teaching

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: A Yarn Market

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