OUR FOUNDER'S STORY
Dear Reader,
Every person has a history and every business has a story. Mine begins with a mother, a farm in northern India, and the threads she wove into my life.
My name is Swaran Dhaliwal, and I am the owner of Michigan Fine Yarns. I grew up on that farm, where my mother, the matriarch of our family, balanced raising children with spinning, weaving, dyeing, and knitting. The memory of her hands at work, creating beauty from fiber, is one of the most vivid from my early years.
As a young adult, I left the farm to study clothing and textiles. Even with years of education behind me, I struggled to find passion in that field. Yet the memories of my mother’s creativity remained, seeds planted in my heart, waiting for their time to grow.
A Spark
In 2008, I opened a small boutique, not yet knowing it would become something much greater. My mother often visited from Canada, and she loved to sit near the window knitting while I worked. Strangely, it was her quiet presence, not my merchandise, that drew people in. Customers asked about lessons, curious about the craft she practiced with such ease.
Those moments rekindled the visions of my youth and stirred something within me. Soon after, I began learning everything I could about yarns, fibers, and knitting. Though I had much to learn, the vision was undeniable: to create a place where fiber could inspire, connect, and comfort.
Metamorphosis
This was the moment Michigan Fine Yarns truly began to take shape. Jewelry and handbags gave way to shelves of yarn, and with each change the store felt less like a boutique and more like a home for fiber. Without fully realizing it at the time, a metamorphosis was underway, weaving my mother’s legacy into my own path forward.
By early 2010, I was immersing myself in the fiber arts my mother had always loved. That spring, she came to visit. It would unknowingly be her last. For the first time, we shared this craft together. I encouraged her to choose some yarn, and she picked five skeins of variegated fingering weight. She began a project with them, her hands moving with the same quiet grace I remembered from childhood.
The project was never finished. She passed away the next month, leaving the yarn still on the needles. That unfinished piece became a profound symbol of love, of legacy, of the threads that bind generations. In that moment I understood: Michigan Fine Yarns was not just a business being built. It was a story being carried forward.
My Mother, Our Muse
In the months following her passing, I searched for direction. I hung her picture in the store, a daily reminder of her life and her art. Slowly, I came to understand that the best way to honor her was to create what she had modeled for me: a welcoming community where people could gather, learn, and create.
When Michigan Fine Yarns eventually moved into its current home in Livonia, the support of customers and friends reminded me that this was bigger than a business. The timing of our opening, on my own birthday, felt like life had come full circle, affirming that this work was destined.
The Healing Arts
From that point forward, my purpose was clear. Michigan Fine Yarns would not just sell yarn, but nurture creativity, connection, and compassion. We believe the fiber arts are the healing arts, they have been in my own life, and I see it daily in the lives of others. Wellness is found in slowing down, in creating with intention, and in finding joy not only in what we make, but in the making itself.
In 2018, I launched Bibi Yarn, a hand-dyed line named in honor of my mother. It represents her enduring presence in our story, and a promise that her spirit of creativity and care lives on in every skein.
Today, our store continues to evolve, just as people do. If you visit, you’ll find her photograph and that unfinished project displayed in our foyer, constant reminders that the heart of Michigan Fine Yarns is rooted in love, legacy, and the healing power of fiber. And we invite you to be part of that story, one stitch at a time.
With love,
Swaran Dhaliwal
