Mitch McPhedrain is a fourth-generation member of the McPhedrain family, who have owned and operated Mary Maxim for more than 65 years. The company began in the 1930s, when his great-grandparents Willard and Olive McPhedrain sold their first spinning wheels and spun their first yarn in Sifton, Manitoba. Pairing that yarn with graph-style sweater patterns grew a small mail-order operation into one of North America's most trusted names in yarn, patterns, and craft kits, and Mitch grew up in every part of it.

Today Mitch runs Mary Maxim as its sole owner, with a hand in the yarn range, the kits, and the products the Mary Maxim community counts on. His expertise is in the materials themselves: understanding fiber types and blends, reading yarn weights and gauge, judging quality and value, and knowing which yarn is right for which project. It is the kind of knowledge that comes from a lifetime of selecting, testing, and standing behind the products a family business puts its name on.

He works closely with Mary Maxim's in-house design team, whose patterns and kits have been fixtures in crafters' homes for generations. Through these articles, Mitch shares what four generations of running a yarn company have taught the family, so whether you are picking your first skein or planning your next big project, you can choose the right materials with confidence.