Anna Upston (owner, handspun yarn, UNKNIT, WARP art) grew up in Washington, DC and trained to be a classical mezzo-soprano, singing principal roles in Carmen, Cavalleria Rusticana and Nozze di Figaro among others. Crochet became something of an obsession during practice sessions back stage, and pretty soon she began designing yarns she otherwise couldn’t find.
Taking a break from singing after having her first child, Anna launched Maupston Design Studio in 2006, and the business has been growing ever since. She has found that the transition from music to visual and textile art has been one of the happiest she could imagine. Spinning yarn, growing the business, collaborating with gifted artists and selling in the markets continues to inspire and challenge on a daily basis.
“My pictures are all of things, but are not entirely literal: imaginary interiors, architecture, landscapes in outer space or underwater or on mountains. There are characters, trinkets, tools and toys. The images are simply organic forms given context.”
Kaela Chambers (Handspun Yarn, Pocket Square Prints) grew up in SoHo in her father’s art studio, and graduated from La Guardia School of the Arts. Kaela now moves from wall pieces to wearable art, translating her pen and ink drawings onto silk screened linen squares to be kept in the pocket for Maupston Design Studio. Today Kaela lives in Brooklyn and studies visual art at Columbia University.
Elizabeth Cherry (Handspun Yarn, Knits, Patterns) has been knitting for over a decade, and sewing for even longer. She works as a professional seamstress and milliner for theatre and film, and has been both interviewed as a milliner and published as a knitting designer in Interweave Press’s Summer 2012 issue of ‘Jane Austen Knits’. She has also self published several knitting patterns, and takes on private commissions for theatre as well as individual clients. She has been spinning for 5 years and as a result sometimes wonders if an alpaca could live comfortably in her NY apartment.
Allegra Starobin (Handspun Yarn, Knits, Patterns) BIO HERE
Allegra Starobin (Handspun Yarn, Knits, Patterns) BIO HERE