Our
Story
We're a clan of five native of Montreal, Canada. Alexina Hicks - L'aime Laine began in a small apartment as a one-person team during spring of 2019, but it soon became a duo. Since then it has truly become a family business in which our three children grow surrounded by fibres and tools as they learn to participate themselves. We've moved our home and workshop to the Mauricie countryside of Quebec.
About
Alexina Hicks
Spindle Designer, Fibre Handprocessor, Teacher
As a young child, Alexina (she/her/they/them) is selected for a public music immersion program and from then on grows into adulthood surrounded by passionate individuals galvanized by curiosity. Appreciation for the intricacies of art and it’s history are deeply ingrained in her which leads her to higher education in theatre, linguistics, psychology and East Asian Studies. Each of these fields of study has left a profound impact that nurtures Alexina’s approach to handspinning, their true calling.
In 2018 they start teaching at Montreal-based yarn stores, specializing in Portuguese style knitting, colourwork and handspinning. Alexina quickly realizes their need for quality tools personalized to support their pedagogical intentions. They present spindle designs with specific characteristics in weight, shape and density to their life partner Yves-Antoine, knowing he's best suited for translating their ideas to reality. Since then the team has reached a symbiosis necessary for their respective creative impulses.
In 2021 Alexina joins Majacraft as a dealer because she wouldn't have it otherwise - it's a longtime dream to represent what she considers the best modern spinning wheels, made with heart and individuality.
Alexina has taught at Twist Festival, Knit City, retreats, public events, and online. They are currently studying in the Master Spinner at Olds College. Other hats they wear at L'aime Laine are content producing (photography, video making), marketing and site management.
Written works can be found in Tiny Studio (issue 2021) and Ply Magazine (Blog of February 2020, Loft issue 2021)​
About
Yves-Antoine (pronounced Event-One)
Woodworker
Yves-Antoine (he/him) as an artist is driven to express himself through handwork. His background as a theater actor inevitably led to his involved participation in every project’s production. He’s also worked in renovation, but his core purpose has always been his family. First and foremost he’s a loving, dedicated and respectful father & partner.
In 2019, Yves-Antoine improvises his first spindles for a spinning class taught by Alexina. Noticing his aptitude for delicate and detailed work, she invites him to develop his technique as a woodturner while focusing onto elements of design and performance specific to handspinning. This is how together they achieve the first models so distinctive of the duo’s aesthetic.
A year later, Yves-Antoine becomes an associate of L’aime Laine, fully engaged in co-developing handspinning tools and spindles with distinct qualities. He also manages packaging, shipping, booth design and paperwork for their family business.
Our Future
Our move to the countryside has been motivated by specific goals. While we manage the daily adventures as artisans, we're also singlehandedly renovating an entire building dedicated to textile arts. In it there will be a woodshop, a fibre processing room, a teaching room, a space for weaving, a wet room (for washing fleece and dyeing) and of course living quarters to welcome small groups of visitors for retreats. Every time you support us you contribute to this dream of ours.
Furthermore, our children are finding ways to help in the family efforts while respecting their interests and development. You may see them with us at events as they show how to use processing tools or present their own fibre related creations.
