You may think the shift from speech-language pathology to owning a small business is a big jump, but to Ali Dillingham ’03, owner of A Yarn Market in Carmel, Indiana, the similarities far outnumber the differences.
“With my background in speech therapy, I saw the benefits of knitting for anxiety, ADHD, and for preventing dementia. We refer to it as ‘yarn therapy,’” Dillingham says. “As an adjunct professor at Butler … I was able to take Butler students out into preschools for community-based learning. I enjoyed teaching the importance of positive reinforcement and would usually have some sort of hands-on activity. I think there’s been that creativity woven into work and into therapy all along.”
Like many fiber artists, Dillingham learned how to knit as a child but didn’t pick up her knitting needles again until graduate school as a way to relieve stress.
It wasn’t until another stressful chapter two decades later—the COVID-19 pandemic—that Dillingham would consider turning her knitting passion into a career. While missing the connection and sense of community of in-person speech sessions with patients and witnessing the solace and joy knitting provided her friends and family, Dillingham’s idea began to take shape.
“I thought it would be a good time to see what I could offer the community as far as an intergenerational and community activity,” Dillingham says. “We did not have a yarn shop in Carmel, and so it was one of those ‘taking a leap’ moments, drawing on what I knew, which was teaching.”
Applying what she knew from her career as a speech-language pathologist— teaching, collaboration, community—was easy. Filling in the gaps of what she didn’t know? Not so much.
While Dillingham didn’t know the ins and outs of starting a business, her Butler education instilled in her a confidence to face the unknown.
“Butler taught me to ask questions and to not be afraid when you don’t know something,” says Dillingham. “If you don’t know something, then how do you find the answers? Or find somebody who does? Sometimes when people ask a question, I respond with, ‘I don’t know, but I’ll find out.’ And a lot of that was built in classes and learning how to learn.”
Dillingham also utilized several Butler University resources to make A Yarn Market a reality, including the Central Indiana Small Business Development Center—which is housed on campus— as well as the student-run communications agency, Five Fountains. She hired three Bulldogs as retail associates too.
Since its opening in 2024, A Yarn Market has strived to cater equally to knitters and crocheters, at all skill levels and ages, preaching progress over perfection.
“It takes a level of bravery to try something. I’ve seen some people who have given up for years. … A lot of times it’s because of an experience, whether that was taking a class or having something that didn’t fit right,” Dillingham says. “We know the time and effort to make something, so we host Flaunt It Fridays, which is basically show-and-tell day, and we celebrate what people are making.”
Dillingham knows better than anyone that starting a new chapter takes courage and support. And that’s why A Yarn Market is what it is today: a hub of encouragement, guidance, and collaboration.
“You can come in and ask questions, and we encourage that, because we want people to have that sense of joy. That’s what it’s about,” Dillingham says. “Yes, there’s yarn, but you need to know what to do with it, and we love being that resource for people.”
A Yarn Market is located at 1905 S. New Market Street, Suite 167, in Carmel, Indiana. To browse A Yarn Market’s online shop and view upcoming classes and events, visit ayarnmarket.com.