About

Ex Libris is a Latin phrase often found on bookplates, and translates to “From the Library.” I hope that working Ex Libris Fibers yarns will bring you joy and remind you of your favorite stories - or help you to tell your own fiber stories.

I’m Rita (Marita if we’re being formal; pronounced Ma-REE-tuh), and my pronouns are she/her/hers. I started Ex Libris Fibers in my basement in Pittsburgh in 2018, and am so thrilled to continue dreaming up intriguing colorways for fellow book lovers.

Though raised in an old farmhouse next to the woods where my mother always had plenty of yarn and maybe a loom and a spinning wheel or two, I didn't pay a ton of attention to yarn or fiber until adulthood. After finishing a degree in art in California and finding myself a little lost, my first real foray into fiber arts was learning crochet. A friend taught me to knit years later in Oregon, and I fell hard in love with knitting and with crafting communities. Learning to dye yarn was an immediate side effect of beginning to work with indie dyed yarn and being overly picky about color.

Those same knitting friends and I got together to play around with dye one weekend; another weeknight I took a class at the Steel City Fiber Collective, and my spare time was filled with constant experiments to find the science behind perfect dye recipes. When I began turning my favorite stories and books into colorways while a librarian, Ex Libris Fibers was born! 

My work as a librarian taught me that community and story sharing are two of the most effective ways to build empathy and impact change. It's my goal with Ex Libris Fibers to connect people with new stories and build community around gorgeous, book-inspired colors.

As a neurodivergent person who has had the benefits of a system based around white privilege, I am committed to dismantling white supremacy and fostering inclusion in virtual and physical spaces. No racist, homophobic, misogynist, discriminatory comments or harassment will be tolerated on this site or other spaces.

It’s important for my work to represent and include our diverse community of makers and creators. Guided by a vision of a culture where fiber arts is a known and enjoyed form of everyday self care and connection, Ex Libris Fibers strives for sustainability through slow living, making, and sharing. 

By supporting this small woman-owned business, you are also supporting small changes that lead to dismantling problematic systems. 1-3% of quarterly sales work towards organizations and funds that fuel social, environmental, and progressive change. Details are shared quarterly in the monthly newsletter.