The story behind Fat Yarn
By Meg Hill
Down at Docklands Art Collective in The District, Lynda Sharp has moved her virtual Etsy store into a physical retail space.
That move, in itself, is impressive. But, the story behind Lynda’s knitting is deeper than that.
“On the one-year anniversary of my mum’s death, I picked up a ball of wool and kitted a toy for my grand daughter,” Lynda said.
For her mum it was a lifetime hobby, but Lynda had never picked it up before.
“I knitted, and knitted some more and finally felt some relief from the crushing grief and loss I had been feeling since she died,” Lynda said.
“Knitting turned into a way of being close to her and it helped. Mum was looking after me still.”
Lynda’s mum die in 2015, when Lynda was 54.
She started to experiment with the craft-based therapy, discovering giant merino wool and the “arm” knitting technique.
These materials and techniques allowed Lynda to differentiate her knitted creations – the threads are big and pillowy, it’s a unique aesthetic.
Three months after beginning to knit, Lynda started The Fat Yarn Store as her online retail space and developed a brand and customers.
Game of Thrones star Rosie Leslie has even featured in the Fat Yarn’s Loopy Mango wool sweater on a magazine cover.
But, Lynda is a Docklands local, and struggled with space.
“Living in a small Docklands apartment did not lend itself well to what I had in mind for TFYS.”
“Enter Renew Australia, who, in concert with The Districts Docklands, has provided The Fat Yarn Store with a wonderful opportunity to realise our vision by providing space for me to craft my work and to exhibit the craft of other.”
If you haven’t heard about Docklands Art Collective, Renew Australia’s brainchild at The District, it’s worth checking out. Renew works with The District to fill empty spaces with different artists and creatives, rent-free.
Lynda’s store is decked out with different crafty stock, both her own and the work of other artists.
She splits her time between the store and her work as an associate lecturer at the School of Health and Biomedical Sciences where she is completing a PhD around lung cancer.
She also runs workshops at the back of her retail space where she teaches her unique style of knitting.
Find more information at: www.facebook.com/fatyarnstore/
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