Pirate Purl Yarns
From her small studio, Katrina, AKA Pirate Purl Yarns, hand-dyes small-batch artisanal colourways on Australian yarn and wool tops.
Katrina is relentlessly environmentally conscious, constantly looking for process improvements that reduce the impact of her process and products.
This extends to a short supply chain, with farmers in Victoria, and supply chain transparency that values the contribution of everyone in the chain from farmer to you.
Katrina's desire to tread lightly also draws on a slow fashion ethic. She hopes to inspire people to consider the utility and longevity of the things they make.
The first step in this direction is to ensure a good pairing of fibre properties to project to avoid disappointment.
This hopefully ensures the inputs are wholly fit for purpose while at the same time making sure that the project materials are beautiful, tactile, and a pleasure to work with.
Step inside Pirate Purl Yarn’s stall
Katrina is passionate about the complex characteristics of both colour and wool. With a studio in Newcastle Artspace, she takes a "painterly" approach to her own knitting, and looks to create a palette of colours to inspire and resource other creatives in their practices.
Katrina's passion for supporting small businesses and sourcing materials in Australia means a number of the fibre products she works with are certified by the Australian Fibre Collective, recognising them as wholly produced in Australia.
The transparency and intimacy of her supply chain brings her together with primary producers and textile artists. Inspired by both the beginning and the end of the process, Katrina finds herself up to her elbows in the middle of this very colourful supply chain.