From burnout to beanies: Anglesea scientist gives crochet profits to charity

AFTER burning out working through the Covid-19 pandemic, a Surf Coast epidemiologist found a creative outlet in crochet and is now using it to give back to her community.

Anglesea resident Steph Main donates all profits from her crochet business, Yarnside, to community organisations aligned with her values of protecting people, animals and the environment.

Main picked up crochet while travelling Australia in a van with her partner, searching for a creative hobby she could do from the passenger seat.

“It was first time I feel like I’ve reconnected with something creative in a long time,” Main said.

“I was such a striver in school, and with my career, and then you do something really hard like work in an emergency for three years and you’re like ‘This isn’t great’.”

The rhythm of creating crochet and the ease of identifying and correcting mistakes appeals to the infectious disease epidemiologist.

 

Main learnt the low-stakes craft from another traveller while in Western Australia, and her skills quickly began to improve.

After gifting as many beanies, bucket hats and coasters as she thought reasonable, Main needed something to do with her wares.

She began to stock her work in Anglesea’s Grow cafe and selling in-person at the Airey’s Inlet Market.

But Main said it quickly began to feel wrong.

“I was like cool, I can make some money and then I realised I was just making them to get more stock,” she said.

“I was losing the joy. I thought, I can’t just smash out 100 beanies, I need to crochet when I feel like doing it. I don’t want to lose the creativity of it.”

Rather than abandon the business altogether, Main decided to change its purpose.

 

“I thought, if the smallest thing I can do is make some beanies and send some money to people actually doing things to help protect people, the Earth and animals, then that’s the best thing I can do,” Main said.

Since she made the shift to donate her profits, Main has rotated through local charities aligning with her mantra.

Her business name, Yarnside, reflects both her materials and where she learned to crochet: outside, beachside and riverside.

Main continues to sell beanies, bucket hats and coasters online and in person and is exploring new ways to crochet.

Her latest work includes a vest, her first attempt at a worn clothing item.

Main said she is excited for what the future holds for Yarnside and how she and her community can continue to support one another.

“I feel like one of the most meaningful things I do is my crochet and giving money to local community groups,” she said.