Ana Maria – Unisex Woollen Beanies

“I’m Ana – I am from Chile and came to Australia in 2013 as a tourist. Before joining SisterWorks, I was unfortunately in a very bad relationship and one winter night I was left on the side of the road with my son, Joseph. I had nowhere to go. Luckily, I was soon introduced by a friend to Luz, the former CEO of SisterWorks, who encouraged me to make products that I could sell after she saw that I was wearing a bracelet I had made. 

Andrea, a SisterWorks volunteer, taught me to knit. She gave me ideas and taught me about colours and wool. I learnt so much about knitting and quickly grew to love making beanies. I also have a mentor through SisterWorks—Lynn, who has given me great ideas about what to sell. My handcrafted beanies are made with a soft wool to keep you warm in the winter months. They are all one-of-a-kind, with different stitches and colours used to create each beanie. 

In the beginning, it was very hard for me to sell my products in markets because I didn’t speak English and couldn’t communicate what I knew to my customers. Before coming to Australia, I was an entrepreneur for many years and sold vegetables to support my children in Chile. Now that my English is better, I’m much more confident when people ask questions. My beanies are very popular – particularly in winter!

In the future, I would like to import products from South America so that I can achieve this dream.”

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