Ashford Artist of the Month – Apr 26 – Linda Norton
This month’s Ashford Artist of the Month is Linda Norton of Mophead, a passionate fibre artist from Queensland, Australia, whose creative journey has evolved from crocheted beanies at local markets to expressive, instinctive spinning. Her work is deeply inspired by nature, community, and a lifelong love of fibre craft. I hope you enjoy reading about her journey.
Kate
NAME: Linda Norton
BUSINESS NAME: Mophead
Who are you, where are you from, and what do you do?
Hi, my name is Linda and I am a Fibre Artist. I’m originally from Tasmania and moved to Queensland almost 30 years ago. I fell in love with Queensland, its colours, vibrancy of life, and its diverse market scene. I quickly found that getting involved in market life was where I was meant to be selling my wild and wacky crocheted beanies. That was until I got my first spinning wheel and crochet/ beanie making took a backseat. Spinning became my happy place.
What was your background? (If different from now).
My background was as a stay-at-home mum with 3 kids. Married young and caring for a chronically ill child. Fibrecraft became a stress relief for me.
How did you get started on your fibre artist journey?
Like a lot of people, I had a beautiful Grandmother who crocheted prolifically. With endless patience, she taught me how to crochet and instilled in me the love for fibrecraft and creating. I still remember a blue crocheted dress that she made for me when I was about 5 years old, it was my favourite. Later I started to attend local markets to help my sister sell her handmade items and eventually worked up the courage to attempt selling my own items on a stall.
How did your journey evolve over time?
The turning point for me was purchasing my first spinning wheel. I had been buying handspun yarns from The Queensland Spinners and Weavers Group to use in my creations for some time, but I knew in my heart that I could do this and needed to do this.
With support and guidance from the lovely ladies at the QSWFA and watching some brilliant video tutorials (I can highly recommend the Ashford Series of videos), my spinning skills improved and I continued to challenge myself with new spinning techniques. As a result, I started attending creative events, selecting quirky markets and local spinners group open days.
Along the way, I have begun experimenting with hand dying fibres and yarns. My “tools of trade” have also grown along with me to now include my Joy 2 Spinning Wheel, a Blending Board, Drum Carder and an E-Spinner. All Ashford of course!
I was also lucky enough to work in the 5 years prior to Covid, at major craft events and travelled Australia and New Zealand working for a craft businesswoman. This opened my eyes to the huge following that the different craft styles had and where fibre crafts fit into the scene. I now attend some of those events with my own crafts.
What do you do with your creations/art/finished pieces?
Most of my crafting consists of artisan fibres and yarns that other crafters can use to create their own special projects. I’ve also participated in craft swaps from as far away as the U.K.
When at an event, I enjoy discussing the processes of crafting my art yarns and answering questions, especially on how to use the art yarn in a project.
If you sell your work- where do you sell it?
I sell most of my works in person at events like Yarn Festivals, Heritage (lost Trades) Events and by requests on social media.
How do you manage a balanced life as an artist?
Being recently retired has given me the flexibility to manage my time as I need. Life is now full of family, fibre crafting, events, and keeping up with crafters I admire on social media. It can be crazy busy in spurts, but I love every minute of it!
Where do you draw your inspiration from?
My greatest source of inspiration comes from nature, the colours, shades, vibrancies, textures, etc. They combine and form an idea that I can sit and ponder for a while before trying to recreate it on my Joy 2 wheel or my Ashford Drum Carder. Fellow fibre crafters inspire me every day with what they fearlessly create.
Do you have any advice for people just starting out on their fibre journey?
Fibre crafters are a friendly, generous bunch. Ask the questions, nothing is too silly. Trust your instincts. Use good reliable tools (Ashford’s are always at the top of my list), and above all, just try, start, play with it and enjoy. Mistakes help you learn every time.
Where will your fibre journey take you in the future?
We are about to move, and my plan is a home studio that is big enough to host workshops, make and takes, open studio days etc., that will allow me to share the love of fibre.
Plus – Weaving is my next learning curve, with the exploration of texture and colours of course!
Foot Note: •
I consider myself an “instinctive” spinner rather than a “Technical/ Method” spinner. Being instinctive, you feel the difference between the fibres you are working with each time, and the fibre will tell you what it wants to be.
