Stitch by stitch — the success of Olga’s Own Craft Studio in Ballincollig

Knitting is sustainable when garments are made from decent quality yarn, and there has also been a revival in interest in crafts such as crochet, embroidery, and quilting

O​lga Prins pictured at Olga's Own Craft Studio. Previously located in Ballinspittle, the much-loved craft store has relocated to a new, vibrant community, bringing with it a wide selection of high-quality yarn, notions, and expert-led crochet and knitting classes. Picture: Alison Miles/OSM PHOTO

From nursing in her native South Africa to running her own craft studio in Ballincollig, Olga Prins has weaved a productive life for herself. When her surgeon husband was offered a locum at Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, the couple and their two children, aged six and four at the time, moved to Ireland in 2006.

“We decided to move for a year-long adventure — and we never went back,” says Prins, who recently moved her studio from Ballinspittle to the centre of Ballincollig where she lives with her son. (Her husband works in Cavan Hospital but Prins opted to stay in Cork to pursue her business. Her daughter lives in Sweden).