Snapshot of Barbie taking a pee

My grandmother and mother were knitters. I grew up with the sound of zealously ticking needles. They made anything from socks to bedspreads. I remember wearing cute little knitted dresses, skirts and jumpers. They even knitted me a pair of bell-bottomed trousers. For my birthday I used to get mini knitwear for my dolls among other things. I was five years old when I first saw a barbiedoll and immediately fell in love with it. She was so different from the baby dolls I knew that I didn’t want to play with them anymore. I desperately wanted to have a barbiedoll. At first my parents wouldn’t allow me. Since a barbie has breasts she was considered a doll for teenagers. But I ardently kept asking for a barbiedoll and at last my parents gave in and I got one for my sixth birthday.

In the beginning Barbie didn’t have much to wear and moreover it was wintertime so my grandmother knitted a warm jumper for her. I loved my grandmother! Soon after that she learned me to knit her a shawl. That is how it all began.

At elementary school I already knitted my own summer tops. From that time on I practiced a lot of techniques and I got hooked on the fact that by knitting you could turn a simple thread into a complex piece of cloth. I loved to wear clothes nobody else wore. At the age of thirteen I also wanted to sew my own trousers but I didn’t know how and neither did my mother and grandmother. I began to take sewing lessons and later on I was able to make complete outfits. I could choose the models and colours I liked which made me feel unique and gave me such a sense of satisfaction.

During my years at university I have always felt the need to make things. Though I loved the object of my study I really missed working with my hands. Sometimes instead of going to my lectures I went to the market to buy me a nice piece of fabric and immediately started drawing and cutting after coming home. I worked all night and the next morning I went to university class wearing my new skirt. This way I saved some money too!