I know it sounds cheesy, but my story began with this big belly and the little peanut inside – for real.
Before I started with Knitterista, I worked as a Senior Art Director for a company, that creates brand experiences for global players and I really liked that job for many reasons.
First of all, working on big projects also meant working with a lot of people from different disciplines and that diversity has been really inspiring to me.
Those projects gave me insights on many topics and challenged me to think outside the box. I generally liked to find inspiration from art and architecture, but also theatre and other cultural events and locations. Whatever worked best for the theme was on the table for consideration.
When I signed my contract Torsten and I had been married for several months and lived together in a small apartment in one of Cologne’s hipster quarters, within walking distance to the office.
Life was pretty good.
When I got pregnant things changed.
Those projects I told you about also came with big expectations, high pressure, and often unreasonable demands.
My gynecologist warned me that this environment wouldn’t be good for me and my baby – and she was right.
I remember one day specifically. It was a hot day at the beginning of the summer of 2017. I was sitting in my office, working on a huge project for Cadillac in cooperation with the Andy Warhol Museum in Pittsburgh. It was the next big thing going down in the office and everybody was busy as hell and on edge. I was looking at my colleagues´ dark circles under their eyes, recognizing the pride they took in from overworking themselves – and realizing I have been there, done that, felt it too.
I found myself wondering: was this work really worth it!?
At that moment my project manager stomped in my office, made a fuss about something I cannot even remember anymore and started a fight…
I decided enough was enough. I packed my bag and went to my doctor to get on maternity leave. That was the beginning of my new adventure.
Several months later I was at home for a while, our son was already with us and I had postpartum depression.
I was craving creativity in my life and most definitely something else in addition to motherhood.
I was also worried about getting back to work as I didn’t leave on a high note and was nervous about not being able to keep up, too.
So, I decided to dig myself out of that hole I was kind of hiding in.
I did not only do one thing.
I did three.
I learned to knit, signed up on Instagram, and started taking photography classes online.
First, I actively searched for a new creative hobby that would fit my life's new rhythm. Easy to start and stop, done quietly at home with my hands but without making a mess… and I came up with knitting.
Learning this craft turned out to be one of the best decisions of my life. I fell in love fast and hard. My new passion gave me comfort, an unknown drive and I was very soon obsessed with it. (Still am, to be honest.)
Signing up on Instagram gave me an online community, inspiration for my new craft, the feeling of also dipping my toes into a modern world and learning new ways. Most of all, it gave me ambition to finally start with photography.
I always felt a bit inadequate as a designer, because I couldn’t handle a camera. I skipped photography classes at the University of Arts. All that super techy equipment, developing film with stinky stuff in dark rooms that had Sci-Fi entrances – seriously, it gave me the creeps.
However, learning photography with online classes and using my iPhone showed me it doesn’t have to be complicated at all, but can be a whole lot of fun, too!
When I got back to the office after my maternity leave, I felt fine again. I was able to pick up where I left off in a good way. I started to work part-time, while my son was at daycare. My new hobbies filled my evenings and the weekends. They gave me a creative outlet, which made me feel more at ease and in sync. We settled in our new rhythm as parents and enjoyed watching our son grow.
Then the Pandemic hit.
Daycare closed, everybody moved with their laptops into our new home office and suddenly we were all here – the whole family.
During the first three weeks, nearly every project on my desk had been canceled or at least put on hold. This made sense as you can’t host live events with a virus running wild.
While the office was seeking out new clients and different industries, I tried to make our household work with a two-year-old at home. (I have a feeling you might know what I am talking about.)
We realized very fast that this wouldn’t work for us. I hit pause on the job, which was only possible for a short time. Afterward, I tried to work from home, but I wasn’t happy with the whole arrangement.
After my annual work interview, I knew it was time for a change and I quit my day job.
I needed to build up a new way of working that made sense for me and would provide a better fit for my family life.
I didn’t leave the office with stomping feet. This time I wanted to say goodbye in a good way. It took some months to fulfill my contract and during that time I started to prepare for my new future.
I decided to pursue my new passion and start designing knitting patterns. I wasn’t sure if this would be suitable for a full-time job, but I had to try at least.
A dear friend helped me find a name, I registered Knitterista at the tax office and I signed up for a coaching program. When January 2021 came, I was ready to start my new business.
Ever since then I have been building up Knitterista and designing knitting patterns. I love to create online experiences to build up our community and enjoy our time together. Knit-a-longs, challenges, and online workshops will always be part of Knitterista and hopefully increase with time.
My number one favorite thing to do (besides creating knitting patterns) is writing my weekly newsletter. It’s a great honor to be able to talk to you directly and in such a personal way.
My main goal is to inspire you. Not only directly with my knitting offers but probably much more with creative inspiration – often out of our fiber industry box. I talk about my favorite podcasts, give Knitflix tips and show you what I am reading at the moment to relax. Occasionally I send out recipes to cook and tell a tale from my family life. There are also topics that dig deeper, discussing sustainability and how to live a life that feels in sync with yourself. My readers say I have a unique point of view – LOL!
Wanna have fun with me!? I have some things I would like to offer…
This could be a game-changer for you, too!
Learn photography and display your knits with ease.
