"I HAVE BEEN A KNITTER ALL MY LIFE".
"Well, OK since the age of four. I guess you could say that I am a self-taught knitter, as when my mother declared that she didn’t have the patience to teach me, I just copied her and got on with it! For many years I knitted every day taking on more and more challenging projects until I reached a stage where I felt that there was nothing that I could not tackle in the knitting world. These feelings also spilt over into life in general, if I can become an expert knitter, I can be an expert in anything I want to!"
"Of course, life carried on around my knitting, I trained in childcare and worked as a nursery nurse, had two gorgeous children of my own and then moved into midwifery and health care studies; becoming a midwife, then a qualified teacher of adults and a university lecturer. In the summer of 2021, as the world seemed to be emerging from pandemic conditions, I decided that I would like to combine my dual passions of Knitting and Teaching to disseminate the fantastic, dynamic, health-enhancing skill of crafting fun and useful knitted pieces to adult groups and in one-to-one tutoring."
"I have truly loved my two business branding photography sessions with Vanda. In the past I have found it extremely difficult to have my photograph taken, and, as a result, adopted hunched up poses and some hideous facial expressions. Vanda really understands this and has worked with me, with patience and caring, to overcome my anxieties and produce some fabulous, confidence-building pictures that even my family can admire!"
"Vanda and I first met in an online business class as she began to develop her photography business and I had a new start-up knitting project in mind. I recognised something I liked in her pictures and took immediate action with a short message that said, simply, ‘I need to talk to you.’ She followed up with equal speed, booking a call with me to begin our professional relationship and plan my image journey."
"I was excited but very nervous during my first photo shoot, and Vanda worked hard to relax me and get some great cosy, winter pictures, and some still rather tense expressions! We were then able to reflect together on the best ones and how to make them even better next time."
"My second time around was very different; I went in feeling confident, with an awareness of which pictures would be best for me, but still on a learning curve of how to pose for a great photograph. Little reminders of ‘straighten your spine please’ ‘relax your shoulders’ and ‘smile’ came from vanda and I learned how to be more natural in a ‘pose’ to obtain some fantastic, natural spring pics. It was such a fun day; my husband, daughter and two teenage granddaughters came along to support me and have a few photos for themselves, meaning that we were able to follow our lovely sunny, spring morning with Vanda by indulging in a delicious family lunch at a nearby pub garden."
"During the planning of this wonderful session, it became clear that I would need a new set of seasonal pictures to keep my brand fresh, and that this would happen four times a year. In order to get fabulous, seasonal images in spring, summer autumn and winter, and some photos for my new knitting book, in what is still an early phase of my business building, I decided to take an annual photography contract with Vanda and spread the cost in a monthly direct debit. Honestly the best business decision I have made so far."
"Thank you so much Vanda, for your support of my dream to have my own knitting brand that helps others to develop a fun hobby and life developing skill."
"Great photographs are definitely a key driver in a business, whether established or just starting out. My own, supportive, and relaxed classes are now expanding from charity groups and local craft shops in my Buckinghamshire hometown, to more centrally based taster sessions, courses and individual tutorials in London, UK, with the backing of fabulous, professional photos of ME!! By Vanda."
Do have a look at this wonderful blog from Mental Health America for more thoughts about the benefits of knitting.
Some of the benefits include:
