Knitting her way to success - Reena Bino’s story
When most girls of eight are busy playing, Reena Bino was picking up the finer nuances of knitting from her mother.
She always had the urge to learn something new and was curious to observe anything different her mother knit. As a child, Reena admired her mother’s engagement with crafts and everything creative.
Learning the basics of knitting with double pointed needles has indeed stood her in good stead – she is currently the Founder of Knit N Purl Ocean, an ocean of knitted doilies, baby products, home décor, creative patterns and more. Buyers can place their orders by logging on to her FB page and get them delivered.
“It was a memorable moment when I knitted my first doily, handling all the five needles together and it was perfect!,” recalls the 40-year-old entrepreneur from Goa adding that it has been a continuous journey thereafter of trying to self-learn more difficult patterns, different types of knitting stitches and experimenting to create new patterns.
An early start into the art space
As a young girl Reena always loved making cards, paintings, frames crafting artificial flowers for any special occasion. Needless to say, she was the most active in her Crafts class and it is through this interest in arts that she learnt various forms of craft like flower making, candle making, clay modelling, glass painting, aluminum embossing and fabric painting.
Reena is waiting for the right leap in her venture so that she can take up her passion full time. Currently, she also works for a Pharma Company alongside pursuing her venture in Goa.
Knitted and Crochet Doilies are very different.
Knitted doilies are often confused with crochet doilies. Reena dispels all doubts. “Crochet is done with one hook whereas knitting is done with five to eight double pointed steel, aluminum, and wood or bamboo needles,” explains the entrepreneur.
“Sometimes its disheartening when people compare knitted doilies to crochet. I attach a pamphlet with every product so that customers understand that its knitting and the process behind it,” says Reena.
Reena’s venture has a social media presence on Facebook and she is currently working on building her website.
The artist’s personal touch
The Yarn for her products is personally selected by Reena and knit in White and Beige, unless a buyer specifies a particular colour to match the home furniture.
The baby booties and other accessories are knitted with baby soft yarn.
The home décor knitted products, small doilies in round, square, and oval shapes, table centers, dining table sets, center pieces for glass and wooden furniture, bookmarks for the book lovers, customized knitted set for the living room furniture are mostly bought by people as gifts for special occasions and to decorate their home.
Family is a big motivator
“My family is the biggest motivation,” says Reena. She confesses she has had many mentors and teachers in her life from whom she’s learnt a lot. Her learning has also come courtesy books. Besides, her mother has inculcated one quality in her – she never gives up on her dreams.
“I am a big admirer of all women who excel in life, who keep dreaming and strive to make their dreams come true,” says artist Reena.
Reena feels blessed to have supportive and encouraging parents and is particularly inspired by her mother’s multi-tasking abilities.
“My mother used to manage her cooking, taking care of the house, raising two kids and still find time to pursue her passion of knitting. Time management is one of the biggest skills I have inherited from her,” says this mother of a nine-year-old boy. It also helps to have a husband who is extremely supportive and appreciative of her work.
And this is one family that doesn’t believe in gender stereotypes. Interestingly, Reena’s son is learning to knit from his mother!
Knitting is her biggest stressbuster
Reena finds knitting a huge being her biggest stressbuster. “Whenever I sit down, I knit. My day is not complete without knitting.”
She also engages in aluminum embossing and glass painting in her leisure hours.
Knit N Purl Ocean is a one-woman show and it is Reena alone who creates, does the packaging and also dispatches the products. But she’s not complaining!