If you’ve got a special skill or talent, why not put it to good use every chance you get?
Veronika Lindberg Heino, who goes by the nickname Kika, first learned to knit from her grandmother when she was just a little girl. She enjoys how relaxing the activity is, and she likes being able to create high-quality garments that are perfectly fit to her physique.
When she got engaged, the couple set a wedding date just seven weeks away. She had a very specific neckline for her dress in mind, and she couldn’t find one that matched her vision online. She was worried that if she ordered a dress, it wouldn’t arrive to her home in Finland in time for the big day. That’s when it hit her: Why not knit her own dress?
Kika spent some time debating – would this project add too much stress to an already stressful time? She also planned to move houses before the wedding day; was this just too much?
“But, then again, I do love a challenge,” Kika explained. “I’m often a little bit over-ambitious, and the thought felt so wild and inspiring that I just decided to take the risk and do it. I ordered 2.5 kg of pure silk yarn and announced my crazy plan on Instagram, and knew right then, there was no turning back anymore.”
To get started, Kika studied knit dresses made by high fashion designers to find her inspiration. Then, she made some sketches and tried out a few different patterns and types of lace. She spent time researching so that she could spend the next few weeks knitting, and boy, did she ever knit!
For the next 45 days straight, Kika knitted. In the car, at home, outside in the hammock… Kika knitted! She also shared updates with her followers on Instagram and TikTok, inspiring thousands of others to take up knitting or take their fledgling skills to a new level.
It took about 250 hours to finish the dress, and that includes a disastrous moment just one week before the wedding when she had to rip out part of the bodice because she didn’t like how it came out. All in all, she estimates the dress cost only 300 euros, or about $293.32 U.S. dollars.
She finished just in the nick of time! Kika put the finishing touches on her gown on Tuesday, and on Sunday, she was walking down the aisle to say “I do” to fiancé Jukka Heino. She says that Jukka wasn’t sure she could pull off the wedding dress in time, but his worries melted away when he saw his bride in her beautiful handmade dress.
Now that the dress is complete, Kika can fully appreciate the support she received from friends and strangers around the web. She gained a large following thanks to sharing her progress online, and she’s thrilled to inspire others to follow her lead.
“I’m absolutely amazed by all the positive attention the video and my dress has gotten, wow!,” said Kika. “I’ve received messages from people all over the world telling me I’ve inspired them to take up knitting again or to learn it which makes me so glad. I’m also proud that I’ve maybe been able to push the boundaries and show what is possible using knitting.”
Kika also hopes her story will remove the stigma around knitting being an “outdated or uncool craft.” She’s delighted to bring these skills into a more modern context!
This is so impressive, especially since she did it all while planning a wedding!
Share this story to encourage more brides to use their own skills and talents to make their day even more special.
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