Elvira was born in 1991 in the village of Bayzak in the Naryn region. After completing her schooling, she worked as a seamstress, and in 2013 she got married. Currently, she and her husband live in Karakol and are raising two sons.
In her free time, which she manages between household chores, Elvira continues to develop her favorite hobby. She has become one of those women who have managed to turn a hobby into a successful business.
“My journey in handicrafts began with knitting bags. The first one was made from cord yarn, and during the process, my hands hurt a lot; sometimes they even swelled for a whole week. But I didn’t despair and kept trying, and eventually, my hands adapted. Then I wanted to knit shoes. At first, I created bags, and then I moved on to shoes. I knitted sneakers on my first try; I just saw them and was able to reproduce them. It all depends on imagination and inspiration: some create quickly, while others need more time,” she shares.
Elvira notes that her family, especially her husband, provides her with great support, helping financially with the purchase of necessary materials. Thanks to this, she is now creating shoes and bags of various styles, paying special attention to the quality of the materials used.
“When I first knitted a bag for sale, I priced it at 600 soms. My mother-in-law, to support me, bought it for 1000 soms,” Elvira recounts.
It takes her 3-4 days to create one pair of shoes. Elvira is confident that the main advantages of hand-knitting are lightness, comfort, and warmth, which explains the high interest in her products.
While accepting orders for knitting, Elvira works right from home, offering finished products through social media. The prices for her items depend on the amount of yarn used and the effort expended: shoes cost between 1000 and 2000 soms, while bags range from 600 to 2000 soms.
— “Since I started doing this, I constantly want to try something new. If I see an interesting model, I immediately feel the urge to realize it. I am proud of what I create with my own hands, and it brings me incredible joy,” she adds.
In the future, Elvira aims to develop her skills and share her experience with others.
She advises aspiring craftsmen: “It’s important not to be lazy and not to give up. Patience is the key to success, and the results will definitely come,” she concludes.
