Knitting was never something I was known for. Looking back now, it feels amazing to see how far Weebits has come.

It began as a hobby I’d pick up on quiet afternoons. I wasn’t exactly a natural, but I loved the craft and the joy of making things. In 2008, I decided to knit a little poncho for a newborn, a raspberry-coloured piece finished with fluffy pom-poms. One morning over coffee, a friend saw it and encouraged me to take it to a local boutique.

It took a lot of courage to put my hand on that shop door handle, but something told me to try. To my surprise, they loved it. What started as a little project quickly grew into a routine, just my mum and me hand-knitting these ponchos together from the living room couch. We needed a name for this accidental creation, and Weebits, little bits for wee ones, felt just right. And so it began.

Soon we reached a point where we could no longer keep up. As more shops asked to stock our pieces, we had to grow rapidly, and my life became entirely absorbed in the momentum. We faced a pivotal crossroads: if my mum and I kept trying to knit every single row ourselves, the hobby I loved would turn into an exhausting treadmill. We would have lost the very essence of the craft simply by burning out.

But it felt a shame to close the door on such a lovely opportunity. So we looked around and decided to share the load. We brought in a small team of local women from Geraldine to help us. My house became full of drying racks of garments, sending out parcels of yarn and waiting for finished pieces to arrive in the post. It was incredible to connect with women who already loved the craft, sitting in their own living rooms and sharing in that same peaceful rhythm. We expanded our circle just enough to keep the story going, adding new designs and bringing in more hands, but we grew to stay small together.

When Weebits was featured in a magazine, a sudden wave of interest hit us. Orders flooded in from across New Zealand and as far as my family's home in the Netherlands, creating a daunting yet wonderful feeling.

When Weebits was featured in a magazine, a sudden wave of interest hit us. Orders flooded in from across New Zealand and as far as my family's home in the Netherlands, creating a daunting yet wonderful feeling.

We slowly found our stride, even though every day was still a bit of a scramble. The true beauty of hand-knitting lies in its imperfections; each knitter has a unique touch, meaning no two pieces are ever identical. Matching our orders by size and colour became a daily puzzle due to these individual styles and the natural variations in our locally dyed wool. But for me, figuring out that puzzle is exactly where the fun lives.

Between supplying shops and running the website, we were constantly stretched to our limit. I loved that the boutiques wanted our pieces, but I recently realised that always trying to keep up with the rush was pulling us away from what made Weebits special in the first place.

What began as a hobby went further than I ever imagined. Keeping Weebits small, local, and close to home is exactly what keeps the love alive. It has given me a new kind of confidence. Even now, as I sit down to write a card for every order, I can still say I enjoy every moment.