My name is Bettina Ullmann, and my professional path has taken me through many disciplines – theatre, advertising and journalism. For decades, time pressure was a constant in my life. In handcraft, I found a deeply creative and emotional place of calm.

I am convinced that for centuries women have used handicraft to stabilize themselves inwardly – by stepping away from everyday stress through this almost meditative activity. For me, working with my hands is as soothing as yoga and at the same time as creative as painting.

My medium is knitting. With just two or five needles and only two basic stitches, the creative possibilities are virtually endless.

The moment I see a ball of yarn, my mind begins to spin an image from its threads that I simply have to “paint.” The designs change as I work, constantly evolving. Only at the very end does it become clear whether the idea has truly come together – and that is exactly where the magic lies for me. A finished piece is always an exciting surprise, even to me, because I never follow instructions; this image never existed before.

As my ideas continued to grow, I began selling my hand-knitted fashion accessories. My work feels most at home in places that, like CHAPEAUX Hat Fashion in Berlin, function almost like small art galleries – spaces devoted to transforming raw materials into wearable, individual works of art.

Colourful, unconventional, personal – that is exactly what people come here to find.