We reached out to Elena Strelnikova, an artist who specializes in handmade knitting and member of the Something I Made subreddit. Her recent post of this ocean blue sweater she made caught everyone’s attention, with members of community praising her skill and talent.

“I really like to create something. When I was 9 years old, a neighbor who knitted a lot gave me a skein of yarn and showed me how to knit loops. Initially, it seemed very tedious and boring, but I wanted to knit something so much that I continued my crooked knitting until I knitted a whole scarf and was very proud of myself,” Elena, who goes as Soulartes on Reddit, recounted.

After neglecting knitting for twenty years, the artist refound her love of knitting when she got a dog. “It was my lovely Dina, who now has a few sweaters and overalls due to the cold winters in my area. Since then I have been knitting all the time,” Elena said, adding that knitting is her yoga and relaxation.

When asked about her signature handmade sweaters, Elena told us that they not only require a lot of time, but also a particular type of yarn and knitting skills. “This knitting technique is called entrelac and even a beginner can master it, and you can achieve the perfect result with experience,” she said.

For Elena, just like for many other members of the Something I Made community, the fact that she can create anything with her own hands is a special feeling. Moreover, since she lives in a cold region, “a warm sweater, hat and mittens are necessary.”

“I can knit things from natural, high-quality yarn that do not lose quality and appearance over the years. I have failures and sometimes I don’t knit for a long time, but when I get bored, I return to knitting again,” Elena told us. She also said that she loves it when her handmade things are worn by people in many countries of the world and it brings them joy.

Right now, Elena is busy knitting a sweater with a polar bear face. “I have long wanted to master intarsia and jacquard,” she said.

For the beginners of knitting, Elena’s advice is to not be afraid and take on any project that they want. “Nothing is impossible. There is now a lot of free and paid information on the internet on how to learn to knit, master knitting techniques or knit a particular product,” she said. Check out Elena's handmade creations on her website.