I am happy to welcome everyone!
I am Viktoriia Havriushyna. I live in Kyiv region, in Boryspil. I am currently 53 years old, I have an adult daughter (33 years old) and a 13-year-old teenage granddaughter. Previously, I had a very ordinary life - probably like everyone else's. Home, work (I am an entrepreneur). But on February 24, war came to us. It's like a blow to the head - when your whole country burns and explodes, the only feeling is shock, confusion. Yes, I heard that Russia was preparing an attack, but I don't know why, I didn't believe it until the last minute. I thought they were just like us, ordinary people, but unfortunately, no...
There was no thought of leaving my hometown. But everything around instantly changed. For some reason, one moment struck me the most. It was February 25. I went to our hospital to get medicine for my mother (she constantly needs insulin) and saw a huge queue, people were even standing on the street. I approached and asked what the queue was. I was told that they were donating blood. And it was again a shock, surprise, but then real pride for all our people covered it.
Now, despite the difficulties that the war brought to all of us, I continue to work and additionally participate in the VILNI project as a knitter. I always liked to do something with my hands. I mostly embroidered with a cross or beads. And then I found out about this project through a craftswoman I knew. I liked the idea itself: to tell the whole world about our talented country through our products, created by Ukrainian craftsmen. For me, the label "Made in Ukraine" is already a real brand. And I feel crazy pride for my country again.
In general, I started knitting in school. A music teacher came to replace the labor teacher and showed how to knit the first loops. It fascinated us, still very young girls, so much that we knitted all the breaks, sitting on the windowsill. In my life, this story continues to this day. Because, first of all, knitting for me is a real pleasure, a kind of release. And it's also an opportunity to create something that no one else has, and you can feel like a real fashionista.
What do I think about when I knit? Previously, I turned on interesting films, watched and knitted at the same time. I didn't think about anything, my brain seemed to turn off, to rest. And now I can't turn off my thoughts. And all of them are about one thing - about Ukraine, about the war, about children... That's how we want a better future for all of us and a normal human life.