Sapti: Winner of Miss Eileen's Etsy Picks, A Lifetime of Beauty Through Knitting

When I first saw the white belt I was captivated by its beauty. It is amazing, to say the least. Later, though, I read Etty's story and I am truly amazed. Her work is a testament that beauty and creativity do not know age. She inspires me and will inspire others, too. Here is her interview and a glimpse into her fabulous shops.



Crocheted Flower Wedding Belt

 ME: Tell us a bit about yourself (name, location, affiliations, personal stuff)
EG: My name is Etty Geller, I’m 68 years old, married, a mother of 2 children and a grandmother of 5 adorable grandchildren. I live in Israel in a small town near Tel Aviv.

ME: Apart from creating things, what do you do?
EG: I retired 3 years ago, I was working for over 40 years for a governmental institution. Today I enjoy the joyous moments of life, especially when I spend time with my grandchildren. I love to cook, bake, and spending a lot of time in the kitchen re-inventing recopies.

ME: Where does your inspiration come from?
EG: I get inspired by the beauty surrounding us, I always loved flowers, I enjoy create and work with flowers on my arts, whether it’s a bride bouquet, wedding accessories, fashion accessories or knitted jewelry.


Vintage OOAK Bridal Bouquet


ME: Who is, or was, your greatest inspiration?
EG: It all started when my mom thought me the basics of knitting. I was 6 years old and fell for this creative process immediately.  The rest is history… My mother was, and still is, my inspiration.

ME: What is the first thing you can remember making by hand? How and why did you make it?
EG: When I was about 6 years old, I remember knitting a white big sweater made of 100% wool. The sweater had a pattern of bubbles. I couldn’t stop knitting since then. Looking back, I realize that knitting was the first love of my life. I like to combine different and contrasted materials, especially on the bride's bouquet where I use old and new, vintage brooches along knitted flowers.


Bridal Bouquet with Brooches, Satin, flowers, Pearls , beads, jewel , ribbon


ME: What are your favorite materials? Your favorite color combination?
EG: It is fun to work with the enormous variety of colors, from light pastel to strong happy colors.



White Love Rabbits Wedding Cake Topper


ME: How do you get out of your creative ruts? Describe your creative process.
EG: 20 years ago I had a factory of 100 women who knitted by hand based on my instructions. I used to knit the first one and they would copy it. These items were sold by many channels all over Israel. As I was doing it in parallel to my job on the governmental institution, I couldn’t carry on and had to maintain it as a hobby.  24 hours a day weren’t enough…


Rustic Crocheted Wrap with Fur Accent

 I like to create unique items, I can think of something in the middle of the night, get out of bad, draw a scheme, and have it completely done the day after, I have no tolerance for knitting mistakes, I knit fast and precisely.


White Knitted Necklace with Brown and Turquoise Ceramic Pendant

 In the past I mainly made sweaters, today I also do brides bouquets with knitted flowers, Silk, beads, brooches and more. I use several pastel colors, everything I do is made with lots of love.
I am most flattered when a bride chooses one of my creations for her big day, I am very thrilled to be a small fraction of this special day.

ME: What are the Web addresses for your work?

EG: I have 3 Etsy shops:
Wedding accessories – Brides & Bridesmaids Bouquets and accessories. www.etsy.com/shop/sapti

Fashion – Shawls, Scarves, gloves, fingerless gloves, hats, belts, knitted jewelry and more. www.etsy.com/shop/ettygeller

Knitted miniatures that make everyone happy – animals, fruits, vegetables, cakes and more, www.etsy.com/shop/etty2504

Amigurumi Crocheted Turtle PDF Pattern

ME: What advice would you give to other artists?

EG: Every day I get excited when I see pretty things, I don’t like artists copying others items; we can learn and get inspired from each other but still be original.


ME: Where would you like to be in ten years?
EG: My goal for the next 10 years is to keep the joy of creating.

ME: Are you offering my readers any specials?
EG: I would be happy to give a 25% off for all my stores items for the next 10 days, please contact me for a coupon.

Post by Miss Eileen aka GoofingOff


MissEileen vintage

Goofingoff Etsy Judaic fabrics, sewing patterns

GoofingOff Artfire Sewing patterns, plus size patterns

Metal Woods N Water unusual stuff and metal work