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Shabnam Knit Clothing

Afghanistan

Halima Akbari is a successful home-based knitter who makes clothing by knotting yarn or thread using a variety of traditional and vintage weaving patterns from Afghanistan. Halima's everyday knitted garments include sweaters, vests, pillowcases, and other short-sleeved or sleeveless tops. Halima began knitting while recovering from an illness that caused her undergraduate studies to be disrupted. Halima changed her focus to learning how to knit after taking medication for almost two years to keep her mind off her illness. At her mother's workplace, her knitted vest caught coworkers' attention, and she soon received several orders and initiated her own business. Gradually, she gained many local customers who wished to buy her products; however, she still envisions broadening her customer base to international markets. Knitting, a traditional Afghan profession, is Halima's goal to transmit and showcase globally through her handcrafts, where she can train and support other females to produce handmade garments.