THIS is a very good example of how a hobby became a full-fledged source of livelihood for one working woman. Ping Rodrigo was employed at an established corporation in Bacolod City in the 80s and she crocheted during her spare time.
Her products were mostly socks that she sold to friends. It was after she saw some bank employees were hand-knitting during their coffee break when her interest was piqued.
So, she asked to be taught on how to knit. She boldly studied the craft on her own through trial and error, and her efforts paid off when she was able to hand-knit and sell ladies’ blouses.
Her early customers were her neighbors and friends. Her sales were brisk that even the blouses she was wearing would be bought off by enamored fashionistas. As demand for the tops climbed, she got herself assistants to fill in and even tried her hand at knitting socks with matching knitted ribbons which were a hit among the schoolgirls.
Someone she knew in Davao decided to bring the goods there to sell. Ping recalls happily that she would supply the wholesale buyer with knitted items by the sack!
One day, she looked longingly at a knitting machine and knew that she could not afford it. An acquaintance who owned it offered to sell it to her, cheaper than she expected as it was a second-hand.
Since the acquisition of the machine, we could say that her life was not the same again. Why? First of all, the knitting machine enabled our producer to fill out orders faster. Second, the machine also tapped her creative juices. She added other items such as infant sandos and underwear, and baby blankets. These eventually eased out the production of school socks as the trend for the latter took a downward turn. The third change in her life was that her hobby, and now business, became the sole source of her income after the company she was working for closed in the city.
Acquiring the knitting machine meant faster inventory turnover and being able to accept more orders. However, this inevitably spelled the end of the hand-knits which were tedious to make. From this time on, Ping went into producing machine-knits full time.
In the meantime, she was still maintaining her crochet-loving market. She remembers supplying a Japanese buyer with tiny hand-crocheted flowers meant to embellish the front of blouses. The same buyer also bought dainty jewelry pouches from her. This business relationship lasted over a year and she is proud to say in retrospect that she had passed the exacting standards of the Japanese market.
The machine knits were gaining fans. She began showing up at flea markets with her wares, and started consigning to the biggest department store in Bacolod City. She went a step farther by joining the Association of Negros Producers in 2003.
Here, her business became more organized and streamlined. Being part of the association made a huge difference in her business outlook. Attending seminars, workshops, and trade fairs, and getting professional advice in market exposure all tremendously helped Ping’s Knitwear.
Just this year, her lovely creation of a pastel mini-dress, with a Negros silk thread-embroidered front and a triangle of a floral-themed crocheted web to span the bare back, won first prize in the coveted Bulawan Award for the Garments Category. She got the award after 13 lucky years since she joined ANP.
Ping excitedly shared: “I always look forward to the trade fairs!”
Trade fairs are where the bustle pumps up her energy. The energy radiated by many die-hard supporters of excellent Negros-made products is unbelievable and is proven by the increasing number of attendees in the annual Negros Trade Fair in Manila.
It is at trade fairs where one may take a closer look at the wide range of Ping’s Knitwear products. Her hand-crocheted items now include coasters, glass covers, goblet coasters, shawls and shrugs.
In the machine knitted category are her blouses, infant wear, baby dresses, infant mittens, beanies, and even bikinis. The aforementioned are made with mercerized cotton making the resulting fabrics soft and breathable.
Who would have thought Ping would come this far? From just something to pass the time into a profitable enterprise, Ping’s Knitwear can become an inspiration to a working girl whose dream is to be her own boss and become financially independent.*