Get Cozy With Little Birdie Design Studio’s Knitwear

As Tori Tedesco shopped for knitwear for her personal closet, she couldn’t find what she was looking for: thick infinity scarves and heat-keeping beanies in attractive colors. Having crocheted as a child, she decided to take up knitting, teaching herself the basics after work at her day job as a graphic designer. Eventually, family and friends started asking if she was selling her trendy pieces, which led to the creation of her Etsy shop, Little Birdie Design Studio, in 2009.

In the early days, Tedesco fielded countless recommendations about what to make. Though appreciated, she says it wasn’t until she started leaning on her artistic instinct for color palettes and products that Little Birdie felt like her. She began creating collections of hats, handbags and scarves that suited northeast Ohio’s winter weather. Tedesco puts equal emphasis on function as she does fashion, making warm and attractive hats that were perfect to wear while walking her dog.

“What am I going to be known for?” Tedesco recalls asking herself. “‘I’m just going to focus on that.’”

Over a decade later, Tedesco’s pieces continue to complement the Midwestern climate she has become accustomed to — growing up in Dover, attending college in Kent and currently residing in Cuyahoga Falls. During the snowier months, thick, vegan-friendly accessories like the Cozy Cabin Cap, Rug Scarf and Portland Cable Knit Hat are bestsellers.

“It took me several months of picking out the yarn, testing different yarns and different thicknesses, and what size needles I wanted to use,” Tedesco says of her design process for the Cable Knit Hat.

As spring comes around, items like the Ridgeway Tea Towel and Peddler Backpack soar in popularity. The latter was a solution to a problem Tedesco was having with a set of crocheted bags she was working on. The yarn in the handle stretched overtime, leading her to brainstorm a fix with her husband, Kyle. The couple began using leather straps for a sturdier look and feel, organically starting Coalesce Leather, Little Birdie’s sister business.

“I always make something first and test it before I ever actually put it out into the world,” Tedesco says.

For more information, visit littlebirdiedesignstudio.com.

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