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2025 Featured Designer: Melissa Durko

Updated: Aug 23, 2025

Today's Featured Designer is Melissa Durko, who designed BirkenSocks.


Meet Melissa


Melissa is the owner of The Bees Knits Yarn Shop, located in Knoxville.


She is a self-taught crocheter & knitter. She loves anything with bright pops of color, enjoys color-work, and often works off-pattern to customize her projects.


Her mission is to share her space with the community as often as possible and inspire those around her to be creative, no matter what the craft. She strives to make fiber arts more accessible and inclusive through the use of knitting machines at her store.


In addition to fiber arts, Melissa enjoys expressing creativity through food. She was a professional baker in a past life, and when she isn’t at the shop, you can find her in the kitchen, baking treats to share during her shop’s community events!


You can find out more about community events, knitting machine classes, and Melissa’s shop by visiting the Bees Knits Website website or via Instagram @thebeesknits


Behind the Design: BirkenSocks



The BirkenSocks are the perfect fusion of adventure and style. Imagine pairing your favorite Birkenstock sandals with vibrant, hand-knit socks. This duo is sure to elevate your summer vibes.


BirkenSocks are designed to complement open-toe sandals, making them a great accessory for travel or everyday wear. The toe-up design makes them quick and easy to knit, and their versatility means you can wear them with sandals all year round.


What makes BirkenSocks truly special is their customizability. Use as many or as few mini-skein colors as you like to create unique stripes, then tie everything together with a micro-stripe in your favorite hue.


The possibilities are endless, making BirkenSocks the perfect project to document your yarn journey.



Keep up with Melissa


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