Wim, who has done a lot of creative things in the past, originally liked the sound of the Dutch name' Meneer de Breibeer'. But gave it a more international flavor, he was soon using the English translation 'MrKnitbear'. And of course he picked his name because he is already a very cuddly guy.  He was encouraged to be creative when he was a child. From crafts to listening to music, singing to telling jokes: not a day passed by without something being created. As a teenager, Wim found a place in theatre, where he also discovered his love of singing. This led to a twelve-year programme in singing and his fairly successful participation in the Belgian TV show Pop Idol 2007.  But in 2009 Wim went looking for a new challenge. By then he had been teaching for years and he'd noticed his pupils did not really experience the creative things that he was able to try when he was a young boy.Many children had poor fine motor skills. 'We ought to be able to do something about this, Wim, the teacher thought. He plucked up the courage and stepped in to his LYS.  There he was initially told to watch YouTube videos on how to crochet. But once a bear latches onto something, it doesn't let go. He soon became a regular customer and got to know fellow crocheters and knitters. So that's how he got into knitting.  But knitting socks remained something mysterious. Until he did that one particular workshop, and it clicked. And so Wim found a new hobby and wrote a book about it titled Happily Knitting Socks with his friend Den Dennis.