At the beginning of June, a release I was especially excited about came out to the public. It was the Travessia Book, a digital book with knitting designs that have embroidery as a theme.
I was one of the designers invited to collaborate with the project, but before I share my experience, I want to talk about the minds behind the book and the book itself.
Travessia was idealized by Daniela Zago and Fernanda Camargos, two friends that, despite more than the 1,300 miles distance that divides them — Daniela lives in Porto Alegre and Fernanda in Brasilia — created such a bond that it felt like they were always together. Sharing the same tastes and interests, Dani and Nanda had the idea of creating something together which could join their passion for art, creativity, friendship, and a world full of yarn and amazing projects. And that's how Nós Manual was born. In Portuguese, the word nós means both “we” and “knots.”
As the first project, they had the bold idea of creating a digital book inviting seven other designers to collaborate. The name “Travessia” was chosen because it reflects the concept of a journey, a path to be crossed which could be long and challenging but also rewarding and fulfilling. The book is written in Brazilian Portuguese, but it will possibly be released in other languages in the future (fingers crossed!).
I felt honored when Dani and Nanda contacted me to join the team. I got a little scared when they told me that it would involve embroidery, a technique that I'm not particularly comfortable with, but I jumped in and was surprised with how pleased I was with embroidering on a knitted fabric.
The result of the hard work of all the designers was a book with nine patterns: Jardim de Tulipas Hat by Fernanda Camargos, Brisa Gentil Cover by Daniela Zago, San Francisco Cowl by Iris Alessi, Margaritas Shawl by Gianini Pereira, Flor de Outono Socks by Marina Albertoni, Lota Vest by Roberta Santana, Gypsophila Sweater by Clara Quintela, Lewis Rabbit by Letícia Yamashita, and Cardigan Florescer by me, Juliane Matuguma.
All projects were made using Fios da Fazenda’s yarn, including their special wool embroidery floss. And three different colors were developed exclusively for Nós Manual: Nós (light blue), Travessia (ochre), and Ternura (light beige).
You can check out the book and Fios da Fazenda’s exclusive colorways on Nós Manual’s website.
