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Of Handmade

 

A whimsical, rich textured hand knit line, Of Handmade is exactly that, handmade by Simona Giaomo.   Each piece in the collection is entirely hand knitted or crocheted with rich textural yarns and chunky stitches.  Simple cocooning shapes are punctuated with deep ribs and coursing whales.  Colors are all naturally inspired from heathered grays with undertones of lilac and blue, through to moss green, blueberry and berry.  Buttons are oversized or crocheted or sometimes replaced with a simple silver safety pin.

“The idea of meeting a particular kind of yarn, so fascinated me…”

Of Handmade was born of Simona’s desire to realize what she thinks, what she sees and what she is breathing, imagining all her thoughts through glorious wefts in chunky knit, wool yarn.  Working with one hundred percent wool yarn in the winter, and one hundred percent cotton or linen yarn in the summer, many of them organic, and all of them Italian, Simona creates and produces her collection with a very small carbon footprint, by using local yarns, all hand knitted locally.

 

Starting in 2002 with the creation of a bag, and then a scarf, Simona began to play, and before she knew it she had created a collection and a company.  Selling mostly to friends in the beginning, Simona began working with other knitters as her orders grew.   Moving from knitted scarves and bags to crocheted ones, then onto pullovers, ponchos and jackets, she now has a label and a collection based on traditional skills in new styles and covering a whole range of items.  Starting from a single boutique she now works from samples and takes orders from trade shows and stores alike.

Simona’s philosophy is simple; to realize contemporary knitted pieces using the tradition of hand knitting, and to bring her ideas to life, it must come from the heart.  Her work and company having evolved organically, her hope is merely to be recognized as a designer living and working alongside the history of her craft.  Already selling in many of the most important Italian stores, her hope has I think already been realized.

Simona now sells across Italy as well as in Japan, Saudi Arabia and Switzerland, with her company continuing to grow season by season.

Website: www.ofhandmade.biz