Stories in stitches

Dario Tubiana loves to decorate his handknit designs with spectacular embroidery, and to share his experiences and expertise with other knitters

- Dario Tubiana

ITALIAN DESIGNER Dario Tubiana has been a popular and prolific contributor to The Knitter since 2017, and he is well known for his creative stranded colourwork designs for men and women. Over the past few years, Dario has been exploring how the use of embroidery can enhance his handknits, and he now runs workshops and classes sharing his expertise with other knitters. We chatted with Dario to find out more about his passion for embroidering onto knitted fabric.

When did you first discover the art of embroidery?

"I studied a master's degree in Creative Knitwear Design here in Italy. During this period, thanks to a friend of mine originally from India who could embroider really well, I became fascinated by the art of embroidery and the various combinations of stitches that can have wonderful effects.

"However, for a long time I had a fear of embroidery, mainly because I perceived it as something very technical. This fear of mine held me back a bit, until I decided to try to embroider on one of my hand-knit sweaters. Embroidering using wool made me feel that I was still in my comfort zone, and so I slowly began to study more, buying books and following embroiderers on the internet. And now here I am!"

Do you have a favourite style of embroidery or stitch you like to use?

"I have a certain liking for the French Knot. As I always say during my classes: 'it's a stitch that wherever you put it, it looks cool!'. It seems easy to do, but in reality it is often underestimated and it may be tricky sometimes.