Scontrosa Grazia: Gracefully Aloof

I have always had a strong bond with my city - Trieste.Trieste is a strange city: a bit Italian, a bit Austrian and a bit Balkan; yet, strange as it may seem, unlike any of them. It is an indefinable puzzle: every corner of the city holds vestiges of that marvelous city - once part of the Habsburg Empire - as well as glimpses of the functional architecture of the 1930s. Trieste is also a city of many cultures and many religions; it was once the main port of a great Empire that embraced many ethnicities. This has taught the people of Trieste to be very hospitable, but also very defensive Trieste is a city surrounded by sea, sky and karst rock; a city which remains in the mind and heart of anyone who sees the city for the first time. For me, Trieste is a constant source of inspiration and every walk through the city is sure to unveil new treasures.All of the patterns in this book have a touch of "Trieste" in them: perhaps a colourful motif inspired by the Art Nouveau architecture, or a geometric lace that brings to mind the windows of one of the many churches or temples, or perhaps the austere, yet elegant lines of a shawl inspired by the Neoclassic building fa ades.The inspirations are so many that a single bookcould not hold them all, so I am preparing a secondvolume to present new patterns born of my new and continuous impressions of Trieste.

Valentina Cosciani (alias Tibisay) lives and works in Trieste (Italia) with her husband, her two sons Leonardo and Riccardo and two cats, Strudel and Alex. She spends most of her time designing her patterns, writing her blog and travelling to present her designs. She tries her best to manage a chaotic daily routine made of fencing, swimming, Role-playing games, surprise dinner guests and feeding her cats: she usually succeeds... but not always!