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I have decided not to continue on with this because I have had some bad experiences with Hobby Lobby's I Love This Yarn not holding up well at all. I intend ot make this with a much sturdier yarn because this will be for me and i intend to use it well.
So I started this w/the intention of making a scarf but got lazy at finding smaller yarn so it will be an afghan (my 1st knit afghan). Illusion knitting is a visual play on the garter stitch and knits and purls. It's quite simple to do but you have to keep good count of your stitch. Form a top down view it looks like stripes (maybe a tad wonky) but as you look at the same piece at an angle the picture starts to emerge. I am making a Harry Potter afghan out of this. I think one square will be like this and the other will be reversed (a negative if you will). I am using the EXCELLENT pattern found at Wolly Thoughts. He Does an excellent job of explaining the process of illusion knitting and how it works.
When looking straight down at the project (you can super size the image if you like to see the stitches). You can see the slight disturbances in the stripes but it's still mostly just stripes. I have placed my stitch markers spaced every 10 stitches (added one stitch to each side ) this matches up with the grid on the pattern and it's easier to follow my spot. I also have tied contrasting yarn to mark every 10th ridge which also is the way the pattern is marked to keep better tract of my place.
But when you tilt it at an angle you see the design.
Being a left handed person and knitting as such when I follow this chart as written it makes the image appear mirrored. This really isn't a big issue but if you are intending to do an illusion knit and want it to face the same way as the designer I recommend printing out the charts in mirror image that way your finished project will face the way it was intended to. Some day I want to knit the Mona Lisa but she will face the wrong way If I don't flip the charts and who want's the Mona Lisa to be facing the wrong way?
I'm editing this so that I will be putting the most current photo on top.
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Here is a short video that shows how this illusion works.
3 comments:
this is knitting up really well! I love how finely detailed this illusion pattern is too.
As you are swapping yarns across the back, does it keep neat enough to be the back of the scarf or afghan? I love the idea of using a bigger yarn for a throw - how big do you think it will turn out? Very tempted to try this technique!!
That's the thing about this illusion knitting. you are not swapping yarns at all. each ridge is solid colors so you only trail the yarn up the outer edge. The swaping of the yarn is due to the illusion, the purls bump up so you see them at an angle but the knits lay flat so you don't see them so if you have knit red before purl yellow at an angle the red won't show but the yellow will.
I'll take a photo of the back. I haven't worked on this as I have several afghans to finish but inted to pick it back up. If you look at the projects on Rav several have shots of the back of the piece. It's different but not all muttled with trailing yarn. Not presentable as an A surface but not so ugly as you would have to hide it all together.
Ahh, I see! Of course, double knitting, so there are only side seams. So long since I've done any of that I'll have to refresh my memory!! The harry potter image is a really detailed illusion pattern too. I've seen other designs but they are much more simplistic. I wanted to find an illusion 'skull' pattern as detailed as this for a xmas present but no luck as yet.....:)I'll keep on hunting for now. Last resort is to design one I suppose!
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