Swatchless

$3.00 CAD

Just in time for Valentines day, show your sweetie you care, by knitting them a pair of red and white striped mittens.  This pattern can be customized to fit any hand size.

Hold hands with your special someone, and keep your hands toasty warm at the same time.  This two person mitten is more than meets the eye.  Knit with a technique called illusion knitting, at first glance it is a simple striped pattern, but when viewed from a different angle, a heart appears.

Skills: cast on, knit in the round, purl, increase, decrease, chart reading.

Yarn: sport weight, red and white

Needles: 4.0mm

Download the .pdf pattern for the set of three mittens, including full colour charts for $3.00 CAD

See what happens when you get going on an idea??  I’ve been playing with illusion knitting these days in preparation for the class I’m teaching at Wool-Tyme.

Here’s an idea I’ve been working on for Valentine’s day…

A lover’s mitten…perfect for hand holding.

more photos and pattern details will be released shortly.

No….I’m not knitting a candy cane…..

This is a sample of illusion knitting that I made to be on display at Wool-Tyme.  This technique simply requires you to knit and purl.  It looks very plain when viewed from above, but far more impressive when seen on an angle.

If you are in Kingston, and want to learn how to knit your own illusions, I’m going to be teaching a class on April 24th.  Beginners welcome!!

Contact Anne at Wool-Tyme Kingston to sign up!

Wool Tyme

Email:wooltymekingston@gmail.com

Address:725 Gardiners Rd. Kingston, Ontario, Canada K7M 3Y5

Phone:  613-384-3951

I’m trying to think of some other motifs to hide in my knitting….Illusion hearts are perfect for this time of year with Valentine’s day just around the corner.

What image would you like to hide in your knitting?

So, the trilogy of playoff games ended today with the Vanier Cup being played in Quebec City.  The superfan and friends went up to watch in person, while I stayed home and watched with family.  As usual with Queen’s, it was a close game, but they came from behind to win by 2 points with the last quarter being played against the wind.  It must have been so exciting to be at the game.  I’ll hear more details when the superfan returns tonight.

Superfan and the Vanier cup. Photo credit: Kate

I was knitting my illusion mittens while I watched the game.  I’m not sure if they are the right proportions to fit anyone; they are definitely big for me, but my hands are small.  It is so exciting when the illusion starts to become visible.  I think I’ll have fun making more patterns like this.  This is what it looked like before the game.

when looked at face on, the pattern is hidden!

By the end of the game, all that was left was the thumb.

It’s a plain old striped mitten….until viewed from an angle.  See the starfish?

I’m going to spend some time this evening spinning up some wool dyed by the girls last week.  The spinning wheel goes on the road tomorrow morning for them to give it a whirl.

Recently I have become more interested in knitting pattern design, and as winter arrives I start to notice interesting patterns and stitch combinations on garments in stores, or on people that I pass in the street.  I keep mental notes for the most part.  I sometimes worry what people might think if I got out my camera, or notepad to record details on the spot.

There are many people that I know well enough to ask them for a closer look at their knitwear.  They often put up with me examining their new hat, or mitts, and my need to feel the wool and figure out how the garment was made.

It seems like moviegoers have been struck with a similar obsession.  People freeze frame movies, and design the knitwear that they see.  It must be quite a challenge!  I now worry that I will never watch a movie the same way again!!

I’ve done a quick Ravelry search this evening, and compiled a list of movie inspired knitting.  I’ve linked to blogs where available and also to {Ravelry}.  These patterns are all FREE!  Pictures were taken from Ravelry pattern pages.

Feel free to add your favourites in the comments, and I will add to this list.

I think I’m going to have to knit a pair of Bella Mittens, they look so cozy.

Twilight/New Moon inspired

Twilight Book jacket socks or mittens or arm warmers etc {Ravelink}

Bella mittens {Ravelink}

Bella’s LaPush Hat {Ravelink}

Angela’s LaPush hat {Ravelink}

Alice Cullen’s fingerless mittens {Ravelink}

Harry Potter Inspired

Hogwarts scarf {Ravelink}

Dark Mark illusion scarf {Ravelink}

Hermione Hat {Ravelink}

Transformers Inspired

Reversible Transformers Toque {Ravelink}

Starwars Inspired

Starwars Fairisle charts {Ravelink}

R2D2 Beanie {Ravelink}

Felted Baby Yoda Hat {Ravelink}

Are you scared of spiders?

are you scared??

These spiders make silk that has been spun and woven into an amazing cloth which is on display at the American Museum of Natural History. My friend sent me this interesting article today.

Hallowe’en is a day where all is not as it seems. The same can be said about projects using the technique of illusion knitting. My first illusion knitting project was the counterpoint scarf {Ravelink} that I knit for my good friend GS, a music major. When viewed from above, it looks like a black and white striped scarf, but when viewed on an angle, the combination of ridges knit and purled into the scarf show a different design. The counterpoint scarf shows a piano keyboard, but you can make any two colour design into an illusion pattern. The scarf was such a big hit, that he commissioned me to knit two more for his friends.

counterpoint scarf

In the spirit of Hallowe’en, I’m going to explain how to make a pumpkin design into an illusion knitting design. All it takes is some graph paper, and coloured pencils, or an excel spreadsheet (for the high-tech knitter).

SPOILER ALERT!!! If you prefer to be mystified by these illusions, do NOT scroll down. Detailed instructions of how to make your own illusions are presented below.

Step 1: Draw your design on the grid.

pumpkin chart

Step 2: Draw your design, but this time stretch it vertically by adding 3 blank rows between each existing row.

stretched pumpkin

Step 3: Move all orange (contrasting colour) squares up two rows.

illusion pumpkin

How to read this pattern: Main colour is yellow, contrasting colour is orange.

The pattern is knit in 2 row chunks of colour. The first row of any colour is always knit. The second row of the colour is knit only when the chart indicates the colour, blank squares in the second row are purled. This makes a coloured ridge to match the pattern on the right side of the work.

The first 10 rows of the pattern chart would be written out as follows

Row 1: MC K

Row 2: MC K (forms a MC ridge on right side of work)

Row 3: CC K

Row 4: CC P5,K7,P5

Row 5: MC K

Row 6: MC K5,P7,K5

Row 7: CC K

Row 8: CC P3,K11,P3

Row 9: MC K

Row 10: MC K3,P11,K3

etc.

Once you understand the technique, you can design illusion knitting for scarves, mittens, socks, and cushion covers. Remember though, the design will be 4 times as long as it appears on your original grid. Be careful though, if knitting in the round, the second row coloured squares will need to be purled to form the ridge needed for the illusion.

Now, go forth and mystify your friends!

Happy Hallowe’en!